Palace, Arts Council present 'Ball in the House'

By Leah Blackard, Navarro Council of the Arts

Ball in the House is a tour de force of vocal sound that must be heard and seen to be believed. This five-man, pop/R & B “mouth band” hails from Boston, Mass., where they live and operate out of when not touring on the road.

Originally formed as a quartet by founder and current vocal percussionist Jon J., Ball in the House has gone through numerous phases and changes on its way to becoming one of the best-known and most-loved acts in the a cappella community today. Like many bands, Ball in the House started out part-time, meeting a couple times each week to rehearse and then gigging wherever and whenever they could. Early performances were limited to coffee houses and other similar, small venues; but over time their vocal music reached out to and found Boston audiences. People began to embrace the energy and style of the band.

Over the course of that next year, Ball in the House expanded by two more singers, bringing the total to five members. That decision resulted in the single most influential and important development in the history of the band. With the group's larger size, a vocal rhythm section materialized when Jon J. put his singing on hold to begin learning a complex series of vocal percussive beatbox sounds, becoming a “human drum machine” that continues to dumbfound audiences today.

From those humble roots — two childhood friends who loved singing and shared a dream to live a life of performance — came what has grown into Ball in the House. Five guys. Five mouths, and a sound unlike anything you've heard before. Ball in the House is dedicated to bringing their distinctive style of pop/Rhythm & Blues to as many people as they can reach, from Boston to L.A., Singapore to New York, and everywhere in between, opening for and performing with acts such as Cher, 98°, Jessica Simpson, Blondie, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, and numerous others.

They can even be heard on national TV and radio as the voice behind the commercials for Cool Whip dessert topping. A review from the Boston Globe put it very succinctly — “Ball in the House has everything you would expect to find in a successful pop/rock band....the one thing it doesn't have is instruments.”

Ball in the House will be in Navarro County the week of Nov. 30 performing for all 5th through 12th graders in Navarro County. On Friday, Dec. 4, they will kick off the holiday season with a full concert at the Palace Theatre at 6 and 8 p.m. The group is out promoting their newest CD, Believe, which features Holiday favorites. This holiday concert will be a great way to start the holiday weekend festivities in Navarro County.

Ball In the House schedule:

Tuesday, Dec. 1

8 a.m. — Collins Middle School

10:15 a.m. — Drane Intermediate School

Wednesday, Dec. 2

8:30 a.m. — Corsicana High School

10:15 a.m. — Corsicana High School, Corsicana ISD 5th graders, Collins Catholic School, Rice, Dawson.

1:30 p.m. — Mildred ISD

Thursday, Dec. 3

10 a.m. — Frost ISD

1:30 p.m. — Kerens ISD

Friday, Dec. 4

6 and 8 p.m. — Concert

In addition to the full concert, Darrell Ferguson, the winner of Navarro County’s Got Talent will open at the 6 p.m. show and CHS newest a’capella group, Acoustic Suspension will open for the 8 p.m. show.

Tickets for this Holiday concert range from $5 - $20. There are special student ticket rates of $5 per student. For more information on the school programming contact the Navarro Council of the Arts at www.navarrocouncilofthearts.com. For more information on the Friday, Dec. 4 concert or to get tickets, call the Palace Theatre at (903) 874-7792.

This student enrichment program is sponsored by the Navarro Council of the Arts in cooperation with Corsicana and Navarro County Schools and is made possible by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Mid American Arts Alliance, Annie Lee Robbins Charitable Trust, Rena Fleming Trust, the J. Tom Eady Charitable Trust, The Pearl Thornell Charitable Foundation and local contributors.

The Ball In The House Holiday Concert is brought to the community with the help of the J. Tom Eady Charitable Trust and Community National Bank and Trust.

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Leah Blackard is executive director of the Navarro Council of the Arts.

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