“GO Cavs Go. Go Cavs Go. Hey Canberra what do you say? The Cavs are going to win today”, are the new easy-to-learn lyrics of the team song for the Canberra Cavalry baseball team.

“CityNews” spent an informative afternoon in the ANU’s state-of-the-art School of Music recording studio early this week, and this writer now knows the song off by heart.

To many in the musical world, this sports and entertainment collaboration may seem odd, but to a bunch of working musos, technicians and the entire Cavalry team, it was hard work and it also fitted into the school’s multimedia focus on film scoring and other original work.

The team song is a kind of rock n’ roll anthem initially developed by a group of superfans who sing it in the ballpark each weekend, but now, under the watchful eye of composer and head of the School of Music, Ken Lampl, who has introduced elements of jazz, classical and hip-hop, it is being prepared for a recording to be released in the New Year.

Lampl confessed to “CityNews” that he was not only a lifelong supporter of the Philadelphia Phillies but had played in little league and became second baseman. That, according to Cavalry manager Dan Amodio, who preferred the rival Cleveland Indians, means he was a real player.

But celebrated counter-tenor Tobias Cole, on hand with the singing group “Vocal Fry” to provide depth to the backing, was looking more than perplex and admitted he’d only been to one baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago and found it quite mystifying.

Staffer at the School of Music, Damien Slingsby, was busy warming up the team at the piano, but later leapt into the fray to conduct the keen but challenged players articulate their “Co Cavs Go’s” to give the recording a bit of oomph.

When local hip-hop artist Kojo (Citizen Kay) turned out to check how his voice-over work was going down, the team members chanted “Go Kojo Go”. And he blushed.

To desktop whiz kid and School of Music senior technical officer Matt Barnes, it was a far more technical matter, as he and Lampl identified the “takes” that could readily be mixed into the final multi-track recording

Music by Kojo, American singer Robbie Rosen and a percussion backing by School of Music jazz staff would be mixed in later. When Barnes told Kojo about the cost of some elements that needed replacing at a cost of “17”, it was obvious he didn’t mean $17. He confirmed that he was flat to the boards with vacation-time bookings at the studio, one of Australia’s most sophisticated.

As enthusiasm mounted, so did the din and Lampl’s efforts to psych the team into the mood led to far too much honking and cowbell ringing.

“Hold that, hold that, we’ll have special tracks for those,” he shouted.

In the end, it was musical bliss. Cole’s team and School of Music singers provided the tunefulness with a surprising degree of enthusiasm and the Cavs were, well, blokey.

Amodio told “CityNews” today that the song would be released digitally on Friday, January 5. He said readers who download the track would also receive a free ticket to the single release party during the Cavalry game at MIT Ballpark in Narrabundah on Friday, January 12.

Visit facebook.com/CanberraCavalry/ for unfolding information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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