Archive for the ‘Conventions’ Category

So as you all know, I have just returned from a most amazing weekend in Albany, New York! The A Cappella competition was truly fabulous! I was completely blown away by our capacity as human beings to create something with nothing but our natural organs. It was such an awesome example of how fantastic we are, outside of all the stuff we do… All the material items and effects we have in the world are truly just reflective of us… Yet they do not in any way define us. Wow! What an awesome concept.

This is something I feel l struggle with every day, and to have a weekend that celebrated nothing but the magnificence of our vocal chords and the beauty that we can create as a simple team of people was so truly inspiring! It was two days filled with laughter and joy, all based around the incredible things we do! I hope to spend more of my time creating and exploring all the wonderful things we are capable of doing together! It is such a lovely reminder of what is really important about life… Because ultimately when it is all over, it is the experiences that you have that you will forever cherish… Not the stuff you collect! Life is about rejoicing in our humanity! What a beautiful thing! I hope to see you all at the next one!If you want to check out some more A Cappella stuff visit the housejacks.com or check out Naturally 7 on YouTube! They are amazing!

Ciao,
Allison

PS. Here are some photos that Bobby sent in!
DSC01447.JPG
DSC01448.JPG
DSC01449.JPG
DSC01443.JPG
DSC01450.JPG
DSC01452.JPG
DSC01457.JPG
DSC01458.JPG
DSC01459.JPG
DSC01470.JPG
DSC01471.JPG

Hey all! I am going to be judging this competition with Kristin Kreuk December 1-2. If you’re into music or people or “Smallville” or any or all of the above, come out and join us for the weekend! It’s going to be a rocking time! Hope to see you all there!

A Cappella Innovations is a festival being put on by my friends, the acappella group Simply Human, the weekend of December 1-2.

A Capella Innovations intends to “promote innovation, evolution and unity in the acappella community, as well as fostering an appreciation in the general public of what can be done with the human instrument.” The two-day event/conference/festival will include 11 different workshops of acappella techniques, constructive evaluations, and professional performances and networking and community-building opportunities, culminating in a celebrity-hosted performance of acappella groups.

The workshops will focus on vocal instrument emulation, arrangement techniques, voice (singing) techniques and vocal percussion and “beatboxing.” Participating groups will have the opportunity to perform for a professional judging panel that will provide rich feedback. A Capella Innovations will be a living, evolving process of talent sharing where, through the exposure to each group’s different techniques and approach, participants will arrive to a whole new level in their performance and experience of acappella music. The public performance at the end of the weekend will showcase the results of this mutual enrichment process.

Monday May 14th
Hello everyone! I am now in London, England! Hampstead, to be exact, and I am just rounding up the end of the first leg of my hiatus vacation!

London has been brilliant! I can feel myself picking up a British accent in just the 4 days I have been here. I am such a sponge it is silly…

I started my trip on the most incredible first class flight on Virgin Air. It was so amazing! I felt as though I had stepped into an Austin Powers private jet with a full bar, seats that reclined all the way back with a feather comforter, and gorgeous stewards all dressed in bright red and purple! It was fab!

My friend, Sarah, joined me on the trip, and we had such a wonderful time playing with all the things on the plane. After we had been in the air for a few hours Sarah suggested that we grab some champagne at the bar. When we walked up, we met the most wonderful man named Mickey, from East London. We started chatting and it turns out that he does the lighting design for a bunch of rock shows all over the world. He asked us if we like Pink Floyd, and Sarah and I both looked at him and said “YES!”….and so it was done! We officially had plans with Mickey for dinner and a rock show… all this before we even started over the Atlantic. I spent the rest of the flight sleeping and gearing up for the fabulous weekend ahead!

When we landed, we were met by the fabulous Ben Brown. Ben was our driver for the day and was so so lovely. The only problem was that he wasn’t from London, so we had to rely on a GPS system to get us where we needed to go. This posed a bit of a problem and we ended up driving around London for about 3 hours before we finally found where we were headed. No worries, though! We were still just thrilled to be on the ground in the UK. So, we threw on some make up, deodorant, and new jeans and headed out to a fantastic dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Zuma’s, followed by the most amazing show at Earl’s Court, complete with VIP seats and tickets to the VIP lounge! We stayed until I thought I would fall over and then jumped in the car and headed up to Coventry where the convention was to begin at 8:30 the next morning.

I rushed to bed as soon as I could and woke up about 3 hours later feeling a bit refreshed and ready for the day. We were staying in an old Abbey called Coombes Abbey. It was this stunning old medieval Abbey that was surrounded by the most beautiful gardens and ponds. When I jumped on the bus, I joined Jenson Ackles, Brooke Nevin, Alan Ritchson, Alona Tal, and a few other fabulous actors for a weekend of fun with the fans. The actual convention was fantastic!! I sang twice and felt so incredibly loved by all the wonderful fans that were there! It is always so nice to be able to meet and see the people who are responsible for making the show a success. After two days of shaking hands and signing autographs, I was quite exhausted and ready for round two of the fantastic first class trip home.

Tuesday May 15th:
I met up with my friend Sarah in a gorgeous area of London called Hampstead Heath, and we had about 12 hours with some friends before our flight took off on Monday. On the way home, I watched 3 movies, all fantastic, and tried my best to sleep. My internal clock is so off, I don’t know which way is up… and now, I am in LA!

I’m spending time with the family and getting some things sorted out before the next leg of my adventure! I hope you all are doing beautifully and I hope you enjoyed watching Noir as much as we enjoyed shooting it! Have fun with the season finale! It’s a wet one!

Talk to you in a few days!

Ciao,
Allison

Extra
We’ve asked a Rachel and Beckie to submit their photos of the convention, so you can view those in the gallery here. If you’d like to submit your photos of the convention to the gallery, email them to admin@allisonmack.com, and we’ll put them up!

Rachel also has a video of me singing, and has given permission to post it here. Click the video below to hear a bit of “Angel from Montgomery”, a capella.