Video: Taylor Jones
It’s been 30 years since Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego? first captured the imaginations of young geography nerds — and 24 since Broderbund’s globe-trotting, kid-friendly crime story was adapted into a PBS game show.
As iconic as both are, though, the thing about Carmen Sandiego that you probably remember best is the TV series’ amazing theme song — performed each and every week by a cappella darlings Rockapella.
We thought it would be fun to wish Carmen a happy birthday by inviting Rockapella into Mashable‘s studio for a performance and a brief chat — and they did not disappoint. Though the band’s lineup has changed over the years, Rockapella co-founder and Carmen theme song co-writer Sean Altman was kind enough to swing by as well. (Our thanks to bandmember Steven Dorian for stepping aside to let Altman perform with the group.)
See the guys rock out on the Carmen Sandiego theme song above. Below, you’ll find Altman and the guys chatting about how they came to be on the game show, the pop song their Carmen theme riffed on and the way their music influenced some of the biggest names in pop culture at the time.
Video: Taylor Jones, Armand Valdes
Rockapella is still very much an active force in entertainment. The group stopped at Mashable on its way to a gig in Boston, and they’ve got an extended run of shows coming up in December and January, including a four-night engagement at New York City’s 54 Below.
Altman still makes music of his own as well, recording “unkosher comedy songs” under the moniker Jewmongous (debut album here) and forming one quarter of the GrooveBarbers, an a cappella supergroup that also features the talents of two other founding Rockapella members.
One more time… Do it, Rockapella! (Skip to 23:42 for the guys in all their vintage glory.)
