Meredith Modelski preps to record her section at the mic. Photo by Natalie Goo.
SAMANTHA RITTENBERG | STAFF REPORTER | srittenberg@butler.edu
Freshly Brewed is Butler’s upper-voices a capella group. Since its founding in 2004, the group has grown immensely in both size and popularity on campus. Each semester, members put together a showcase that encompasses different styles of music. Recently, they have expanded to booking gigs locally in Indianapolis and even recording EPs.
“Brewed to Perfection”, the group’s second EP, is currently in the process of being released. It will feature four covers, including “Can’t Catch Me Now”, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, “Take Me to Church” and an ABBA medley. Their newest work is set to release nearly two years after the group’s first EP, titled “The Perfect Blend”, which included noteworthy songs “For the Longest Time”, “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Make You Feel My Love”.
Freshly Brewed collaborated on both of its EPs with local studio Round Table Recording Company. Stepping into their studio is like stepping into the 1970s. Fully decked out in bright teal and orange, the space offers a retro vibe of groovy patterns galore and is complete with a jukebox in the front room.
Housed right in the heart of Broad Ripple, Round Table is convenient for Butler students and local Indianapolis residents. It offers numerous services, including recording, production and music licensing.
Split between two sessions, Freshly Brewed members spent five hours fine-tuning “Brewed to Perfection”. They started out recording a base track to guide the remainder of the song. Then, they recorded their sections starting from the lowest voices — alto twos — up to the highest voices — sopranos. The order of the layering process is important to ensure that the softer voices are heard.
Reesha Bhagat, a senior biology and biochemistry double major, is the president of Freshly Brewed this year. She discussed how carrying sound can be a common challenge that many upper-voice a capella groups run into on stage.
“It is really cool to be in a studio because we can work on the quality of our sound and not just have to worry about pushing and being really loud,” Bhagat said. “The mic is able to capture the uniqueness of each person’s voice. It is that blend of every single person’s voice that makes the sound, which is what makes a capella, specifically Freshly Brewed, really [special].”
Recording in a studio versus performing live is a completely different experience. Rather than being on stage with bright lights and an audience below, singers record in a more intimate setting and work directly with producers.
The producers help take the songs to the next level: editing, overlaying vocals and tuning to perfection. They are also available throughout the process as a resource for any questions Freshly Brewed members might have.
Although there is room to edit the music and redo sections when recording, there is a different kind of vulnerability when singing into the mic alone. Recording in a studio can be a daunting task, especially for members who joined after Freshly Brewed’s first EP.
Ava Price, a sophomore accounting and finance double major, had never recorded in a studio or worked with producers before.
“I was really nervous because they kept telling [us] you have to record by yourself,” Price said. “I was imagining standing there and singing all by myself, and everyone is in the room listening.”
Instead, singers went into private rooms, where only the producers could hear them. They did not have to sing alone, but rather with the base track that they could hear through headphones. In addition to alleviating pressure, this was important because a capella singers never sing fully alone; there is always someone subbing in for the instruments that would be played in a traditional music setting.
Choosing which songs to feature in the EP can be a difficult process. Ultimately, Freshly Brewed aims to curate a list of songs from its repertoire that reflect its vocal abilities well and are audience favorites.
Senior psychology major Natalie Virgil has been in Freshly Brewed since her first semester and has had many solos over the years, including one in “Waterloo” during the ABBA medley.
“When it comes to audition day, we prepare a small section of the song and sing it in front of each other,” Virgil said. “[It] sounds so intimidating, but being in such an empowering group, we really lift each other up through that process and highlight [what is] best about each other.”
Look out for a release date in the coming months on Freshly Brewed’s Instagram. While the songs finish brewing, sip on Freshly Brewed’s first EP on Apple Music and Spotify, and watch past showcases on its YouTube channel.
