Ben Folds folds Newton into mix
Newton South High School's student run a cappella group, The Newtones, will be teaming up with piano-pop star Ben Folds on an album of the best a cappella arrangements of his music done by high school, college, and professional a cappella choirs. The singer contacted the students after seeing them perform an arrangement of his song "Evaporated" on YouTube.com, said the Newtones publicist, Maya Lee Parritz. The Newtones won outstanding arrangement, outstanding choreography, outstanding vocal percussion, and runner-up overall at the International Championship of High School A Cappella Northeast Region in April. The troupe also annually hosts AcaFest, a benefit concert at Newton South High School for the charity VH1 Save The Music, featuring some of the best collegiate groups from the Greater Boston area. Folds and the Newtones will record the song together in December in the Newton area for use on the new album.
Carving out some time
Brian Flagg , Millennium Bostonian Hotel executive chef and former executive chef of Jasper White's Summer Shack restaurants, checked in with some of Boston's hard-working firefighters yesterday. Flagg and his team from the luxury hotel visited Boston's Division One Headquarters on Purchase Street to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the firefighters who were on duty for the holiday. Flagg's team turned the station's kitchen into a traditional dining room, set with white linen tablecloths and fine china. The menu featured New England ingredients, including Vermont free-range turkey, vegetables, and sausage and sage stuffing with pork, cornbread, and apples. 