An Ode To Tones

After reading over the final version of this post, I realized it was ridiculously long. But I still think it's a good read. I hope you enjoy it. Commenting is good too, no matter how far you've got to scroll down for it. So here she is:

I mean, I regularly check my own blog to see if I've updated. I'm regularly disappointed to find I haven't. So I'll start from the top. Don't ask me what the top of.

Seniors, this is the last two week high school cycle of our lives. We just ended our last spring concert. Laurelei, you sounded magnificant. I'm not sure that any of the Hilltones know this, but after going back to the actual scores from Florida, Laurelei scored higher than Hilltones in terms of raw points. As much as I'd love to attribute that to Roland being so obnoxious on stage, the truth is that your performance skills vastly exceed our own. You are fun to watch - actually, you are more than fun to watch. You're engaging and beautiful and hot. Everyone who watches you perform wants to be up there with you, singing as one of you. They tell me. I agree.

I was strolling through my iTunes library not long ago and found myself in a cappella territory. I decided to call up "Fest" in my queue, and made an immediete realization. Heather owns Laurelei. She's had a solo every year of her Laurelei career at GFS Night. That's a huge achievement, one that no one else I know or even have heard of can claim. Your voice has matured so noticeably during the four years I've sung with you, and has never sounded better than it does now. You truly are a woman of the arts, and no matter which path you find yourself on I can't imagine that will ever change. Thank you for sharing Chamber Singers with me. I doubt you will ever cease to amaze me my love.

And Hilltones...I just love you guys. We have so much fun, don't we? Probably to much, to be honest, but that's what it's all about. No matter how many times Roland says he's in it for the money, I will always protest that I'm in it for the music. I'm in it for the harmony and the sound that is created when we're all right there.

And the progression that Hilltones has made from when Jeff and I first started singing in it is nothing short of amazing. Our sophmore year as Hilltones will never be forgotten. It was a legacy. It was a year of celebrities and idols. Tom, Eddie, Scott..., Montana, Miguel, Nick, Alex, and Adrien. It was a never ending spout of talent, and I was a miniscule detail compared to each one of them. But because of the independant nature of each, we were never as good as our hype. And before we could be, they were gone.

Hilltones last year was a mixed bag. No one really knew how things were going to turn out when we all showed up for that first rehearsal. No one was expecting a miracle either, and when we sounded as good as we did, I think it took some time to comprehend. Of course, we had Schuyler, the guy who openly confessed to only being a part of Hilltones so that he could steal all the solos, and he truly did. He did his family name proud in the end, continuing the legacy of his brother as one of the most celebrated voices in the group by Roland. It didn't matter what the rest of us thought. And Anthony was a remarkable president. He was very much a behind the scenes voice, strong and steady. He played both sides of the spectrum, jesting with Jimmy whenever Roland wasn't around, and also keeping the spirit and tradition of Hilltones alive when it was time to sing. He wanted us to be good, and I think we respected him for the most part.

This year has been remarkable. What I wouldn't give for more time to sing with this group...

This year, Hilltones is about a group of guys who are equal to one another. We don't have any real stand outs, and it has brought the group to a new level of unity. We respect each other for our talents and for our weaknesses, something I did not feel during either of my other years.

And my seniors...
- Mike, the newest senior recruit found his place right away. His range as a tenor or baritone made it that much easier to assign parts equally. He accepted each with talent and grace, and the improvement over the year could not have been matched by anyone.
- Steve, you literally beasted Hilltones. You have done everything you could possibly do to make each song better in your own way. Roland continues to call you the most mature and stand-up guy in Hilltones, and with good reason. You probably have a higher grade average than any of us, which speaks for itself.
- Greg, there are no words. If you wanted to, you could be one of the most amazing singers in the world. You could do it right now. We tease you about your range, but it's only because we are insanely jealous of your ability. Your voice just soars with such clarity that it's no wonder you're as admired as you are. You're just so fucking good, man. And I owe you many, many apologies if I haven't told you so before now.

To have had Jeff by my side in Hilltones, in Players, and in life is something that I cannot simply write out. We have been through so much, my friend. And no matter what Roland or anyone else says, I always thought of you as being just as much the president of Hilltones as I am. We've survived this together, and we both know the ropes. I will never forget your presence in Hilltones, because it seems as though we have both always been there. I wish we had performed some songs that you wanted to solo for, but I understand why you haven't. Thank you for continuing to deal with Roland over the years, because I couldn't have done any of it without you there. We are the true seniors of our Tones, and that is how it will always be.

Thus this ode to my fellow senior Hilltones comes to a close.

The rest of the guys know how I feel about them. I couldn't have asked for a better group. We're not done yet, but this still had to be said. I have more to write, and in fact, this post was intended to be just a review of the past week or so. Funny how these things turn out...anyway, I've still got that much more to write. Maybe an ode to Laurelei would be interesting...