Da Vinci's Notebook

Da Vinci's Notebook came together as a comic a cappella ensemble after a classified advertisement in the Washington City Paper united Bernie Muller-Thym, Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo, and Paul Sabourin. In summer 1993 Richard Hsu, a University of Maryland college acquaintance of DiCostanzo, entered the picture and finalized the core membership; Jay Jones performed alongside them from late that year until his 1994 relocation to Scotland. The quartet first drew notice by placing third at the 1994 Mid-Atlantic Harmony Sweepstakes, then captured the top prize two years afterward. That win generated media attention and secured an Artists-in-Residence engagement at the Kennedy Center. Subsequent television spots on Comedy Central and PBS, plus multiple radio broadcasts, helped expand an audience drawn to the group's stage shows. Their independent Da Vinci's Notebook label issued the debut album Bendy's Law, which was followed in early 2000 by The Life and Times of Mike Fanning—by then every member had left regular employment. The 2001 novelty single "Enormous Penis" later received widespread radio play.