Official Publication of the Pioneer District November/December 2005 Volume 56, Number 5 The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. How Glenn Van Tassell inspired all of us Twice Gold, three times Silver, the legend of Pioneer was champion above all By Matthew Seely Growing up I hung on every Auditorium. Sold Out! as idols. I’m a barbershop brat. Which word my father, Russ Seely, sang What a thrill to see my dad on My friends all traded baseball means I was raised on barbershop with the Four Fits quartet. So the stage in that huge auditorium. cards and loved sports heroes but and literally came into this world somewhere around 1974/1975 Clay Hine and I sat side-by- to me, the real heroes were these knowing barbershop as “music.” when Thom Hine joined the side and as his dad directed the men who sang so effortlessly and Not Top 40 hits or 50’s music, Four Fits, I was allowed to go chorus and took it all in. What I made music just with their voices Elvis, Sinatra, classical or jazz… to my first big time show. I was didn’t count on was hearing and harmonizing. The group was the music was barbershop. I loved it 10-years-old and the Detroit meeting a legendary group, with Gentleman’s Agreement. and still do. #1 Chapter had booked Ford legendary singers I would take on Please see LEGEND, page 8. Everything we need to know in 2004:1 point... 2005: 2! life, we learned from barbershop Party of Four By Ralph Brown In the vestibule of a church I know stands a large brass church bell is Number 1 cast in the late 1800s. It was rescued from an old Fermata Nowhere sets record church building that was replaced in the mid-1900s. for 2nd place, 2 points from 1st The new church By Joe Serwach doesn’t have a bell tower Nearly 14 years after three of the four first walked across but each Sunday morning, a Pioneer stage, Party of Four was back on the same Battle every child that enters the Creek stage to win the District Quartet Champion trophy. church and many of the The young quartet scored 1,758 points or 73.2 percent, adults smack that old bell narrowly besting Fermata Nowhere, which won 1,756 points with an open hand, just to or 73.2 percent. This was the fourth contest in a row and the hear it ring. sixth contest since 2001 where Fermata finished second, a At first, the sound district record. In 1997 and 1998, three of the four Fermata is harsh, containing the members sang in Resolution, which finished 2nd both years. sound of the slap of flesh In total: eight second place trophies narrowly losing to against metal. But soon seven different Pioneer District Champion quartets. after, as the vibration Antiques Roadshow finished in third and won Seniors works its way around and Please see WINNERS, page 10. then through the cone of the bell, the tone mellows. Finally, there is the faint ring of an overtone, higher than all the other sounds. Each of us is like that bell. Even while you sit there quietly listening to the sound of my voice, each of your atoms is vibrating with the energy (Top) The young members of Party of Four win their first District Championship. Please see (Middle) Fermata Nowhere was just 2 points behind, winning 2nd for the fourth straight contest. EVERYTHING, Page 3. (Bottom) Macomb Harmony Heritage Chorus will once again represent Pioneer at Internationals. Photos by Joe Serwach 2 12 November/December 2005 Pioneer Troubadour Official publication of the Pioneer District, Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. Next copy Editor: Joe Serwach, 7511 Hamburg Road, Brighton, MI 48116 deadline: 810-231-2717 (R) 734-647-1844 (B) — E-mail: [email protected] http://www.harmonize.com/Pioneer/pio.htm December 15 Rates quoted are for scanner- PRESIDENT CHAPTER SUPPORT AND ready copy or properly Bruce Smith LEADERSHIP TRAINING formatted electronic 208 Beech St. Doran McTaggart files. Please send check with Charlotte, MI 48813-1004 890 Buckingham 517-541-1104 (R) Windsor, ON N8S 2C8 copy, payable to “Pioneer [email protected] 519-948-0637 (R) District.” EXECUTIVE VP [email protected] Ad sizes available: Raleigh Bloch MUSIC & PERFORMANCE VP 2033 Wild Cherry Lane Full page $100 Dan Bezaire 2/3 page $75 Kalamazoo, MI 49009 354 East Puce Road, RR #1 269-375-6849 (R) 269-375-6849 (B) Belle River, ON N0R 1A0 1/2 page $65 [email protected] 519-727-5842 (R) 519-728-1212 (B) 1/3 page $50 SOCIETY BOARD MEMBER [email protected] Quartet-size card $13 Bob Brutsman FINANCE VP Quartet-size card (annual) 2000 Orkla Drive Robb Smith Golden Valley, MN 55427-3430 46210 Copper Lock Lane $55 763-546-7795 (R) 763-764-4015 (B) Troubadour PUBLISHING Macomb, MI 48044-6202 INFORMATION [email protected] 586-307-8007 (B) CONTEST & JUDGING Published in January, March, May, [email protected] August, and November. 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Please furnish change of address site: Jerry Ditto to your Chapter secretary and the Society with www.harmonize.com/ 753 72nd Ave. your name, Pioneer/pio.htm Lawton, MI 49065-8600 Chapter name, Chapter and member number, (269) 387-6016 (R) and your old and new addresses. Copies not (269) 624-6735 (B) deliverable at the time of mailing will not be [email protected] forwarded, 3 The show from backstage By Joe Serwach relaxing, stopping at a pub, then forgoing If you ever get the chance to host a the customary practice in rehersal rooms District Convention, take it. to stand near the stage. I saw Party of Because often times, you can learn Four clench hands like a united football more about life from team in a huddle before they went on standing backstage to win, after 14 years of craving it. You with the stage crew could feel their emotion 20 feet away, than you can by sit- their joy, confidence, enthusiasm and ting in the front row. heart. It’s how they won. This fall was the I felt the power of Detroit- first timeGrosse Oakland’s sound by standing in their Pointe hosted a rehearsal room. Feeling a song shake convention in a decade so I found myself the walls is so much more powerful than backstage holding a walkie talkie and just listening. Watcned Macomb’s glitter clipboard escorting people to the stage. sparkle, sensing their energy. Watching quartets and choruses get And heard Grosse Pointers say “hey ready to go on said more about who they guys, let’s go sing with them’’ when they were than actually seeing them perform. heard Joe Barbershopper Chorus only EVERYTHING Seeing how they prepared, what had eight men. With zero rehearsal time Continued from Page 1 they did and didn’t do, often said who and scarecly a minute to think it over, of the moment when God created all things. If our ears were who they were and how they’d score. they said “the show must go on’’ and hit tuned to it, the rocks themselves would sing for us the sound I saw one group thrown off and fazed the stage, acting rather than just talk- of creation. because they thought they had more ing. Thrilled to get the chance to sing a We cannot stop from singing. All of life is music. time, didn’t realize it was time to go on. couple more songs. Several years ago, Robert Fulghum wrote a book titled, I watched Fermata Nowhere, who Rehearsals? That’s for Tuesday.