Long Lost Member Reappears!

Yes, that was Mark Hatfield who joined us for practice on Monday evening, December 14. We were glad to have Mark return, even if it was for only one evening. We needed a tenor, and he filled the spot nicely. And his other brother, Mark, was there too. That would be Mark Poyet. So we had two leads, two basses and a tenor and baritone. It was a nice blend.

A couple of us had read about a Circleville Barbershop Chorus that was going to present a Christmas Concert on Saturday, Dec 12 in Chillicothe. I've called a couple of the guys whose names were listed in the Gazette and found that they only get together sporadically. They next plan to meet in March of next year. I've sent an e-mail to Ron Anderson, a member of their chorus, and I'm looking forward to his response. Maybe we can get a few of them to join us or we could join them for some singing.

VLQ Performs at Chillicothe Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

On Monday night December 7, five of the members of the First Capital Barbershop Chorus sang for residents of the Chillicothe Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The residents were very appreciative and seemed to enjoy our singing. We sang a few Barber Polecats before finishing with Carols from the Barbershop Yuletide Carols book.

Amazing Grace Il Divo in Rome

This isn't Barbershop, but it sure is beautiful. Click, watch and listen. I guess Tenors are OK!

Monday Night Practice, October 26, 2009

Six guys showed up. We had a good practice. We sang Yuletide Favorites and several others. Also some polecats. Everybody plans to sing at the November 21 gig at Schlegel's. It should be a lot of fun!

Fun at the JAD Convention and Contest Held in Lima, OH

Pictured left to right, Ken Krieger (Tenor), Jim Wilson (Bass), Bob Lawitzke (Lead), and Leonard Evans (Bari)

They are the Four Winds Quartet from the Fostoria Chapter. They are a great guys. They invited me to have dinner with them in the Bistro restaurant, a very nice place, with excellent food. We even sang a few Polecats at the table. The other diners got a kick out of the "performance". One couple even asked that we sing a few Irish songs for them. And we did.

Monday Night Practice, October 19, 2009

Three of us showed up, but we knew the other guys were out of town. We practiced some of the Yuletide Favorites and called it a night. We're looking forward to next Monday night with a few more folks in attendance.

Harmony U 2009 Under 25 Chorus

Well, it's obvious to me that we just gotta get some kids interested in barbershop. Maybe we just have to go to an assembly at a couple of the local high schools and let them hear barbershop. Then maybe try to get them to watch performances like this on YouTube. I think this is fantastic.

Tags

I came across a great web site for Tags. Take a look at it. I've also added it to our Links. Look at the "kids" singing this tag. I only wish I had found Barbershop sooner. Age 65 is a little late to start. But I'm really enjoying it!

Monday Night Practice, September 28, 2009

We had our first regularly scheduled Monday night practice at Tabernacle Baptist Church on the 28th of September. It's a very nice facility and we appreciate being able to use it. There were six of us there, and with a visit from Dusty Rhoades, that made seven. Dusty provided us some needed feedback on our singing. It's hard to critique yourself when you're part of the singing. Having a knowledgeable listener provide a critique is very helpful.

We have begun practicing Yuletide Favorites, anticipating the arrival of Christmas and the holiday season. We're looking for venues at which we can perform.

I noticed that our practice schedule is now correctly listed in the Chillicothe Gazette's Datebook. Maybe we'll get some new singers with our new practice night.

Monday Night Practice at Tabernacle Baptist

We'll the Gazette didn't remove the Thursday night announcement for Sep 24, so it appeared in the Gazette Datebook. We hope no one showed up hoping to sing. I contacted the Gazette, again, and asked that they remove the Thursday night announcement. I finally got a return e-mail saying they would remove it ASAP and the the Monday night announce would appear correctly. We'll see. Hope to see some new faces this coming Monday, September 28th. We meet in the choir room in the back of the church building. Give me a call at 740-703-5651 for specific directions for getting in the building.

Thursday Night Practice, September 17, 2009

Well, the Carver Community Center was locked on Thursday evening, so we started practicing at Tabernacle Baptist a few days early. We had a good practice, singing all the songs the Paint & Main Quartet is going to sing for the CHS Class of '64 Reunion. Mark Poyet sang along with the quartet and also offered constructive criticism. It should improve our performance.

Chorus Rehearsal Night and Location to Change

Starting Monday, September 28, 2009, the Chorus will meet for rehearsals at Chillicothe's Tabernacle Baptist Church. The address is 221 East Main Street, Chillicothe, Ohio. Time will remain the same, 7:30 p.m. If you want to join us, please call (740-703-5651) for specifics of where we will meet in the church.

First Capital Barbershop Chorus on Gazette Front Page

Sara Wright, of the Chillicothe Gazette, attended last night's Chorus rehearsal and took some pictures. Here's what is on today's front page of the Gazette. It sure would be nice if some other Chillicotheans decided to join us at our next meeting!

JAD 2009 Fall Convention & Contest

October 16– 18, 2009: Is the date for the JAD Fall Convention & Contest

Lima, Ohio: Will be the location of the HQ Hotel and Contest site.

Headquarters Hotel:
Holiday Inn Lima 1920 Roschman Ave. Lima, Ohio 45804Hotel Front Desk: 419-222-0004 Fax: 419-222-0004

Room rate: $89.00 + tax. (Identify yourself as a member of JAD when making reservations)

Cutoff date: September 14th is the cut off date! Make reservations prior to September 14.

Contest Venue:
Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center 7 Town Sq. Lima, Ohio

For the Competitors:

Chorus members should arrive at the Civic Center dressed for stage, and will be directed to their warm-up and ready rooms by host personnel.

A limited number of rehearsal rooms for chorus will be available at the Civic Center at a small fee. Interested chapters should request information for reserving one of these rooms from Terry Reichenbach.
Email Terry at: terryr@q1.net. To request a rehearsal room.

Competitor registration Fee:
$35.00 per man chorus or quartet (Fee per man covers both quartet and chorus competitor fees).

Non-Competitor registration:
All-Events ------------------------------------ $35.00
Single Event ----------------------------------$20.00
Student 17 & Below ---------------------- $ 5.00
College Student (age 18 –24) ----------$15.00

Schedule of Events:

Friday October 16
Noon to 4:30PM: ---------- Registration open @ HQ Hotel
6:00PM: --------------------- Registration open @ Contest Site
6:55PM:---------------------- Mic Tester: Bustin' Loose
7:00PM: --------------------- Quartet Semifinals
After the Semifinal contest: JADAQC show!

Saturday October 17
9:00AM --------------------Registration open @ Contest Site
11:00AM ------------------Chorus Contest
Following Chorus Contest - Performance by Bustin' Loose
6:00PM--------------------- Registration open @ Contest Site
7:00PM ---------------------Quartet Contest

Headquarters Hotel Following Contest Events all weekend:
Woodshedding
Fellowship

Hospitality Rooms (Saturday night)

Notes:
Contest times are subject to change to accommodate volume of registered competitors. Check the JAD web site for any changes.

Questions concerning contest registration need to be directed to Bill Ray, VP C&J.

Questions concerning convention or convention facilities need to be directed to Greg Swann Events VP or Steve Sommer, Convention Manager.

No advance non-competitor registrations. All non-competitor registrations will be sold at the event.

E-Mail Contacts:
Greg Swann, Events VP --------------------- greg.swann2@verizon.net
Steve Sommer, Convention Manager ---steve@caldwellleasing.com
Bill Ray, VP C&J ------------------------------- bray2@neo.rr.com

NOTE: CHANGES OR ADDITIONS MAY BE MADE TO THIS INFORMATION, AS CONVENTION PLANS ARE FINALIZED. CHECK THE JAD WEB SITE FREQUENTLY FOR UPDATES.

Last update: 29 July

Saturday September 5th at Lakeside, Lake Erie

Click the image to enlarge. I plan to go. Should be lots of fun!

Thursday Night Practice, August 20, 2009

Thursday night's practice got off to a questionable start. The Carver Center was locked. At first we were going to go to Schlegel's Coffee House and practice, but then Dan Lusher arrived and said we could practice at Tabernacle Baptist. So that's what we did. Even with only 5 guys, we had a great time. We sang quite a few of the BarberPole Cat songs along with several other songs we know. We also had a great time with a couple of new songs we're learning: Under The Boardwalk and When I'm 64! We're looking forward to adding those to our repertoire. After singing Keep the Whole World Singing, we sang a few tags and called it a night. It's great to be a Barbershopper in Chillicothe, Ohio!

Xenia Hospitality Chorus Corn Roast 2009

Saturday, August 1 was the date of the Xenia Hospitality Chorus's annual Corn Roast. Unfortunately I was a little late to get signed up for one of the quartets. They had no more need for basses. Just one more reason for me to start learning another part for the Barberpole Cat songs! The picture at right shows the sweet corn being boiled. It was delicious!


The setting for the Roast was beautiful and you can see from a couple of the pictures. There was penty of shade.

Thursday Night Practice, July 30, 2009

Local veteran honored with French medal. So read the title of an article in the July 30th edition of the Chillicothe Gazette. That veteran was our own Chester Collins. According to the Gazette, Chester...was among 10 Ohio veterans who traveled to Columbus Wednesday to receive an award created by Napoleon Bonaparte that is considered one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a foreigner by the French government. Chester was presented with the Knight of the Legion of Honor medal during a ceremony at the Ohio Statehouse. The honor was created by Napoleon to be presented to "Those who have achieved remarkable deeds for France." Chester is 87 and proud of his service to his country. The members of the chorus are proud to have Chester sing lead with us. We also thank him for his service to our country.

Last night we had 7 guys singing. Thankfully we had a tenor. We sang quite a few Barberpole Cats. We did Paul Hixon's favorite, Wait Til The Sun Shines Nelly. Paul almost knows all the words! We also practiced I Believe, Shenandoah, and Oh How I Miss Her. We closed with Keep The Whole World Singing, and then sang a few tags. It was a good night!

Dusty Rhodes was also in attendance, joining in on a couple of songs and offering valuable performance advice. We're always glad to have Dusty join us.

Thursday Night Practice, July 23, 2009

There were only five of us, but we sang. We did most of the Barberpole Cat songs. We all took turns singing different parts. Some we did OK on, others, not so well. We sang a couple of tags, and concluded practice by 9:30, an early night for us. We did have a woman stop by and ask about the chorus, based on our event being listed in the Gazette. She was checking us out for someone she knows who has sung bass with other Barbershop groups. We encouraged her to tell her friend we'd love to have him join us.

Thursday Night Practice, July 16, 2009

We got a jump on Christmas at this practice. We sang thru every song in the Yuletide Favorites Songbook. We had the learning CD, so we sang along. Jingle, Jingle, Jingle, Jingle! I think I got it right this time. I can't remember what else we sang, but we must have done Shenandoah, or Gene would have been very disappointed! We sang a few tags with me trying melody. Not too good! Dusty Rhoades joined us, adding to our enjoyment of the evening. We're hoping to have a couple more chorus members join us for next Thursday's practice.

Thursday Night Practice, July 9, 2009

Well, we met. As you can see, we're down to five guys plus me taking the picture. So we had a VLQ practice. Hopefully we'll do better in attendance next week, July 16.

Chorus Sings National Anthem in front of Courthouse

Picture: From left to right, Dan Lusher, Mark Hatfield, Chester Collins, Paul Hixon, Mark Poyet, Bob Cook, and Gene Hoyet (the lone Baritone) The Chorus sang the National Anthem in front of the Ross County Courthouse on Sunday night at 7 p.m., before the Concert by the Great Seal of Ohio Band and after VFW Post 108 Color Guard Presented the Colors. The band played 5 selections and then the Chorus sang: Down Our Way, Shenandoah, My Wild Irish Rose, and Keep the Whole World Singing. And on one song the event MC, Mr. Allen Richmond, joined in singing with the chorus. The chorus then listened to the remainder of the Band's program. For me the highlight of the Band Concert was the piccolo solo on John Phillip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever. The young lady playing the piccolo did an outstanding job.

Thursday Night Practice, July 2, 2009

It was a small group, but, as usual, we had fun singing. Mark, his other brother Mark, Paul, Gene and Bob attended practice; a VLQ, with a nice sound. We practiced the Star Spangled Banner in preparation for our July 5th performance on the Ross County Courthouse steps. We'll be singing for the start of The Great Seal Band's concert. We'll also do a few other barbershop numbers, since we'll be there, at the band's intermission. We also practiced a few of the Polecats which we don't sing regularly. They're coming along nicely. At Gene's request, we did Shenendoah. Even though it's "only" July, we started practicing some Christmas carols. I'm trying to talk Paul into letting us use the booklets when we sing, since they are such a pretty shade of Christmas green. Mark backed me up, since most Christmas carolers are pictured singing from music they are holding. We'll see.....

Bob Sings with Realtime at Apple Corps 2009

This is certainly the highlight of my very limited Barbershop singing career. At Apple Corps 2009, I got to sing Bass with the 2005 International Barbershop Quartet Champs, Realtime. I was very nervous, but according to Gene Hoyet, who was watching and listening, I did OK. I didn't even think to have Gene take a picture of me. I found this picture on the Real Time web site. For any fellow Barbershoppers who might read this, I can't begin to tell you how much fun Apple Corps is. Plenty of educational opportunities and plenty of singing opportunities. Go if you get a chance!

4th of July Tribute to our Armed Forces

As a retired Air Force member, I think this is a moving tribute to the Air Force for the upcoming 4th of July. I know the intro to the tribute says armed forces, but there sure are a lot of airplanes in the pictures. So... for a more inclusive tribute to all service members from the beginning of our country to present day, see below.

Un-Named Quartet Sings at "A Night of Music"

The Un-Named Quartet, composed of Paul, Bob, Dan and Gene performed at Chillicothe's Tabernacle Baptist Church this evening. We sang When There's Love at Home and I Believe. Then Dan's wife made us sing Oh, How I Miss Her. This audience laughed at it. We'll have to see if they ever invite us back!

Chorus Sings National Anthem at Paints Game

On Thursday evening, June 18, members of the chorus sang the National Anthem at the Paints Game. Before the game we sang a few songs (Polecats) for guests of Rathkamp Financial, who generously paid our way into the game and provided us a picnic dinner. Here we are, waiting to sing. Left to right. Mark Hatfield, Paul Hixon, Len Sabatini, Mark Poyet, Bob Cook, and Gene Hoyet.

VLQ Performance in Chillicothe, June 16, 2009

The chorus quartet with no name (Paul, Dan, Gene and Bob), along with Chester Collins, performed for the Chillicothe Evening Lions Club's installation banquet on Tuesday evening, June 16, 2009. The VLQ sang selected Polecats for about a half an hour, with the NONAME Quartet singing Shenandoah and Kentucky Babe. I think the general consensus of the VLQ was that we did OK! Along with the songs, we provided a little history/background on Barbershop singing and made a pitch for anyone who likes to sing to join the chorus. We left a few of the "You Can Sing Too" brochures for anyone who might be interested.

Our next performance will be at the Paints game on Thursday, June 18, 2009. The highlight of that performance will be singing the National Anthem for the start of the game!

Apple Corps

Here's a picture of me and Gene Hoyet finishing breakfast at Apple Corps. I'd have to say the food was as good as the singing and instruction. What a great experience!


There were so many great things happening, it was difficult to choose which to attend. But I chose "How to be a Better Bass", with the class conducted by Realtime's bass, Jim Metzger. What a great person, who just happens to have a fantastic voice. Here he is in front of the class passing on great information.

Jim also has a web site/blog that has a tremendous amount of information related to quartet singing and performing. It's called "Owning the Stage". I've just started to look at it. I think it will be a big help in improving my singing and performing.


Apple Corps is held at Kenyon College. A beautiful campus located in Gambier, Ohio.

What I Saw (and ate) at the Drexel Theater

I went to see American Harmony last night at the Drexel Theater in Bexley. I knew it would be a good night when I saw the Drexel Radio Cafe next door. When I discovered they served crème brûlée cheese cake..... Oh, What a Night! I had a piece and was ready to watch the movie. They even had a senior's price. What a deal! There weren't very many people in the theater; 30 at most. And most of us had gray hair. There was a row of young folks in front of me, however. So there may be hope for the Society yet.

The movie started with a little historical footage showing the origins of the Society for Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA). And as the promo for the movie says:

It follows the lives of some of the biggest names to emerge from international competition in the Society’s history, as well as interviews with rank-and-file members, called “Joe Barbershoppers.” The film features four prominent Society quartets – OC Times, Max Q, Vocal Spectrum, and Reveille – over a span of years, on stage and at home, in their personal quests for international recognition as they experience the thrill of victory, and the agony of not quite making it.

So, my assessment is that the quartet I'm part of has a bit of practicing to do if we even want to hold the water bottles for any of the top 50 Society quartets. It was a great movie. Go see it!

Our First Attempt at Video, Down Our Way

We had only 4 guys at "chorus" practice last night, luckily we had the right voices for a quartet, thanks to Mark's willingness (and ability) to sing Tenor. We had fun. This is our first attempt at video recording something. We used a little old used camera and it shows. We were not even sure we had sound, and we barely do. But it's a start!. The quartet: left to right, Mark Hatfield (Tenor), Paul Hixon (Lead), Bob Cook (Bass), Gene Hoyet (Baritone)

American Harmony, The Movie, Starts Fri, June 5

American Harmony starts Friday, June 5, at the Drexel Theater. 2254 E. Main St., Bexley, OH 43209 - (614) 231-1050 Here is a map to get to Bexlely from I 270 in Columbus.

Here are the show times from the Drexel web site. The Dierctor is Aengus James

Fri 06/05: 1:45, 5:20, 7:30, 9:35
Sat 06/06: 1:45, 4:15, 7:30, 9:35
Sun 06/07: 1:45, 4:15, 7:30, 9:35
Mon 06/08: 5:20, 7:30
Tue 06/09: 5:20, 7:30
Wed 06/10: 1:45, 5:20, 7:30
Thu 06/11: 5:20, 7:30, 9:35

From the Drexel web site, here is what they say about the movie:

Every year thousands compete in the world’s greatest singing competition… that you’ve never heard of. AMERICAN HARMONY journeys deep into the ultra-obsessive, zany, and heartfelt world of competitive barbershop singing, where passion is equaled only by raw talent, and the reward is not fame or fortune, but simply victory. The film focuses on 4 quartets vying to win the International Championships of Barbershop Singing, in what turns out to be the closest and most controversial victory in its 70 year history. Max Q is the heavy favorite – a superstar quartet comprised of former Champions. Looking to upset them is OC Times (The Heartthrobs), Vocal Spectrum (The Rookies) and Reveille, an aging foursome that has been singing together for 30 years. In total fifty quartets duke it out for the coveted gold medal, while facing the pressures of quartet life – from big egos to brain cancer and everything in between. To win, it’s not enough to have one “Idol,” a quartet must have perfect harmony.

Thursday Night, May 28 Practice

We were visited by a student from Ohio University in Athens. Unfortunately, I didn't get her name. (if she reads this, please send me your name). She was representing Southeast Ohio Magazine, the only student-run regional magazine (per the web site). She collected some information about the chorus and made a short video of both the chorus singing, and then a quartet singing. It will be interesting to see the results of her work. I'll post any information/feedback she provides on this blog.



Practice went well, with 8 guys in attendance.
Here's a couple of the guys getting ready to sing. Looks like Dan is ready. Gene is almost ready, and Mark Poyet (the guy in the middle) has, as usual, lost his music.


It was Mark Hatfield's Birthday(atually Friday, May 29). Since he is the youngster of the Chorus we thought we'd get an appropriately decorated cake! Happy 30th Birthday, Mark!

Practice Night Changed

Due to some scheduling conflicts, we moved our pratice night to Thursday. This will be effective with the next practice, scheduled for Thursday, May 28th. Time will remain the same, 7:30 to 9:30, with Tag singing to follow.

Monday Night, May 18, Practice

We had 7 guys at practice last night and I think we sounded pretty good. We spent some time on business and the rest preparing for upcoming performances. We're going to perform on Friday, May 22, around 2:30 to 3:30 at the Feast of the Flowering Moon, in Chillicothe.

We've managed to form a quartet (as yet un-named) from the chorus members. (Maybe that should be our name...."Un-Named"). Members are, from left to right, Dan Lusher (Tenor), Paul Hixon (Lead), Bob (just can't sing without the music) Cook (Bass), and Gene Hoyet (Baritone). The quartet plans to sing Shenandoah and Kentucky Babe at the Feast. It will be our first public performance as a quartet.

Happy Mother's Day

First I want to say Happy Mother's Day to all of the many women who have given themselves in so many ways to raise little ones to be who they are today.

At the same time I want to extend my sincerest apologies to our community for not being able to successfully prepare our chorus for the Mother's Day outing that we had planned on making to provide personalized Mother's Day songs and messages. If you anticipated ordering one of those, we hope that you will keep us in mind for next year.

I especially want to thank Lloyd's Sweet Shoppe for standing ready to assist us as they did for Valentine's Day. Please stop in and get some candy from Lloyd's for Mother's Day. They are on Water Street in Chillicothe and would appreciate your business.

To the guys in the chorus who worked hard to get their music learned, let me say that your work is not in vain, since what we have learned from this experience will benefit us in the future. We need more time to prepare, more efficient work on our music and more people involved in putting together such a large work.

For now, I hope the community will accept our greeting of, "Happy Mother's Day" even though it is not in song. I hope you will all visit Lloyd's Sweet Shoppe to get some chocolate for mom on Mother's Day and that all of our guys are ready to get back to work on Monday night.

We will begin work on the Star Spangled Banner and Take Me Out to the Ballgame extensively until we know both of those charts well. This will help us to be ready for other engagements. We need to look at our upcoming events and make sure that we have the personel and proper planning in place to meet those obligations.

Sounds of Aloha Show, May 2, 2009, Hawaii Theater

What a great show put on by the Sounds of Aloha Chorus. It began with John McCreary playing the theater organ. That's the organ in the center bottom of the picture. Quite a sound!

Next came the Sounds of Aloha Barbershop Chorus singing various Brodway Tunes.

Intermission was followed by Shari Lynn singing some more Broadway tunes. Next came the Honolulu Boy Choir. They were followed by The Perfect Gentlemen Quartet. The Perfect Gentlemen are an a-cappella group that sings a little barbershop, but a much wider repertoire of music. And they are very funny! Finally, the show was closed by the Sounds of Aloha Chorus singing The Impossible Dream from the "Man of LaMancha."

Sounds of Aloha

What a difference 40 guys makes! Last night I practiced with the Sounds of Aloha Chorus. They are in the final 10 days or so before their May 2nd performance. The show will be The Best of Broadway - a capella. I was the only guy on the risers frantically trying to sight read the music. Luckily, we'll be here to attend the performance and the "Glimmer" planned for the next morning. No, I'm not in this picture. This is from the Chorus web site! I should mention I was warmly welcomed by each member of the Chorus at the break. (I was late for the start of practice due to a wrong turn) I did get to join in Keep the Whole World Singing at the end, however. It sounded great!

After practice a few of us adjourned to a local eatery. What's new?

Barbershoppers In Town From Ashland Kentucky

I was eating breakfast at Bob Evans in Chillicothe with some men from our church. While we were talking to one another I looked up and saw the Barbershop Harmony Society logo on the shirts and jackets of a group of men that came to eat.

My excitement level must have startled these men as I jumped from my seat to greet them and ask where they were from. I guess deep down inside I thought that maybe they were in the area already and I had overlooked them or was unaware of their existence when starting the chorus. Nevertheless they explained who they were and what they were doing in Chillicothe. These men were going to an annual competition for quartets and choruses that want to compete on the international stage.

These barbershoppers from Ashland Kentucky were just passing through but were very kind and sang a song for us before we left. They did a great job and this was evident by the applause from others eating their breakfast that were listening in.

I hope that these guys made it safely to thier destination and there admonition to us was, "keep the whole world singing". To that I say, "It's great to be a barbershopper in Chillicothe Ohio." I am thankful we have started this chorus and I appreciate all of you for your hard work and committment to helping us grow.

If you are reading this and you want to come out and give barbershop a try, we meet on Monday nights at 7:30 pm. See you soon.

barbershopHQ.com

Check out the Barbershop Harmony Society's new blog, BarbershopHQ.com. From the blog:

barbershopHQ.com is about what’s happening right NOW. It is a place where Society leaders share what they are thinking and talking about right NOW, and a place where you can respond directly and immediately. Your comments and feedback are what barbershopHQ.com is all about. Is there something you want us to talk about? Post your ideas......

Small Choruses Can Be Great...

If you live in the Chillicothe area, please come and sing with us. If you live in another location and happen to be visiting our blog, be sure to look up a local chapter for barbershop singers in your area.

Monday Night, April 6, Practice

I think practice went well last night, with nine members attending. We started sharing a few of the rehearsal tasks. I led the physical warm up (stretching), Paul led the vocal warm up, and then Mark H. took over for direction of song practice. I think Mark P. did something, but other than waving his hands a bit, I can't remember what it was.


Ed Weisenberger (the gent on the left in the photo) was able to join us along with his wife. Ed is a BHS member, but has a very full work schedule. We were glad to have Ed and his wife join us for the evening.

We warmed up with some Pole Cat songs, then we practiced the songs we'll need for Mother's Day and, hopefully, for a performance at a Paint's game. MOTHER (A Word that Means the World to Me),Take Me Out to The Ball Game and The Star Spangled Banner (Val Hicks' arrangement). We also practiced Shenandoah. I think we just need a bit more work on the key change and we'll have it. We did a little quarteting and sang the new Tags Mark H. gave us last week. (If Happy Little Bluebirds Fly, Hello, and Angel Devine, Mother of Mine). We finished with Keep the Whole World Singing, as usual. The die-hards then sang more Tags for a bit. Then Mark and Paul tried to out do each other using their falsetto's. It was a screaming match. We had to fight off the stray cats at the windows. All in all, a great time!

Ducky Talks Barbershop

Last night, Tuesday, 31 March, there was a good reference to barbershop singing on the NCIS show. For those who couldn't watch, use this link and go to 29:30 on the time:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis/video/video.php?cid=446409482&pid=uQH9Paq1v4hoooNVrehQI1DrbSTe25xy&play=true&cc=

Monday Night, March 30, Practice

We had a good turn out for practice, with 11 men. Mark Hatfield started with stretching exercises and then moved into vocal warm ups. Next week I'll be leading the physical exercise and Paul Hixon will lead the vocal warm ups. We worked on Shine on Me (with the verse), Take Me Out to the Ball Game, M-O-T-H-E-R, and Oh, How I Miss Her. We then broke for an organizational meeting while the rest of the men sang Tags. Finally, we did some, quartetting. I'm on the hook to get us 20 copies of The Star Spangled Banner. I've ordered them, and we should have them for next Monday's practice. Mark H. handed out CDs with some new Tags on them. I listened to them and I think "Hello, Hi", is going to be great.

Mark H., Paul, Mark P. and Gene blend in a quartet. Lot's of fun!

Chorus Organization

CHORUS ORGANIZATION...............I am discouraged by the blatant dues increases for 2009 by the Society and District in these economic times. (50% by the district.) I don't feel many folks in this area would be willing or able to spend in the neighborhood of $200. a year when most of that goes outside the Chapter with minimal value in return!
The expenses to purchase music and learning discs, hire a director, and operate as a non-profit business in my opinion could be about $3000. a year. This is in the same range as the expenses for a 50-75 member chorus. The larger chorus can cover this by charging $30. dues and doing 5 engagements at $300. each. At our level (10-12 people) and $100.-$150. an engagement we would need 25 engagements a year to survive.
It seems to me that the logical way to proceed is to charge a dues of about $50., pay the fees to allow us to operate as a non-profit business, defer Chapter chartering, and make Society membership optional for the chorus participants. If enough people become Society members on their own, we can revisit chartering at that time. Comments please!!!

CHORUS DIRECTOR...I contacted David White, the South Central Ohio POC for the Ohio Choral Directors Association. He advised me that a search can be done through the American Choral Directors Association and we might expect to pay $75. - $100. for a rehearsal. I checked the ACDA site and saw several Sweet Adelines ads in major markets with no wage mentioned. David also said that a lower key effort could be done with local advertisements. Best guess from another local source indicated that $25. an hour ($37.-$50. a rehearsal) or less may be reasonable for this area. More discussion among the chorus is required.

Lyle's Learning Lounge

Here's a site I stumbled upon. Lyle's Learning Lounge, It will be especially valuable to you new folks. It's got all the Pole Cat songs, along with a lot of other valuable info. Enjoy! I've also added it as a link.

Monday Night, March 23, Practice

Well, another practice under our collective belts. It was pretty well attended, but we were short a lead, baritone, tenor and bass, assuming Dick Bradford will be coming back. Guys, we miss you!

We had another visitor tonight. Mike Henry, a bass. (I think maybe I should switch to baritone). We rehearsed, Oh How I Miss Her, The Star Spangled Banner, Aura Lee, Take Me Out To The Ball Game and....... We all should be working on those songs for next week.

Chorus Members, left to right. Dave Tenor, Chester Collins, Paul Hixon, Bob Cook, Mark Poyet, Mike Henry (guest/new guy), Gene Hoyet, and Jamie Rout. Mark Hatfield took the picture.

And just so he won't feel left out...........here's Mark Hatfield on the left.

Apple Corps Info is Now Available

The Spring edition of the Cider Press has just been published at the JAD web site. It has all you ever wanted to know about Apple Corps. Below is a quote from the Spring edition of Cider Press.

What to Do - First of all, Apple Corps Music Camp is a wonderful weekend of barbershop singing, fellowship, and fun, with a bit of music education thrown in. Apple Corps is held on the beautiful campus of Kenyon College. The campus of Kenyon is located in the town of Gambier, Ohio, or maybe the town of Gambier is located on the campus of Kenyon. Either way, the two are virtually indistinguishable. The college itself was established in 1824 and most of the buildings are original.

Monday Night, March 16, Practice

Well, quite a few of the guys were unable to attend last night's practice. But we made some progress on the verse to Shine on Me and Oh How I Miss Her. We had a visitor, Dick Bradford, a Bass, we determined. Dick has not sung in a group before. By the end of the night he was sounding pretty good. We hope Dick will become a regular member of the chorus.

Dusty Rhoades once again joined us and offered his usual, expert, advice. We all really appreciate it Dusty.

Members in photo above (left to right): Jamie Rout, Chester Collins, Dusty Rhoades, Gene Hoyet, Paul Hixon, and our visitor, Dick Bradford. Looks like Dick will be a real performer. Bob Cook was taking the picture.

Tag Learning - What is a tag?

For those of you unfamiliar with barbershop, a tag is defined as:

"the last section of the song. Its rough analog in Classical music is a coda. Tags are characterized by a heightening of the dramatic tension of the song, frequently including a hanger, or posted note. In addition, good tags can be sung as short, stand-alone works. Tags may be soft and tender but are typically characterized by loud, "paint peeling," ringing chords. According to the competition rules of the Barbershop Harmony Society, every song entered for a competition must have a tag. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_(Barbershop)," 09/07/2008.

Want to learn a few tags:

Click Here


This is one of my favorite barbershop tag videos:



Come out and be with us and we can sing a few together.

See you soon

VLQ Performs at Bell Tower Mission in Bourneville

On Saturday, March 14, a VLQ (Very Large Quartet) performed at the Bell Tower Mission in Bourneville, OH. We provided the entertainment for the ladies of Delta Kappa Gamma Society, the professional honor society of women educators. We performed for about 20 minutes. I think the ladies enjoyed us. And the kitchen staff said we sounded good from their vantage point. Of course they had a closed door they were listening through. Chorus members performing were, from left to right, Dan Lusher, Len Sabatini, Paul Hixon, Bob Cook, Gene Hoyet, and Jeff Hadley. I think all the guys enjoyed themselves, too.

Chillicothe Visits Xenia Chapter

On Thursday, Mar 12, 2009, Bob Cook and Paul Hixon visited the Xenia, OH chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Their chapter name is the Xenia Hospitality Chorus. We were welcomed by Ron Reynolds.

Warm up was led by Dewayne Grooms. ME MEH MAH MOH MOO plus a couple of other vocal exercises. Things sound a bit different with 20-25 guys singing compared to our Chillicothe group of 8-10. We then broke into groups of baritones and basses in one room and leads and tenors in another room for some learning/practice. Each room had a piano and someone who could play. I found singing along with the piano really helped me. After about 25 minutes we recombined and sang the song together. It sounded pretty good. This portion of the rehearsal was led by Don McAdams, the chorus director.

After singing tags and ending with "Keep the Whole World Singing", Paul and I hung around and talked with some chorus memebers for a few minutes.

Left to right: Dewayne Grooms, Bobby Knisley, Ron Reynolds, and Paul Hixon.

All in all, the visit was very enjoyable. The chorus members made us feel right at home.

Join Us for Singing

This is the beginning of the First Capital Barbershop Chorus Blog. If you'd like to join the Chorus, we meet for practice every Monday evening from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Carver Community Center, 165 W 4th St. , Chillicothe, OH 45601. The Chorus is open to all men who enjoy singing. If you are just thinking about singing, stop by and listen to see if it might be for you. We sing A Cappella (no musical accompaniment). You don't have to be able to read music. We provide sheet music and learning CDs.

While our Chorus is not yet a formal Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, we are working on attaining formal Chapter status.

We recently performed for the Chillicothe Gallery Stroll on February 14, 2009. We were sponsored by Lloyds Sweet Shop.

Photo courtesy of Michael Warth Photography and Lloyds Sweet Shop