Day 3: Quartet Quarters and NVP Rehearsal 1

After being up writing for our dear readers until about 3:30 last night, we awoke at 9:00 to catch free breakfast two out of three and head over to the venue for the first portion of the quartet quarterfinal contest.  We got there just in time to see mic testers Vocal Spectrum push the limits of the treble and bass gain on the quartet mics.  Out of all of the times I’ve seen them, this was the smoothest and most connected I’d ever heard VS sound.  The only negative memory for me of that performance was that I happened to walk in front of a speaker just as Tim began a G# post.  I have since recovered hearing in that ear.

The Vagrants were the first quartet of the day, and they had a great showing.  With solid energy and International-level poise they represented the college contest well, along with the other young quartets in the contest (of which there were quite a few).  Here’s a recording by Shawn York of OC Times of The Vagrants‘ signature song.

The next quartet to really impress us was Masterpiece.  With a new lead coming from the Westminster chorus (the old lead of The Crush), they produced a sparkling, full sound that brought goosebumps to our arms and the audience to their feet.  We’re excited to see them take the stage in future rounds.

Before their name was even announced, the audience was cheering loud enough to drown out the MC as he shouted “STORM FRONT!”  With smooth, strong singing and a hilarious comedic set (wherein lead Jim Clark managed to lose the vast majority of his clothing), they are a strong possibility for taking the gold.  In the words of a fan quoted on Storm Front‘s promotional material, their sound is “like a cross between Lady Gaga and The Classic Collection.”

However, just three quartets later came their main competition for the gold; the mighty Old School, led by Awesome Joe Connelly himself.  Their sound was characteristically jaw-dropping, and their set involved less chord-worshiping than we’re used to hearing from them.  Personally, I think that not singing in their classic drawn-out ballad style will appeal to the judges and increase Old School’s chances of taking the contest.

The last quartet we heard today was Evergreen’s own Fast Track; with three members from our own NVP chorus. Having made several adjustments to both contest numbers, they surprised NVPers with a different treatment of songs that we know quite well.  Fast Track did a great job representing our chorus and district. We’re very proud of their performance and congratulate them on a wonderful hit on the international stage.

After Fast Track, we decided to head back to the hotel for a nap.  On the way, we borrowed another NVPer’s copy of Timmy W’s new “TimTracks” album.  The CD continued to amaze us, with jaw-dropping covers of Eric Whitacre’s “Sleep”, Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek”, and the Gaither Vocal Band’s “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go”.  However, as Tim continued singing and the songs became more upbeat, I was forced to turn off the music so I could sleep without having Tim’s tenor drill its way into my brain.

Once our was nap complete, we got up and went in search of Philly cheesesteaks.  On the way, we ran into some members of last year’s gold medal chorus, the Ambassadors of Harmony, and had the opportunity to tag with them a bit.  The cheesesteaks were…heavy.  Jamie enjoyed his, but I didn’t particularly enjoy mine.  It might have had something to do with the types of cheesesteaks we had, but the fact that it felt like a brick in my stomach for the rest of my night means that it will be my last cheesesteak of the trip.

This will end you.

With a stomach full of fatty meat, the boys and I went directly downstairs for a short rehearsal. Once everyone had gathered, we began to find the NVP sound that originally gave us the opportunity to be on the international stage.  Justin Miller (Westminster‘s director) coached the chorus and was able to help the group connect with the important emotional message of both songs. Communicating with audience members 100+ feet away and maintaining NVP swagger throughout our performance were encouraged by the director and coach.

Having concluded a bit of performance preparation, the chorus was treated to a visit by members of the AoH and a two song set by The New Tradition. AoH representatives came to the rehearsal in an effort to remind us of our mission as barbershoppers; “Create your own gold medal moment.” This phrase, which was coined during Dr. Jim Henry’s keynote address, was a much needed reminder that barbershop is not about the competition but about the impact that we have on people. In fine fashion, 1985 international champions TNT gave us a “gold medal moment” with a fun barbershop rendition done entirely with mouth trombone. The second song was a classic performance of the song “Smile”, which has become popularized for its amazing tag.

Finally, after one last runthrough of the up-tune we ended our rehearsal, set up small group rehearsals for the next day, and went our separate ways.  The boys and I opted to actually get some sleep and vocal rest for once and headed back up to the room to write this very post.  We are starting to get really psyched about our upcoming performance on Friday, and look forward to tomorrow’s adventures!