"The most important word in our name is band ," says Fritz Lambandrake, the managing director of San Francisco's Paradox Voice Band.
Celebrating the release of its sleekly produced debut album, Superhero, with a performance and party this Saturday at the DADA Bar and Gallery near Union Square, the vocal ensemble is a far cry from your grandpa's barbershop quartet.
"We're not what you might think of as acapella. We're not doo-wop. We're a band, not a chorus." says Lambandrake, who founded Paradox in 2013, and prides himself on their ultra-precise arrangements in which each of the group's seven voices is utilized as an instrument.
The band's unique musical calling card is what would commonly be termed "mash-ups" of pop music. With Paradox they're more like intricate weavings that merge and divide strands of multiple melodies into fresh, sometimes surprising patterns.
Listeners will prick up their ears, attentively trying to identify the familiar -but transformed- tunes that are combined in numbers like "24-Karat Money Girl Magic," which interpolates the Bruno Mars tune referenced in its title with Michael Jackson's "Rock With You," Donna Summer's "Bad Girls," Kool & The Gang's "Get Down On It" and Nelly's "Ride Wit' Me."
"We just wanted to channel all of that roller rink pop funk of the '70s," says Lambandrake of the piece.
In addition to their signature song-weavings, Paradox showcases individual members' solos in rich settings of individual contemporary songs, including Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" and Adele's "Hello."
Lambandrake says that given the group's current semi-professional status (other than himself �-a one-time financial services professional with "an incredibly supportive husband"- band members have full-time jobs), personnel has been in constant evolution. "I'm always in ABC mode: Always Be Casting.
"Someone who has trained as an actor-singer is usually not right for us," he explains.
Even with the occasional solo turn, Lambandrake says that members of Paradox (and the personnel has changed significantly over the years) must be fully committed to being an element of a whole, rather than a star player.
The group's current line-up feels particularly coherent, which has led to a fruitful new relationship with Grammy-winning South Bay producer, Bill Hare. Hare, who mixed and mastered their album, Superhero, has also produced for today's best known all-vocal music group, Pentatonix, which rose to fame after the mass-exposure of winning The Sing Off competition on television.
"Look, Pentatonix is great, and there's a lot to be said for good timing," said Lambandrake. "There are scores of groups with their level of talent around the world. It's hard to get recognized, because acapella tends to be seen as such a specialty. There is no Sing Off anymore, and groups tend to perform in acapella festivals or competitions, so it's hard to get exposure to the general public. Our goal is to get an agent who can book us corporate events and other gigs. We had an offer from an agent, but he was an acapella band agent. I don't want us to be a big fish in a tiny pool."
Lambandrake is sufficiently confident in Paradox's polished professionalism that he's no longer entering the group in acapella competitions or performing at festivals, as he did during its first few years.
"People tend to look at an acapella group and think it's just a bunch of happy singers. Well, we are happy singers, but we're worth paying for! We've done lots of fundraisers over the last three years, helping out plenty of good causes. But you know what; we're a good cause too!"
Paradox Voice Band's debut album ("Superhero") release party, with live music by the group, plus vocalist Racquela, includes cocktails, nibbly things, and raffle items. $15-$35. Saturday, April 29, 6:30pm-10pm. Dada Bar and Gallery, 65 Post Street at Montgomery. www.ParadoxVoiceBand.com