A cappella band Tuckermans at 9 joins this year's lineup at First Night® Wolfeboro. The group performs many long-time audience favorites as well as recently added tunes, such as Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way," Peggy Lee's sultry "Fever", Orleans' feel-good pop hit "Still The One", and an original, high-octane arrangement of the Temptations' classic Motown anthem, "I Can't Get Next to You".
Based in the Seacoast, the seven-voice vocal band, dubbed “T9” by fans, has entertained audiences of all ages from Boston and Massachusetts’ South Shore to Lewiston, Maine, and in New Hampshire from Portsmouth to Nashua and into the Lakes Region. “We call ourselves a band,” says founder and baritone Mark Miller, “because our voices make all the music. No instruments or pre-recorded instrumental tracks are ever used. Everything you hear, from the vocals to what sounds maybe a bit like electric guitars or trumpets, is just us. Even the drums -– a technique called vocal percussion –- come from our throats and lips. If you’ve heard groups such as Rockapella, Tonic Sol-Fa, or Toxic Audio, that’s the style, and it’s a real blast!”
Tuckermans at 9 (tuckermansat9.com) performs well-known pop, rock, blues, and light jazz favorites from as far back as the 1940s, but mostly music of the 1960s to today. “Audiences of all ages enjoy our shows because there’s literally something familiar there for everyone,” explains Miller. “But because we choose songs that are just plain good, well-written songs, people really get into things they might not necessarily know, at least at first. We also have a lot of fun on stage, and it’s contagious for the audience! It’s really a show, not just a concert.”
A typical T9 show can feature a cappella classics such as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, “Zombie Jamboree”, “Java Jive”, and “60-Minute Man”, but also The Beatles’ “When I'm 64”, “Is She Really Going Out with Him?” by Joe Jackson, Gloria Estefan’s “Turn The Beat Around”, Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World”, and Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why”. In addition, the band often performs original arrangements, including Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good”, “No Matter What” by Badfinger, Boston’s “Livin’ For You”, and “29 Ways (To My Baby’s Door)” by Marc Cohn of “Walkin’ in Memphis” fame. And when winter comes, T9 even offers a contemporary take on well-known holiday tunes.
Rounding out the band’s roster are soprano Dawn Anderson, altos Kam Raiselis and Frances Lipe, tenors Walt Porter and Daryl Robertson, and bass Bill Hersman. "We’ll also be introducing our newest member, soprano Ashley Gove," says Miller. “If you’ve never heard T9 or contemporary a cappella before, come check us out. You’re going to have a great time!”
Admission to First Night Wolfeboro is by button only; seating is on a “first come” basis and limited by fire code capacities. Buttons are $5 before December 25 and $10 thereafter at the Wolfeboro Area Chamber of Commerce, 32 Central Avenue. They are also sold at sites located on a map available the evening of December 31. No one admitted to a site without a button. Children 10 and younger free with button-wearing adult. Visit firstnight.wolfeboro.net for more information.