ASU Pitchforks have raised enough money to record their first extended play in over 10 years. (Photo by Rachel Nemeh)
ASU Pitchforks a cappella, a diverse and unique group of girls, has recorded its first extended play in more than 10 years.
With the help of the community and performance after performance, the members were able to raise a little more than $5,000 to start recording and get the Pitchforks back in the recording world.
Biological science senior Katie Pierotti, the group's director, said the EP was completed in a total of 28 hours over three days.
Although they recorded in a short amount of time, there are still several steps until they have the final product.
“You do the recording for tracking," she said. "Chris Harrison is the guy who recorded us. He actually then takes the music and mixes it and makes it so things match up together. Then once that is done, we have the choice of getting it mastered ... to put it on an actual CD that we physically can have on our hand.”
All members decided on the five songs that make up the EP.
The group consists of 14 girls this semester. More than 100 auditioned in the fall, but only four new girls were selected.
They'll perform three of the five songs from the EP at the sold-out International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella on March 8 at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Pierotti said.
“We looked at it as something to have and to pass on," she said. "There (are) so many family members, fans and friends that would love to have this kind of thing ... so we just did it for everyone just to have a little something of us, and we’ve worked really hard to get here, and we think we were ready for it."
There are many all-female a cappella groups out there, but what makes this one different is that they not only work great together but they compose all of their arrangements, Pierotti said.
Although the group is all done recording the EP, it was a long journey before getting there.
Marketing junior Lauren Flanagan said all the girls dedicated a lot of time to make this EP happen.
“We did a lot of fundraising," she said. "Luckily, we got a lot of gigs that were paying, so we got money through that. We got some donations, but really all the girls and their really hard work ... trying to raise money (was the key)."
Because they recorded in such a short time, they were even able to save money, she said.
As some seniors leave the scene this spring, they leave a high standard for old members such as Flanagan to follow.
“I came to the group when it really started taking off (as a freshmen). ... The seniors have taught me so much, and I know it’s going to be such an interesting ride to see what’s going to happen next year, because they are fantastic members (and) arrangers,” she said.
The group started in 1992, and since then, there have been multiple recordings done that were unknown to present members.
Elementary and special education senior Vanessa Garcia, ASU Pitchforks' oldest member, said previous members have recorded music in the past.
“There’s a lot of discography that we don’t know about," she said. "It keeps popping up everywhere."
The members decided to make this EP happen, because it had been a long time since the Pitchforks recorded and to keep as a memory of what they have done and how much they have grown, Garcia said.
“It’s incredible and it makes me kinda emotional looking back at our very humble beginnings, but I could not be more proud of the group, and I’m so grateful that we're gonna have an EP ... to kind of cement this in time and be able to look back any time I want,” she said.
Some of the seniors have considered singing after they graduate and maybe even starting their own group in the future. But for now they will continue to perform and wait for the long-expected EP to be ready and be able to show it off to the world.
People who are interested in booking or sponsoring the ASU Pitchforks can contact them via email at ASUPitchforks@gmail.com
Reach the reporter at agloya@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @loyadriana
