Ever heard of Countermeasure? If not, you're about to.
The acclaimed a cappella group is headed to Whistler on March 7. With decorated composer/producer Aaron Jensen at the helm, Countermeasure has elicited rousing ovations from fans around the globe.
They've recorded with Grammy and Juno winners like the Barenaked Ladies, Randy Brecker, Natalie MacMaster, Ron Sexsmith, Alan Doyle and Evelyn Glennie. They founded the Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival (SING!), Canada's top a cappella fest, and often light up networks such as CBC Radio and TV, Global Television, Rogers Television, City TV, and CP24.
Countermeasure features 11 elite Canadian vocal talents outside of Jensen: Gianna Antonacci, Elora Burns, Arun Devdas, J-M Erlendson, Marla Kishimoto, Qwyn Alexis, Nina Brown, Tara Park, Hayley Preziosi, Daniel Boyle and Jeremy Voltz.
"We are the realization of beautiful music as performed through the human body alone … and yet it sounds like a full band, a full orchestra, a full jazz group," Erlendson says. "On an intuitive level, you recognize the sound of the body and it makes you feel included, makes you want to join in. We get the same comment around the world as this universal language: not just of music, but music from your body."
Understanding music
Most of the group's members come from university a cappella backgrounds. That world is inherently constrained by rules, as are classical choral a cappella and barbershop vocal traditions.
When Jensen and company formed Countermeasure in 2010, they decided to go against the grain in every way. They asked: "what would happen if we eliminated all the boxes and forged beyond anything seen before?"
As a result, they've worked with various singers and instrumentalists to revolutionize how music is made.
"One of the classical choral songs we recorded was with an internationally renowned theremin player. You might know theremin as this electromagnetic instrument that allows you to control the pitch based on how far away you are," recalls Erlendson. "It was literally a piece of music arranged for 12 voices and a theremin: something you wouldn't have heard from any other vocal group. We certainly couldn't have done it without breaking open the rules.
"Similarly, we just finished recording an album, [Orchestral Sessions]. A cappella as a genre is meant to be without instruments, but we said, 'what if we had 55 instrumentalists creating a soundscape, as if they were members of our 12-person vocal group?' We think that human understanding of music [can be] so much greater than what people do in their day to day. You can challenge your own understanding of music."
Countermeasure also reinterprets existing songs by way of live looping techniques, vocal percussion and dramatic choreography. For example, Preziosi is a pop superfan who tells her own life story through the music of Britney Spears… in the style of 1930s jazz. No genre is off-limits, and group members will convey their own experiences or beliefs on stage.
'Our musical family'
The word "family" has become a cliché in professional settings, but Erlendson genuinely views his Countermeasure peers in that light. A few people have come and gone over the past 15 years, but for the most part their roster stays constant.
"These are our closest friends, our musical family," says Erlendson. "One of the songs is called 'Hold On,' which is about the experience of becoming a mother and trying to teach your child the lessons of the world … how to be resilient in times of great disruption. It is sung by [Alexis] who's a mother to four beautiful children, and we were all there as she went through those life phases. These kids are growing up with some of our other members' kids [and have] become part of their lives."
Meanwhile, Erlendson describes Jensen as "the artistic conduit through which everything flows": a band leader, director and primary composer. Jensen's roots are in jazz and musical theatre, and his impressive resume includes the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek and even a gig with Mariah Carey.
In Erlendson's opinion, nice venues and crews are great to work with—but the audience makes the show. He and his peers are excited to perform in Whistler for the first time because they've heard many good things about the town's artistic community. In turn, they hope Whistlerites show up in droves to see what Countermeasure has to offer.
"We believe that music, particularly vocal music, is universal," Erlendson says. "We found ourselves in [a Japanese town] called Obama in 2018, where singing pieces of music that were original and in English somehow found hearts and minds. We would encourage people to bring their kids, their families, to make this a whole community affair because there's nothing more powerful, nothing more beautiful, than engaging in music together."
Countermeasure performs on March 7 at the Maury Young Arts Centre at 8 p.m. Tickets and details are available at showpass.com/awl-countermeasure/.
