Shir Appeal - Trivia

Trivia

• The side spine text on the album Transliteration is misprinted “Translitertaion.”
• Shir Appeal was the first a cappella group to make use of a vocoder in “Y’hei Shlama” from the album Transliteration.
• The title of the song “Dirah Esrim V’Shesh” means “Apartment 26.” John Clark, Shir Appeal’s producer, lives in Apartment 26.
• In 2005, a radio DJ (DJ Rick) from Radio Manilla in the Philippines contacted Shir Appeal asking for a cappella music. Shir Appeal sent him a number of tracks including When You Believe from the album Ma Pitom. The track played on his radio show in Manilla a few months later. An engaged couple residing in The Philippines heard the song on the radio, and later used it in their wedding in 2008.
• Shir Appeal’s music has been aired on Chagiga, a weekly Jewish Music radio show broadcast on WERS out of Emerson College.
• Shir Appeal’s signature version of Yerushalayim Shel Zahav uses 4/4 time, rather than the ¾ time in which the song was originally composed. With its unique arrangement, the song has gone on to be one of Shir Appeal’s most performed songs ever.

• Cantors in Los Angeles, CA and Fairlawn, NJ have performed solo renditions with Shir Appeal of the song.
• One of the original soloists, Nili Riemer, graduated with a dual degree from Tufts and the New England Conservatory of Music. She is now a professional opera singer and has appeared in performances around the world.

• Shir Appeal has opened twice for the Jewish artist Neshama Carlebach, daughter of Shlomo Carlebach, once at Tufts Hillel, and once in Swampscott, MA. After encouragement from Neshama herself, Shir Appeal performed its rendition of her song “Yehi Shalom” at its opening act at Tufts Hillel in 2005.
• The group has also performed in a Hannukah concert with Jewish singer/composer Jeff Klepper in 2007.
• Shir Appeal’s “Abayudaya Shabbat” is based on music collected by Tufts Hillel Rabbi and Executive Director, Jeffrey Summit. His album, based on field research as an ethnomusicologist with the Abayudaya Jewish community in Uganda, was nominated for a Grammy award in 2005. Abayudaya Rabbi Gershom Sizomu visited Tufts University in 2000 and was deeply moved when Shir Appeal performed the music of his community for him.
• Shir Appeal was the first a cappella group to perform a Hebrew rap song (Lazuz), in 2005.