Sunday, July 06, 2008

K.I.B.

Another East Coast/West Coast feud is brewing:

As thousands of singers converge on Nashville for an international convention of barbershop harmony music, the old-fashioned music style is facing discord among its fans.

The 70-year-old Barbershop Harmony Society moved to Tennessee last year from Kenosha, Wis., as a part of a move by leadership to recruit more youth and modernize the organization.

...

But traditionalists of the a capella chorus music that dates back to 1900 have accused leaders of forgetting the past. Some members have started the Barbershop Quartet Preservation Association, a parallel organization with its own convention and meetings.

"What others want to do, we take no exception," said Jack Martin, the newer group's chairman. "We just want to do our thing."

The signature sound of four unaccompanied male voices singing in harmony has been the roots of the style, but modernizers want new blood and fresh ideas. Supporters of the traditional style are also known as "kibbers," for the slogan "Keep It Barbershop."

Martin's quartet will premiere its newest single, "Fuck Kenosha," at the convention. And the Dad's Root Beer will flow like Cristal.

The article also mentions that the average barbershop singer is only slightly younger than John McCain.

No comments: