Round Midnight, 3 Men and a Melody, Acoustix, Chordiac Arrest, Gas House Gang, and Hot Shots are popular quartets who light up the stage every time they perform the barbershop music genre.
One group named The Newfangled Four made some noise in the world of barbershop music when they went viral because of their Mary Poppins parody with a twist.
Four gentlemen, one stage, and some microphones
This particular video is their performance in the Barbershop Harmony Society’s 2019 International Convention. They got into 6th place in the year 2018 when they made a parody of Gaston a character in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
The quartet started their performance with a dramatical comedy to make the audience burst with laughter. That is indeed a good way to start the show!
When they have already connected with the audience they started singing. Their rhythmical and whimsical melody echoed throughout the hall that impressed those who are listening.
Four Stooges
It is not only the singing that amused the audience but also the quartet’s crazy jokes. They were like the three stooges plus one. They were playful, wacky, hilarious but that did not change the quality of their beautiful voices.
While they were singing, one of their antics that entertained the audience was when they let that gas out on stage. Fans who are following this quartet were really waiting for a twist and boom they got a “toot” which really made the audience laugh out loud!
The quartet blended really well despite the humorous jokes they played on stage. The lyrics were clearly sung and the message of their piece was absolutely heard.
The hidden message
The Newfangled Four is very popular in youtube and they are one of the groups that keep on inspiring this generation’s barbershop hopefuls. However, it would seem like they are not really favored by the judges.
Well, the quartet has a solution to that, when you listen closely to the lyrics it would seem like the message is targetting the judges who were not really fond of this quartet.
“You see the joke here is that we could score a lot higher in singing if only Jackson was just better,” one of their lines in their performance. “Just a crude sense of humor helps our performance score go down…flush the portrait down the drain.”
The quartet even mentioned that although they learned a thing or two they still don’t know what to do and then proceeded to quote the judge’s criteria in scoring with style while looking at them.
More about the Newfangled Four
These four guys had plenty of musical experience in their high school years, they immediately gelled together when they formed their group and proceeded to win contests.
The Newfangled Four was formed in Southern California around the year 2012. They became the 2013 International Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Champions and the 2013 Far Western District Quartet Champions in the Barbershop Harmony Society which they are part of.
Joey Buss is the tenor of the group, he is the guy on the left. The big and tall guy is the lead Jackson Niebrugge. In the middle with Jackson is Jack Tickner who plays the bass. And the guy in the right corner is Ryan Wisniewski the baritone.
Barbershop music is a cappella style of music played by four-part chords. Some of the people in the new generation might not love it because it has a classic taste but those who love music will greatly appreciate it.
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