Toxic Audio is an a cappella quintet -- consisting of Jeremy James, Shalisa James, Michelle Mailhot-Valines, Rene Ruiz, and Paul Sperrazza -- that got its start at the 1998 Orlando International Fringe Festival. Their appearance at the festival led to a job with Disney/MGM Studios, where they performed six shows a day for a year. They were the national champions at the 2000 National Harmony Sweepstakes. They recorded and self-released a series of albums that they sold at their shows and on their website, www.toxicaudio.com: Toxic Audio, Captive Audience, and Chemistry. Chemistry won the award for Best Pop/Rock Album of the Year at the 2003 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards. Toxic Audio opened as a theatrical act with their show, Toxic Audio, off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theatre in New York City on April 18, 2004. The show ran through October 31, winning a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. The group then signed to DRG Records and assembled Word of Mouth, a compilation of their previous recordings with four newly recorded tracks, which was released in March 2005. ~ William Ruhlmann