Between local performances, a road tour in Florida and torching a piano during a photo session, Out of the Dawg House has found time to release a full-length album.

The 11-member male a cappella group on campus has had a busy semester, performing at the Super Bowl Village in early February and traveling alongside the Butler University Chorale on their Florida tour over spring break. Later this month, the group will travel to Michigan for a concert.

The  album  “Unsupervised” should be released later this month and builds upon material from the group’s last release, the six-track EP “Six to Midnight.”

It will be sold for $10 and will be available in the Butler University Bookstore and through iTunes.

Janine Frainier of the university bookstore said OOTDH has not been in contact about the new album but that typically about five copies of each OOTDH release are stocked at a time.

Sophomore arts administration major Tim Jans, who sings with OOTDH, said the album is two years in the making. He said the group was hoping to release the CD in December, but the recording process took longer than anticipated.

“Unsupervised” will be the fourth full-length CD released by the group, and the first since their 2009 Christmas album. That album was recorded in Butler’s recording studio space in the Fairbanks Building with producer Andy Riehle, senior vocal performance and recording industry studies major and OOTDH member.

Jans said the CD will focus on “old-ish” songs instead of contemporary music. He said these older songs were extremely popular on the Florida tour.

“All the old people down there were really liking the classics,” he said, laughing.

The album, sporting a picture of an upright piano engulfed in flames, will be made available starting at Out of the Dawg House’s spring concert on April 28 at 7 p.m. in the Reilly Room.

Jans said that preparing for a concert is different than preparing for a recording. A concert, he said, will feature the group’s entire repertoire of about 20 songs.  Three or four of these songs, he said, are completely new to the group to keep the concerts from being “the same-old, same-old.”

Preparing for a concert, then, involves covering a lot of music quickly.

On the other hand, the group must concentrate on finessing one song and really going into detail with the music and harmonies rehearsing for a recording
Jans said that joining Out of the Dawg House was one the best decisions he made at Butler.

His favorite part of being in such an active group?

“The friendships I’ve made with many people of different backgrounds,” he said.

Friendships, said junior music major Myles Pinder, are forged inside and outside the rehearsal room.

“All the guys in the group are my friends,” he said. “Some are even my best friends. I spend time with most of them outside of rehearsals and performances, just hanging out.”

Unsupervised Track List

“Carry on My Wayward Son” (Kansas)
“Give a Little More” (Maroon 5)
“Effington” (Ben Folds)
“Crazy Love” (Van Morrison)
“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” (The Proclaimers)
“Party in the U.S.A.” (Miley Cyrus)
“The Longest Time” (Billy Joel) “Somebody that I Used to Know” (Gotye)
“Dreaming with a Broken Heart” (John Mayer)
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (Frankie Valli)
“Lullaby” (Josh Groban) “Insomniac” (Billy Pilgrim)

Butler University President Jim Danko will embark on an inaugural tour to connect with alumni and promote the university.

Danko will make stops in New York, Florida, the Midwest and the West Coast.

The trip kicks off with a visit to the Indiana Historical Society on Feb. 15.

“I expect it will be an excellent way for me to continue to learn about Butler and to start building relationships with a critical group that provides support to Butler,” Danko said in an email.

In addition to building relationships with Butler graduates, Danko will also be sharing his vision for Butler’s future as president with alumni.

The president’s website outlines the trip’s details and visits over three months.

To Ben Wright, a Butler graduate who attained his bachelor’s degree in music performance last semester, the success of Danko’s tour depends on how the president expresses ideas for Butler’s improvement.

“I really do love this school,” Wright said. “I’m tired of hearing about all the good things. I know we can do great things, but if I’m giving money to this school, I want to know where we’re struggling and how my money can help.”

Danko said many of the cities will be visited in clusters or on strategic days, allowing him to spend time at the university and to be available to students.

“It’s never a bad thing for the president to raise awareness or help out Butler,” sophomore biology major Alex Henderson said. “Overall, I think it’s a good plan.”

Danko said that traveling is an important part of the job as university president and that he plans to continue traveling throughout the summer and fall.

Danko has also expressed his desire for a close connection with students—stressing the need for an open-forum atmosphere of discussion between faculty, students and administration. His trips will not take away from that, he said.

“I also remain firmly committed to my frequent meetings with students, faculty and staff here on campus,” Danko said in an email to faculty members. “This semester, I have decided to expand student-input opportunities by instituting a series of ‘town hall’ meetings.”

Because of this, Danko delayed  his tour until the second semester after gaining a better understanding of the Butler community, he said.

The first of these meetings has been scheduled for Jan. 30.

by Lexi Tanton

Chrishawn Hopkins, sophomore guard for Butler basketball team has been able to come through for the team in crucial moments.  In this way, he’s not unlike former player Avery Jukes, who was also able to help the team in some important moments.

Both of these players have come off the bench willing to play against some of the team’s most challenging competitors like Duke and Florida. Jukes was one of the players that played with a full heart in the 2010 National Championship game against Duke.  Jukes played 18 minutes in that game and scored two three-pointers.  He scored a total of 10 points and four rebounds.  Even though the Bulldogs did not walk away as champions, they still made Butler proud.

Like Jukes, Hopkins came off the bench in a post-season game.  It was the 5^th round of the NCAA tournament against the Florida Gators.  He wasn’t in for long, but Hopkins scored three essential points for the Bulldogs—three points that separated the final score and gave the bulldogs the victory.  Hopkins and Jukes both have experienced pressure during game time.  However, that doesn’t seem to have much of an impact of their game.

Despite the fact that Jukes graduated along with other players that have contributed to the Bulldogs’ success, with young players like Hopkins now playing for the bulldogs, Butler’s future looks promising, no matter what some people may think.  The bulldogs have proven their talent time and time again; Hopkins, along with the rest of the team, will surely keep the newborn legacy alive.  With the leadership of head coach Brad Stevens, we should expect great things in the future.

Editors note: This story was updated March 30 at 12:52 a.m.

Related Links:

PHOTO GALLERY | Bulldogs celebrate Florida upset

PHOTO GALLERY | Moment by moment of Butler vs. Florida

Video by Elyssa Garfinkle
Story by Steven Peek

The Butler men’s basketball team is headed back to the Final Four despite a January and February full of experts spouting opinions to the contrary.

The doubters had their reasons.

First, Gordon Hayward left. Then, senior Willie Veasley couldn’t be replaced. And surely losses at Louisville, Xavier and a three-game losing streak that culminated at Youngstown State had proven the Bulldogs (27-9) were no longer among the nation’s elite.

But Butler has again done what they seem to do so well—prove others wrong.

Four NCAA tournament wins and millions of busted brackets later, the No. 8 seed Butler has punched a ticket to Houston, where they will play the No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth Rams.

“It’s a tribute to the Butler system,” sophomore center Andrew Smith said. “When you lose a great player like Gordon Hayward, people are going to underestimate you, but we’ve been able to turn it around.”

It took a full team effort to get Butler back to the Final Four. Roles had to be realigned and new obstacles had to be overcome.

Senior forward Matt Howard and junior guard Shelvin Mack have been at the front of the pack.

While many nationwide have continued to focus on Howard as a ‘turtleneck sock-wearing,’ nerdy Ichabod Crane,” he has continued doing what he loves to do most—win basketball games with his “brothers.”

Howard is averaging 16.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game during the 2011 NCAA tournament. He also had game-winning shots in the Bulldogs’ second- and third-round wins.

Mack has been right with Howard in the upper eschelons of tournament statistics. His 21.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game during the March tournament run earned him the Southeast Region MVP.

This season, Smith has given some room for Mack and now Howard to work on the perimeter.

A 6-foot-11-inch graduate of local Covenant Christian High School, Smith has successfully played the post position in February and March. He doesn’t always blow up the stat sheet, but he does provide size against large opponents and allows teammates to play to their strengths.

Defense has been a huge part of the Bulldogs’ return to the Final Four with senior guard Shawn Vanzant and junior guard Ronald Nored being the keys to that effort.

Their ability to guard the perimeter and corral quick point guards, like Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor and Florida’s Erving Walker, have forced deep, difficult shots from opponents and allowed other parts of the scouting report to be executed.

Bench play has also been key in this year’s deep tournament run. When Smith got into foul trouble, Mack rolled an ankle or a spark was needed, the bench was there.

Junior forward Garrett Butcher, senior guard Zach Hahn, freshman guard Chrishawn Hopkins and freshman forward Khyle Marshall have been the support system in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans.

Each had a performance that got the Bulldogs through tough times.

Butcher defended the middle against Old Dominion. Hahn kept things close against Florida in the first half.

Hopkins dished out a no-look assist and then made a 3-pointer in the second half against Florida. Marshall grabbed seven offensive rebounds against the Gators.

The bulk of the work has been done by Howard, Mack, Smith and Vanzant, but a handful of other Bulldogs have each had their part in overcoming a wave in the NCAA tournament’s open sea.

And of course, Butler head coach Brad Stevens has been the glue to bring the pieces together.

“I think he’s one of the best in-game coaches in country,” Nored said. “He does a good job of analyzing teams by numbers first and then getting a feel for how they play.

“He shows us that the little details add up to the big picture.”

Rams: The New “Giant Killers”

Somehow, Stevens, 34, won’t be the youngest head coach in the game.

Shaka Smart, 33, leads the Rams—the “hottest” team in the country and yet still a team that barely made it into the field of 68.

They share more than youth, though. Both have a strong passion for the game, according to Hahn.

The Rams (28-11) have a five-game winning streak, but all of those wins are in the NCAA tournament and against “bigger,” or more major, conferences.

Consider the prestige of the Rams’ victims during this year’s tournament: No. 11 seed Southern California (Pacific-10), No. 6 seed Georgetown (Big East), No. 3 seed Purdue (Big Ten), No. 10 seed Florida State (ACC) and No. 1 seed Kansas (Big 12).

Butler is not from a major conference, but that shouldn’t temper VCU’s ability to play as the underdog. No experts expected the Rams to be where they are now, much like none of them picked Butler to be winner of the Southeast Region.

Stevens called humility a core principle of the Butler program, and that should keep the Bulldogs from overlooking a team that others have in March.

The five days prior to the national semifinal may be what Stevens and the Bulldogs need to prepare for the otherwise surprising Rams.

The matchup epitomizes March Madness and the seemingly changing landscape of college men’s basketball, one in which conference affiliation, media exposure and training facilities aren’t determining factors of how deep a team can go in the tournament.

One of these two unlikely foes—Butler or VCU—will be playing in the national championship game Monday night in Houston against a team from a major conference (Kentucky or Connecticut).

The Butler-VCU national semifinal game tips Saturday at 6:09 p.m.

By Ashleigh Taylor for The Butler Beat

The Butler Bulldogs got a warm welcome at Hinkle Fieldhouse when they returned early Sunday morning after defeating Florida 74-71 in Saturday’s Elite 8 game in New Orleans.

Was reserve guard Chrishawn Hopkins the key to Butler’s success against Florida in the Elite 8 game?

Related Links:

PHOTO GALLERY | Moment by moment of Butler vs. Florida

PHOTO GALLERY | Bulldogs celebrate Florida upset

Video by Elyssa Garfinkle
Story by Steven Peek

A 74-71 overtime victory against the No. 2 seed Florida Gators makes the Bulldogs champions of the NCAA tournament’s Southeast Region.

After the game, junior guard Ronald Nored even shouted those same famous words, which preceded senior guard Zach Hahn shouting, “Your dogs are back, woof woof!”

Butler advanced to its second consecutive Final Four, just one year after losing the national championship game by two points.

“I’m incredibly proud of these guys,” Butler head coach Brad Stevens said. “They carried their coach today in a big way. I got out-coached today big time, but our assistants did a great job and our players did a great job.

“We’re really lucky that they’re Butler Bulldogs.”

Florida and Butler were both previously undefeated in NCAA Regional Finals—Butler 1-0 (2010) and Florida 4-0 (1994, 2000, 2006, 2007)—so something had to give.

The Gators caved and the Bulldogs advanced to Houston where they will face the winner of the VCU-Kansas game tomorrow night.

Defeating a tested Florida men’s basketball program wasn’t the only history Butler made.

Butler won its first overtime game of the season, having lost the first three.

Butler is also the first non-Bowl Championship Series school to make consecutive Final Fours since UNLV in 1990 and 1991.

To make such history, Butler had to overcome a lot to punch a ticket to Houston.

Florida senior center Vernon Macklin had 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting in the game, and senior forward Alex Tyus had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kenny Boynton was hard to stop in the second half and scored 17 points on the Bulldogs.

“I was asked earlier do you talk about going to the Final Four, or trying to win a national championship game, and the answer is no,” Stevens said. “We talk about how to guard a cross screen, which we didn’t do very well, and how to guard on-ball screens, which we didn’t do very well at the start.

“But we stayed together, stayed the course, figured it out, and just played resiliently.”

Senior forward Matt Howard and junior guard Shelvin Mack echoed Stevens’ thought, both saying that the win was a team effort.

“We talked about not having any regrets,” Howard said. “If we’re talking about offensive rebounding, don’t have any regrets not going [for the ball].”

Butler countered with positives of their own, Mack’s shooting, team defense and the bench being the most pivotal of them all.

Mack led all scorers with 27 points, which he accumulated on 8-of-20 shooting with four 3-pointers. His 1,490 career points surpassed Jon Neuhouser’s and are now 11th on Butler’s all-time scoring list.

The Bulldogs also held Florida to 25-of-57 (43.9 percent) shooting making this the Gators’ first 2011 NCAA tournament game in which they did not shoot at least 45 percent.

Gators’ All-American senior forward Chandler Parsons was held to five points, and junior guard Erving Walker shot 1-of-10 from the field, making only one of his seven 3-pointers attempted.

That lone made shot gave the Gators a one-point lead with 141 remaining in regulation but was answered 20 seconds later by a Mack long-distance shot

Butler also received strong play from its bench.

Freshman guard Chrishawn Hopkins epitomized Butler’s great bench play.

During a timeout with 7:37 left in regulation, Brad Stevens told his team, “Score, get a stop, then score.” Hopkins listened and facilitated.

After sophomore center Andrew Smith passed an offensive rebound to Hopkins, the freshman made a no-look pass to Howard for a layup.

Then following a missed Boynton jumper, Hopkins received a pass from a driving Mack and sank a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs within four points.

From then on, momentum belonged to Butler, who was then in process of overcoming an 11-point deficit.

Freshman forward Khyle Marshall also had an impact off the bench and was especially necessary as Smith got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out. Marshall scored 10 points and grabbed seven offensive rebounds against the longer and older Gators.

Butler out-rebounded Florida 41-34, and Marshall’s seven offensive rebounds were nearly half of the team’s 16.

“I thought we had some great effort plays from our freshmen,” Howard said. “Our bench was good for us today.”

Marshall even created a key three-point play late in the second half after one of his offensive grabs.

“It was remarkable—a high, high basketball play,” Stevens said. “Very few guys can do it. He was so quick off the floor and so high.”

The play was indicative of the Elite 8 game’s physical nature.

“I think it was two teams really playing hard and playing aggressive,” Florida head coach Billy Donovan said. “Really, I think they won the battle when the ball was up in the air, and I think that was the difference in the game.”

“[Butler] had great, great heart tonight.”

One such hustle play game when Butler led 72-71 with 19 seconds remaining. Boynton missed a 3-pointer and players from both teams came down with a rebound, resulting in a jump ball which favored the Bulldogs.

From then, Butler had a tactical advantage in the game. Two Mack free throws created the eventual final score and the final seconds melted away after Nored got a defensive rebound and threw the ball toward the court’s opposite end.

Butler will know its next opponent once the Rams and Jayhawks face off. That semifinal game will be played Saturday at a time yet to be determined.

It’s a consecutive Final Four appearance for the Butler Bulldogs after another intense NCAA tournament upset. The Butler Bulldogs defeated the Florida gators 74-71 on Saturday.

Click through the photos to watch the Butler Bulldogs overcome their struggle in the first half of the Elite 8 game and eventually defeat Florida in overtime.