Da Vinci's Notebook was an award-winning comedic a cappella

A cappella

A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

 singing group.

History

Richard Hsu was a founding member and Greg "Storm" Dicostanzo a very early member of the a cappella group "The Generics" from the University of Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

 before forming DaVinci's Notebook. Coincidentally, Paul Sabourin auditioned for that group while a graduate student at the University of Maryland, but as the group focused solely on undergraduates, was not admitted. Formed in 1993 in Arlington, Virginia, USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Da Vinci's Notebook achieved early success in the a cappella community with their appearance at the 1996 Harmony Sweepstakes finals.

They continued to tour, locally and nationally, for the next ten years. Highlights included some of the most prestigious folk venues and festivals on the East Coast, such as Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival and dance festival formerly held at the Long Hill Farm in Hillsdale, New York, USA. In 2006, the event moved to nearby Dodds Farm, just off Rt. 22, five miles north of the Rt. 22/Rt. 23 intersection in Hillsdale, on...

.

In 2002, interest in the band spiked as they began to get played on the syndicated "Bob and Tom" radio show. Their signature songs include "Enormous Penis", "Internet Porn", and "Title of the Song".

In addition to their albums, DVN also recorded a track called "The Ballad of The Sneak" for the Homestar Runner

Homestar Runner

Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner...

cartoon website. This song was credited to the entire group, though it was only written and performed by Paul and Storm.

Professional awards include two Wammies

Washington Area Music Awards

The Washington Area Music Awards are a music award for Washington, D.C. area performers, issued by the Washington Area Music Association . The awards are issued at an annual awards program....

 (Washington DC local music awards) for "Best A Cappella" group.

In 2004, the band disbanded. Two of the members, Paul and Storm, then hit the road as a musical duo dubbed Paul and Storm

Paul and Storm

Paul and Storm are an Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. They had formerly been members of the a cappella group Da Vinci’s Notebook....

. DVN will still perform together on occasion for corporate shows.

Members

• Paul Sabourin, tenor
• Richard Hsu, tenor, keyboard
• Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo, baritone
• Bernie Muller-Thym, bass (vocal), guitar

Music

• Title of the Song
• Enormous Penis
• Kingdom in the Sky
• Jump in the Line
• Another Irish Drinking Song
• Secret Asian Man
• The Gates
• I Wish I Were...
• Internet Porn
• The Big Chair
• I Wrote This Song
• Hot Soup