In their ten years together, Tonic Sol-fa has established itself not only as the most in-demand vocal group in the Midwest, but also as one of the most successful independent acts in America. The four members (Mark McGowan, Greg Bannwarth, Shaun Johnson, and Jared Dove) have overseen and operated the business of Tonic Sol-fa by themselves, and you could say they gained their current consumer popularity the old fashioned way: they earned it. Tonic Sol-fa had to overcome a number of obstacles, including an “unspoken” apprehension to a cappella acts by individuals in the music industry. Still, the group persevered, recording and manufacturing its own records, selling them to a growing legion of fans via the internet and in the lobby of the theaters where they performed.

By early 2004, Tonic Sol-fa had already sold over 100,000 copies of three traditional pop records and two Christmas collections. None of these had real distribution to any retail stores. The group has also toured extensively throughout the US and abroad, first building its financial base with a steady list of private, corporate shows that led eventually to numerous tours of theaters and small arenas.

Now, with the release of the group’s first national CD, “Boston To Beijing,” on the Nashville-based Vivaton Records label, Tonic Sol-fa is positioned to become one of the few pure vocal acts to cross over to mainstream audiences as a truly unique and innovative contemporary music act.

“As we have moved away from doing covers and are now focusing more on original music, our goal is to step out and break away from everyone who is doing traditional a cappella material,” says Shaun Johnson. And while the group has looked to acts like The Nylons, Take 6, and Billy Joel with his hit songs “In The Middle Of The Night,” and “The Longest Time,” Tonic Sol-fa plans to take this musical in a different direction, creating their own niche both commercially and artistically.

The group and Vivaton will be using several alternative marketing methods, such as TV concerts, direct to consumer emails, and fan listening parties similar to the old “Tupperware parties” from years ago, in order to help market the band and the new CD.

Says Jared Dove: “We are grateful to finally get a national record deal and make this new album. It has allowed us to re-focus on the music, and less on the self-promotion and the business. As far as we can see now, the sky is the limit.”