Toxic Audio
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Toxic Audio is a five-person a cappella singing group from Orlando, Florida. They began with appearances at the Orlando International Fringe Festival in the late 1990s, moved up to frequent appearances at the Jazz Club in Pleasure Island at Walt Disney World Resort's Downtown Disney, then performed off-Broadway in 2004. They have toured Europe and Japan. They have also performed at "The Loft," in Dayton, Ohio.
Toxic Audio is popular for their dynamic and humorous performances. They are also adept at improvisation. They emphasize that all of the music and sound effects created in their performances are done entirely with their voices; no outside instruments are used. Five Toxic Audio albums have been released on CD.
The group consists of five primary singers:
- Michelle Valines, soprano. Her specialty is scat singing.
- Shalisa James, alto. Her specialty is in knowing the exact lyrics to a vast number of songs.
- Paul Sperrazza, tenor. He is the "human beat box" who imitates percussion.
- Jeremy James, baritone. He is skilled at rapping.
- René Ruiz, bass, the founder of the group.
Other singers have been substituted on rare occasion.
John Valines III is the group's technical director and audio engineer.
The group's New York show earned them the 2004 Drama Desk Award.
As of September 2005 the group performed at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.
