YouBarbershop

JUNE 2011

Magazine

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Kansas City gold is up for grabs
CD Reviews: Vocal Spectrum and Crossroads
YouBBS Radio: The Pursuit
Harmony Bear Drive

From their perspective:

Competing quartets

YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

editors letter

The upcoming international contest in Kansas City will be one of the more difficult to predict this year, as several groups of similar caliber will be competing for gold. While that makes the convention more exciting for the attendees, it puts a new ulcer into the stomachs of competing singers. Chorus Contest will be wild

Pressure is on the Masters! In last falls district contests, the top three qualifying choruses were (in order of finish) The Vocal Majority, Toronto Northern Lights and Masters of Harmony.

Soon after, TNL decided to take a year off from competing; however, in December the VM announced a one-year hiatus to focus on upcoming recordings. TNL immediately changed their minds, bringing them back into the game. The little guy chorus with big boy sound and a flair for entertaining packages (past contest sets include magicians, mimes and robots) enters with the highest qualifying score from the fall contests and has a real shot at gold. TNLs final hurdle is that last level of musical excellence that has been a Masters of Harmony staple for seven straight championships under three directors since 1990. The Masters juggernaut has competent leadership from top to bottom, which knows the winning formula and constantly evolves their sound, musicality and presentation. They take nothing for granted and will bring their best game to Kansas City. This year, the Masters have gone the extra mile, tightening their reins on membership, contest qualification and member dedication. That leads to another contest where nobody can clearly predict a winner.

presentation has risen over the last 10 years. Expect fabulous performances from Sound of the Rockies and The Alliance, who usually deliver themed packages containing both humor and wonderful singing. However, YouBarbershop is more intrigued by what the Alexandria Harmonizers and Great Northern Union will deliver come July. The Harmonizers have been working on getting back to their championship ways under director Joe Cerruti, and GNU always seems to be the last chorus considered for any medal position until they open their mouths and put out that incredible, clean sound. Were also looking forward to GNUs contest uptune, which we predict will be one of the more memorable performances in the contest.
Old Schools contest to lose again? Last year, nearly every website, barberpoll and social network assumed Old School would cruise to gold. Yet, after Old School led the first two rounds, Storm Front surged ahead with a flawless

The underdogs. No doubt the level of chorus singing and

performance, snatching gold from the heir apparent. This year was expected to be another close race between Old School and Ringmasters, but the boys from SNOBS decided to sit this one out while a quartet member completes his education. While last year proved anything is possible, we consider this to be Old Schools contest to lose which could happen, however unlikely.
The rest of the top five. While some quartets have better advantages than others, a medal wont be a lock for any quartet other than Old School. Only three medalists are returning, with many top-notch quartets rising to equal their level of performance. Musical Island Boys will be back again, engaging their trademark high-energy performances, plus The Allies are returning with loftier expectations. Last years medalists will be looking over their shoulders as Masterpiece has improved their sound with Patrick Haedtler settling into the lead position, and now that A Mighty Wind has discovered their personality and is applying it to their performances. While members of all of these quartets have tons of contest experience, we have yet to see any of them make a defining statement to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. This leaves those precious medals available to other potential foursomes.
continued on page 7

Quartet contest will be crazier than usual

YouBarbershop Magazine

Contents
June 2011

11

10

27
FEATURES
10 A.D.D Audiences In Barbershop 11 Front and Center 20 YouBarbershop Radio Showcase 22 YouBBS Contest Predictions 25 Laughter, Love, And A Barbershop Song

22
WOODSHED
4 The Afterglow 5 Harmony Bear Drive 6 CD Review: Vocal Spectrum 21 CD Review: Crossroads 27 Contest Predictions

Youbarbershop Magazine
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
Mike McGee Brian Philbin, Steve Stripling, Jenn Perry, Anita Pravell, Alan Hughes, Bob McGee YouBarbershop Magazine is published twelve times per year and is distributed electronically on a complimentary basis throughout the globe. The information in this publication is presented in good faith. The publisher does not guarantee accuracy or assume responsibility for errors or omissions. For more information on advertising, please call (850) 445-4118 or e-mail at youbarbershop@gmail.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ADVERTISING

Far Western District quartets Masterpiece and The Crush sharing a bite to eat before their joint benefit show, Groovin... on a Sunday afternoon.

The quartet Bring It On pays tribute to Round Midnights flair for fashion at the Harmony College East show.

the

afterglow

The Masters of Harmonys front row walking on air as they practice their uptune at the chorus weekend retreat. Photo was taken by Shawn York.

The Great Northern Union is wrapping up their contest preparations with a friends and family show the first weekend in July. Next stop, KC BABY!

The Man Cave is inhabited by two of the popular rising quartets within the B.H.S., The Allies and Forefront. Demonstrating the best quality of our hobby, compete hard and play harder.

YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

Share a bear and be an Ambassador of Song

How many childrens lives will we touch in Kansas City? Help ease the suffering of thousands of hospitalized children and help us create an epic moment in Kansas City by participating in the Harmony Bear Drive, sponsored by Harmony Foundation International, the Barbershop Harmony Society and Childrens Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. Based on a vision first promoted by Kim Buckner (wife of Old School tenor Kipp Buckner), the drive has already netted 1,000 bears from the Illinois District alone. How many hospitalized children could receive bears now that this is being promoted on the international level? How to donate a new bear: Whether or not you will be in Kansas City, you donate a bear when you join or upgrade your Ambassadors of Song membership with Harmony Foundation before the close of the International Convention on July 10, 2011. Join for as little as $10 a month and Harmony Foundation will deliver the bear for you. All other proceeds support the Societys youth programs in their entirety. Make an invest-ment in tomorrow while making a young patient happy today! Call 866-7068021, visit www.har-monyfoundation.org/harmonybear, or visit the Harmony Foundation booth in Kansas City. Why Harmony Bear Drive? A hospital is never a fun place for a child. Whether just for an hour, a day, or an extended visit, it can be a frightening place. And quite often, children must leave their favorite toys at home. Teddy bears and other cuddly critters can reduce stress, anxiety, boredom and actually help kids recover faster. Doctors and nurses will often use stuffed animals to demonstrate a procedure to a child, and therapists sometimes use them as part of a patients treatment. They may also be used in hospital playrooms, distributed to comfort and entertain a child during their hospital stay, or given as a special gift to celebrate the completion of a procedure or even a birthday. Give a bear today and a lifetime of bar-bershop harmony for a young man at the same time! Learn more at barbershop.org/ harmonybear or harmonyfoundation.org/ harmonybear

www.enHANSENments.com

email: ckhansenellis@gmail.com

YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

CD REVIEW

Vocal Spectrum III

by Brian Philbin
In 2004, my quartet had the fortune to perform on the Ambassadors of Harmony show in St. Louis, just prior to the International Convention that year in Louisville. There were a great many aspects about that visit that were very memorable - in particular, though, we were greatly impressed by the performance of Vocal Spectrum, an up and coming college quartet whose musicality and individual singing ability were portents of great things to come. They won that years Collegiate Quartet Championship and within two more years had become International Champions. Within about a year or so after that, they had become very talented showmen. During all of this growth, they produced an album. Then another. Now, a third - entitled VS III - joins the collection of excellent recordings from Vocal Spectrum. No review I could provide would adequately describe the enjoyment my family and I get from listening to the recordings these men have produced. Theyre gifted singers and musicians and theyve wrapped their considerable talents and focus into another beautiful package to bring this album to you. I dont want to give away the musical surprises that are in store for you, but it would be a short article if I didnt at least discuss a few tracks that caught my attention. These will be my favorites on the album, but theres so much here for every eclectic taste of every barbershopper Id be hardpressed to think of anyone I know (musician or not) who wouldnt love this CD. Willow Weep for Me - This one can be summed up in just one word. Lovely. Its So Easy - The Sherman Brothers have written a tremendous catalog of songs that go under-sung and underappreciated and this arrangement by Johan Wikstrm captures the beautiful simplicity of this songs lyrics & melody. This, along with Aaron Dales arrangement of When I See a Elephant Fly exhibit two-thirds of the Disney contingent on this album - even if that was the be-all and end-all of it, wed be overly pleased with those representations. Doggone Ive Done It - No one brings the Boswell Sisters to Barbershop better than David Wright and VS has managed to *shred* this one! Weekend in New England - Remember what I said about individual singing ability? This is Jonny Maronis first solo, which leaves one to wonder - what took ya so long? California Girls - Double quartet with Ringmasters. When you get past the intro, youre amazed that there are no instruments being used. Thats because youd figure Jakob Stenberg & Tim Waurick would have to be freaks of nature to reach notes that high (... okay, well, they pretty much *are*). Rasmus Krigstrm, lead of Ringmasters, arranged this beauty - some great duet swipes and wonderful use of the voices. Perfect. MLK - I love U2 and this haunting tune is an excellent piece for this quartet. If you hadnt heard it from U2, you wouldnt ever recognize that this Bob Chilcott arrangement wasnt created lock, stock & barrell for choral groups to begin with. One Hand, One Heart - holy cow. Lexi Moroni and Megan Hallam, talented vocalists in their own right, lend the mellifluousness of their voices (heard Lil C use that on SYTYCD the other night - works here, too) to this beautiful David Wright arrangement. When I first listened to this, I thought there was an entire womens quartet singing - nope, just two girls with gorgeous voices. Alladin Medley - Ill tell you up front that I have an intense dislike toward overly-long medleys, regardless of how much I like the subject. That said, Aaron Dale has managed to pander directly to me with this collection. At 7-minutes, just long enough to keep me listening and avoid departure of my interest, this tune - again - showcases the talents of all the great singers in this quartet. Personally, hearing VS & Ringmasters together on California Girls was almost worth the price of admission. This recording will be available by the time were all busy paying attention to the International Convention and I recommend you run down to Harmony Marketplace or your PC to order this CD as soon as youre able. Seriously, why are you still looking at this page? I told you to go get it - now!

YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

continued EDITOR

Potential dark horse medalists. Theres always a surprise quartet or two who come out of nowhere and destroy your pre-convention picks. Last year, we were all impressed with what Forefront brought to contest with first-time international lead Kevin Hughes (brother to bari, Aaron) as the front man to a quartet with lots of experience (tenor Garry Texeira of Gotcha! and veteran bass Brian ODell). Forefronts prelims scores have them ranked fifth going into Kansas Cityan encouraging position to snag their first medal. Anyone else? Voce and Men In Black will once again be frontrunners for the top 10. Quartets we are rooting for to earn a higher rank this year are TNS, with their good old barbershop style approach, and Da Capo, the 2011 Harmony Sweepstakes champions who have quickly grabbed the attention of both fans and competitors. This is turning out to be a crazy contest where a given quartet could finish anywhere from 4th to 14th depending on what they bring to the stage on any given day.

The old college try We love the excitement from the young quartets when they perform. Its like being in love for the first time; everything is fun and right with great chemistry between quartets and audience. Since Ringmasters isnt competing in KC, we dont expect to see any modified ringer quartets from Sweden, which will probably give Prestige (JAD) a sigh of relief, having lost to Swedish Match last year by only two points. Prestige may be the favorite in terms of prelim scores, yet iQuartet (SUN) hit a home run both in score and with the audience at prelims. With monster bass Christian Diaz (age 18) leading the quartets sound, we could see another upset. -- Michael McGee

contest e Watch theb! on the w

Cant attend the convention in person but still want to experience the music and excitement of the convention while laying in bed eating ice cream and your favorite Star Wars night shirt? Visit the BHS website, subscribe to the webcast and witness the best performers our Society has to offer. It only costs $99 to watch the entire convention and $60 for delayed viewing. Individual sessions are also available.

www.bhs-live.com

by the numbers: international competition

10 Inhas earned tenchorus top five medal. (5Northern their last competitions, Toronto Lights a silvers, 5
bronzes)

3 PastCity: international chorus champions competing in Kansas

Masters of Harmony (7) Alexandria Harmonizers (5) Spirit of Phoenix (formerly Phoenicians) (3)

Quartets with two or more silvers before winning the gold:

Town & Country 4 (3) Second Edition Yesteryear Michigan Jake Max Q (3)

2010 comparison between the spring preliminary rankings and the final results in Philadelphia.
Prelims Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 *13 Quartet Name Intl finish Old School 2 Storm Front 1 The Allies 5 Masterpiece 6 Ringmasters 3 Men In Black 7 Voc 9 A Mighty Wind 8 TNS 10 3 Men & A Melody 17 Musical Island Boys 4

Quartets with two or more silvers and no gold medal:

K.C. Barber Polecats Clef Dwellers Four Rascals Sundowners Pacificaires (3) 139th St Quartet Center Stage (3) Uptown Sound *Old School
*still active

Competing in an Attention-Deficit Disorder world

by Mike McGee
We live in an age of short attention spans, where keeping people entertained requires a frequent sensory overload. We expect instant gratification from cell phones and high-speed Internet, from 24-hour news and reality TV, and our films are loaded with computerized special effects. Hollywood has learned that bigger explosions, louder sound effects and shorter films translate into higher ticket sales apparently with less attention to whether that translates into a higher quality movie. The same could be argued for many performances we see in barbershop competitions. Have barbershop audiences become jaded to what they consider quality barbershop? Whether due to meeting impossible audience expectations or evolution of the style, the last 10 years seem as if quartets must choose to sing impossibly long tags, singing higher and louder in order to gain audience approval. Its almost as if intros and tags are what make or break your chances for successthe barbershop equivalent of big and loud explosions. As impressive as it is to hear Tim Waurick hold a 30 second post, most of us amateur singers cant produce that same vocal quality, but we seem to believe we must in order to win a contest or earn a positive response from our audiences. Quartets used to win contests with songs like Paper Doll, Youre Nobodys Sweetheart Now and Stars Fell On Alabama. Todays quartets seem to believe audiences and judges want custom epic arrangements that show off talented individuals. Quartets like Old School and TNS have been helping swing the pendulum back to more traditional barbershop, yet they pay the price in being labeled as boring or not impressive enough by some barbershoppers. We are also told quartets arent judged on level of difficulty; yet, musical impact is being judged by both audiences and judges alike, and its causing these high tags, long posts and loud intros to factor into the musical decisions made by competitors. Can a simple arrangement that is sung with musicality and believability still win the hearts and minds of the audience and judges? Could this be a reason we hear less singing at afterglows? How often do you hear barbershoppers woodshedding the arrangements to Small Fry or Stormy Weather? They dont because they cant. The arrangements are too difficult and were customized for individual singers in the quartets that bought those arrangements. This is probably why songs by the Boston Common and Bluegrass Student Union are still being sung today at afterglowsthey are singable songs by barbershoppers, for barbershoppers. But I digress The same can be said in chorus presentations. Im getting burned out on seeing cartwheels, tear-aways and bodies being tossed in the air, all for the sake of grabbing our attention. Many times, these choreography choices have nothing to do with the story or elements of the song, yet they offer instant gratification for audiences. (Kind of like the old days when kick lines or stomp times were banned or penalized in contest because they gave a false sense of excitement.) The gimmicks being used in abundance these days are no doubt exciting, but can we try something new and original rather than sticking to the same formula of over-the-top presentation to win the hearts of our audiences? We seem to be on a path where eventually the only way to win is to pull off a Daffy Duck routine by drinking gasoline, nitroglycerin and gun powder, swallow a lit match, then explode on stage. Yes, its spectacular, but you wont have a neck on which to hang your gold medal.

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Front and center

As the international convention in Kansas City approaches, some of our favorite competing quartets share, in their own words, the challenges and hurdles they have endured leading up to the biggest contest of the year. Follow along as quartets like Old School, TNS, The Crush and Masterpiece offer hints of whats to come as well as their own expectations in what may be one of the tightest competitions we have witnessed in decades.

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Round Midnight
Weve been coaching regularly with George Gipp since last winter. As we ramp up to KC, weve also had sessions with Kevin Keller, Rik Johnson, Tim Brooks, Bobby Gray, and Ron Black. All of these gentlemen are fantastic and each offers something different yet equally valuable. We have also been working with a new choreographer, Eric Engelhardt. We have two new songs planned this year, slotted for the finals round, should we make the cut. We also brought back two songs that we first performed in Anaheim (2009). This year our goal is to make the finals. Weve been working very hard all year with some of the finest coaches in the business to help us achieve that outcome. Were really looking forward to the performances by Voc, being fans of their unique take on the barbershop style. Round Midnight will also be rooting for Lunch Break who features another old friend of ours from his NYC days, Eddie Holt. Watch out for our MAD compatriots (and 2011 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions) Da Capo. Theyve been developing their sound and identity for well over a year now and will undoubtedly gain new fans and make a huge splash in KC. We also just had the pleasure of hearing Old School at the MAD Harmony College East and fully anticipate they will trade their silver medals for shiny new gold ones this year. We aim to raise the level of believability and sincerity in our performances. Instead of just being different for the sake of standing out from the field, we strive to engage the audience more holistically with our unique presentational style and create special moments that are both genuine and memorable. Weve also been working relentlessly on our singing. Because of the dynamic nature of our presentation (choreography, unorthodox quartet formations, etc.), the classic lock and ring of barbershop singing is essential to our performance success. -- T.J. Carollo

This year Voc has been coaching with Brian Beck, Jean Barford, Sandi Wright, and Gary Wulf. We also worked with David Wright and Brian Barford before the international cut off. We feel as though we have some talented people supporting us this year leading into Kansas City. We will be introducing two new songs this year, Show Me the Way To Go Home, a Steve Jamison arrangement and That Old Feeling, arranged by David Wright. We are hoping to come in strong and jump into the medals this year. We know there is a lot of great competition this year, but that is our goal and ambition. We truly wish all of the other quartet competitors the best of luck in Kansas City. Voc has gone through some major changes in 2011. Last April, new tenor Jordan Cooper from New York, NY joined us just two weeks before prelims. Also, baritone Paul Harris has moved from Madison, WI to Milwaukee. We hope to bring the audience along for a great story with each of our songs, working hard to improve all of our performance levels. -- Paul Harris
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Voc

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continued

Lunch Break
Lunch Break is very excited for Kansas City. If we were fortunate enough to sing three sets (mic tester or otherwise) then well have five new songs this year. I can only speak for myself when I say that my TRUE desire is that the people just enjoy themselves and have a nice laugh at our expense. I really have no clue where well end up finishing, but just like the past three years, were entirely capable of finishing anywhere from the twentys to the top ten? Who knows! I believe that we were the only official comedy quartet until Four Man Fishin Tackle Choir ended up qualifying from PIO as PIOs highest qualifier. We did a show with them not too long ago and the audience really loved them, so Im looking forward to having that bond with the other only comedy group. My biggest surprise was how much fun A Mighty Wind got between Philly and DIX prelims. They killed at DIX and I cant wait to see what they do in KC. Weve been working mostly on singing. We recently flew in Brandon Guyton from St. Louis, MO for a weekend quartet retreat which was awesome. We sang some for Dave McEachern (visual guy for Northern Lights robot set) and he gave us some great PRES feedback. Plus, having Sean Devine and Dusty Schleier in the office to get immediate feedback on things is nice. Not only for us, but for TNS and The Real McCoy as well, Nashville has become a pretty nice place for barbershop these days. -- Eddie Holt
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TNS
TNS is working hard in preparation for Kansas City. We work periodically with some headquarter folks/judges like James Estes, Sean Devine, and Ev Nau. Recently weve been trying to make a habit of working with Chad Guyton. Weve got a couple of new songs for this year. Kevin Keller and Adam Reimnitz have both done arrangements for us. Of course well be keeping some of our standards from last year as they still sing pretty well for us... we think? This is going to be an awesome quartet contest in Kansas City. There are many more groups that could make the top 10 then there is room for, thats for sure. Of course were cheering on our other two Nashville quartets, The Real McCoy and Lunch Break, as well as our other DIX rep, A Mighty Wind. Not really any major changes to the quartet this year other than welcoming a new addition to the TNS family in baby girl Nora Killeen back in May. Were very excited for Ryan and Cindy! TNS is hoping to improve our singing scores this year. Weve been told we bring quite a bit of energy and fun to the stage, but that has also interfered with our sound. Weve been focusing on keeping the fun while cleaning up our singing. Hopefully we can take that onto the stage. -- Rick Spencer

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3 Men & A Melody

3 Men & A Melody has been getting quite a lot of coaching lately. Weve worked with Mike Slamka, Patrick Claypool, Gary Steinkamp, Rob Mance, Brent Graham, Cindy Hansen, Joe Connelly and Jim Bagby. We plan to bring three new charts to international in Kansas City this year. Two new charts from Kevin Keller and one from Bob Rund. Our goal is to break into the top five for the first time. 3 Men & A Melody has had one personnel change as of last October 2010, and it happens to be myself, Rob Mathieu. I recently competed with High Definition. 3 Mens previous tenor, Chris Droegemeuller, stepped down shortly after contest in Philly and graciously asked if I would take his spot in the family to finish out shows with the quartet. I have been competing against 3 Men since I was in my teens, so I have known these guys for almost 20 years and they are like family to me anyway. 3 Men & Melody was recently featured this week on NBC, being interviewed by the local NBC Action news team. They plan to follow our progress through the entire competition as the hometown heroes. This is very exciting, to say the least. With the contest being in our hometown we hope to accomplish all our goals going forward in just a few short days. Looking forward to a very fun and exciting contest

and convention in our backyard.

-- Rob Mathieu

The PURSUIT
In the past year, weve been fortunate to work with Adam Reimnitz, Sean Devine, Marshall Webb, Randy Loos and Mark Hale. Each of these incredible guys gave us a new challenge and helped us find higher levels in our performances. This year well be singing some songs weve never performed at International including a custom arrangement by Adam Reimnitz that weve been waiting to share with the barbershop audience since we picked it up last summer. Our goal this year is to entertain, entertain, entertain! Chris (lead of TPQ) is a natural storyteller and we plan on doing everything we can to help him tell the story written inside each of our songs. Of course, we want to make the Top 20, but the bigger goal is sharing a story with honest emotion that everyone can relate to. If we do that, we will win the audience and set a new level of performance for the quartet. Quartets we are excited to see perform: Da Capo has a lot of momentum behind their talent. I think they could be a big surprise and make the finals. A Mighty Wind and Forefront should be in the medal hunt this year as well. Main Street has had some time to actually rehearse and if their Music and Presentation scores match their Singing scores from prelims they will be the breakout quartet of the contest. iQuartet could be the spoilers in the college contest. Our motto: Dont hold anything back. Let it all hang out, entertain and connect with the audience. At the District level weve worked hard on being confident in ourselves and just letting it rip. The result has been a score that continues to climb and an audience that ends up on their feet. If that happens in K.C., who really cares about a number?

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-- The PURSUIT

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YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

Forefront
Forefront is very excited for our second appearance at International! Weve been working very hard to play catch up with some of the more seasoned veterans of the international stage. With a whole bunch of miles in the cars travelling for rehearsals and coaching, were feeling great about our chances to excite the audience and hopefully the judges, as well. Last year, we felt very good about our performances, but through consistent coaching with Jean and Brian Barford (our primary), Brian Zink, Doug Harrington, Mark Hale, and George Gipp, we have developed even more musical elements and control since our debut in 2010. We are introducing three new songs to the contest repertoire and are hoping to share all six amazingly arranged pieces with the audience. Our shout out to those arrangers include Brent Graham, David Harrington, Adam Reimnitz, David Wright and up and comer, Jeremey Johnson. We would like to wish all the competitors the best of luck in Kansas City and to tell them we appreciate your blood, sweat, and tears to be great for this awesome form of music and its brotherhood. Thank you, from Forefront! -- Aaron Hughes

Voices Unlimited
This year Voice Unlimited has received great coaching from Mike Slamka, Cindy Hansen, Jean Barford and Brandon Guyton. The goal this year for Voices is to make the top ten finals. There will be some amazing quartets competing this year in Kansas City. We cant wait to see Lunch Breaks performances. Voices Unlimited is a brand new quartet, however, John, Mark and Micah sang together in 12th Street Rag for many years. John and Mark were also in High Definition for the last three years. Shaun, our new bass has a BM in voice and sang in the Kansas City Lyric Opera for many years. As a matter of trivia, this 30 year old bass was actually introduced to the barbershop style by 12th Street Rag in 1995 during 12th Streets annual school tour. -- Mark Fortino

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Ignition!
Ignition has opted this year to forgo most outside coaching. Weve found that this works very well for us. We record every rehearsal, analyzing it the next day. The only outside coach we have worked with this time around was Travis Tabares, who gave some outstanding general suggestions that we have been working on. We are bringing back one song from 2008 for Kansas City (the parody of You Make Me Feel So Young where we make fun of our mature in age bass, Dennis Malone). In the first round we will be performing two new charts. Ignition has two goals for Kansas City: Have fun on stage and sing in two rounds. We dont really think we will be in the cast of characters to make the top ten, but we cant rule anything out. Were just not pinning our hopes on it and will be happy with anything above 20th place. This years contest run was really a tribute to Denny, his age, his experience, and wanting to see him go one more time. I am hoping for some great performances from Old School (Kipp Buckner is one of my best friends and my hero), Masterpiece, Musical Island Boys, Forefront, and A Mighty Wind. The Crush also looks ready to make some waves with their new lead! Im also excited to hear Da Capo, which not only consists of some of my old MAD friends, but has a nice, subtle, legato sound that will likely stand out from many of the over-the-top, muscled-tone, theatrical groups weve seen as of late. We want to hit the stage with much more fun in our performances. Weve been working a lot on taking pressure off ourselves and not over-sing. Were hoping for a well-rounded, fun convention experience where we balance quartet time with time spent among friends, tag singing, catching up, and attending shows. -- Matt Swann

Men In Black
Weve been coaching with Dr. Bill Adams, Debra Lynn, and Kirk Young. Our goal is the same as it is every year: Keep improving! If we can score a little higher or finish a little better well feel good about the week. We have been focusing on the singing aspect of our ensemble which seemed to be our weak area last year. We recognize the need to let everything overlap as best we can across the categories. Were anticipating great things from all the quartets, but especially those who are back from last year with all the members still intact. We love to see quartets like us who stick with each other and to their goals, making the adjustments they can in order to reach them together. Wed just like to wish everyone a great contest and to have fun out there. Thats what its all about. -- Ray Johnson

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continued

Main Street
We are very excited to be making our first appearance on the international stage this July. Main Street has been a quartet for barely three months so we havent had much time to find coaching outside of the group. What has made this quartet experience rather unique is the time and attention given not only to musicality but the presentation factor which is a large component to our personality and character. Because we are taking on a traditional style of quartetting, Main Street will sing many standard songs from past groups, yet we bring a different flair and interpretation with tap dancing, hat routines and fun schtick which we hope will translate to our audience. Despite our lack of time in preparation, the members of Main Street are all hard working performers who put the extra time in at home and come prepared to rehearsals. While we have our own hopes and ambitions for a high placement, Main Street is excited about offering a new approach to performance by a quartet on the contest stage. -- Mike McGee

Old School
Old School has worked with many people over the years, yet our main coaching A Team has been George Gipp, Ron Knickerbocker and Don Barnick. These three guys have traveled with us and really gone out of their way to make themselves available to the quartet. They are awesome coaches and great guys! Old School is introducing three new songs for the contest this year. We are keeping our three best scoring songs from last year (As Time Goes By, Ma Shes Making Eyes At Me and I Want A Girl). Our goal is to have three very consistent rounds equal to the quality we are able to put in our rehearsal situations. Be the best that we can be all week long in Kansas City. We are excited to see how the Musical Island Boys have handled the maturity of being a medalist this past year. We expect them to be better than last year. We are also looking forward to seeing A Mighty Wind. They put up some great numbers and the fans are a buzz talking about them. Masterpiece is doing well and so is The Crush. We are anxious to see them up on stage as well. We are also excited to see our great friends Lunch Break and TNS. Nashville is quickly becoming a hotbed for great singing groups and awesome entertainment....as it should be since it is our headquarters. We are also excited about our friends Forefront. They are brand new, very hungry and working hard! And who could over look the talent from Main Street? Veterans on stage and great singers and performers, they should be amazing and possibly the surprize of the contest! I am sure everyone will be at their best. It will be a great contest! In Anaheim (2009) we had a bizarre microphone issue in the finals that kept us from doing our best. In Philly (2010) there was a huge delay in the final round which led to us drying out and getting a bit tired, so I guess we would like to finally have everything go perfectly and have a killer finals round both in the way we sing and in the way it is fascilitated. -- Kipp Buckner
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A Mighty Wind
Were very excited about Kansas City. Weve been working very hard since last year and feel much better prepared than we were for Philly. Weve learned a lot of new music and will be presenting four new songs in KC. Weve been getting a fair amount of coaching. Chad and Brandon Guyton, Cindy Hansen, Dave McEachern, Dylan Oxford and Clays wife, Becky have all been very helpful. Expectations are high, but the outcome is never assured! We expect to see great things from Masterpiece, Round Midnight and of course, A Mighty Wind. The returning medalists should all be tough competition and were anxious to get on the boards with all of them and duke it out! We also want to wish the best of luck to everyone competing in Kansas City. It should be a good contest. -- Tim Brooks

Masterpiece
Leading up to Kansas City, Masterpiece has been working with Mark Hale, who is our primary coach. In addition, weve worked with Cindy Hansen on our presentation package. The quartet is excited to be introducing three new songs, arranged by Kirk Young, Kevin Keller and Aaron Dale. Weve been working hard with a goal to medal this year, but more importantly, wed like people to talk about us in a positive way by improving in the area of performance and bringing more to our audiences. There will be several good quartets this year. Forefront is one who we think will make a splash, as well as our good friends, The Crush. Wed love to improve in all areas, but as I said above, wed like to be seen as different, more artistic group, relating to the audience in a more emotional manner. --Rob Menaker

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YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

The Franchise
The Franchise regularly coaches with Jim Miller, and has also had sessions with Ken Buckner, Joe Connelly and Jean and Brian Barford. We have added a few new songs to our rep, Deed I Do arranged by Aaron Dale and Give Me The Simple Life by Walter Latzgo. We will singing both songs in Kansas City. Our main goal is to put on one of our best performances, thrilling the audiences and of course, hoping to move up in our prelims placement and from the quartets placement last year (as Lucky Day). We are expecting great things out of Old School. Also, Musical Island Boys is likely to have made great strides over the last year. A Mighty Wind should perform quite well. Then of course our home-boys, The Allies are expected to do great things. Were excited to see a large turn-out for JAD in general. New to the quartet is our tenor, Drew Wheaton, from Montreal, QC Canada. Now living in Louisville, KY and along with that came the name change from Lucky Day to The Franchise. A new member plus a name change helps in solidifying the quartets personality and style. We hope to improve in the Presentation category by being connected and consistent across the quartet in our delivery and matching our vocal presence. -- Drew Wheaton

The Crush has spent a good amount of time coaching with Mark Hale, Dr. Chris Peterson and Dawn Castiglione. We are excite to introduce a couple of new songs including a few arranged by our baritone, John Brockman. We would love to make the top ten this year in Kansas City as we have not yet been among the elite groups singing on Saturday night. We are expecting great performances this year from Masterpiece, Musical Island Boys and Ringma... wait a second. And watch out for 95 North, theyre singing well. Forefront will also be a favorite to watch. We have a new lead, Josh Szolomayer since we last sang at the International Convention in 2009 in Anaheim. He has never sung in a quartet at International and has only been singing barbershop for about two years! The Crush didnt perform last year so wed like to improve upon that and everything else we did poorly in our last competition. -- Matt Gray

The Crush

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YouBarbershop Radio Showcase

The Pursuit for the Gold in Kansas City
by Steve Stripling

YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

The Top Ten Lists are being debated. The same names weve heard year after year, especially for the top five. Im predicting surprises. I think Main Street is going to shake things up. The Pursuit is the other surprise. Who? The Pursuit?! Mock me now, praise me later! Yep, the 2010 District Champs from the Sunshine District, are coming to make their mark in Kansas City. Chad Bennett (T), Chris Coffey (L), Jeremy Conover (Bari) and Paul Agnew (B) are certainly more humble about it than my predictions, especially considering they havent been together that long and are a long distance quartet to boot. In this issues YBS Radio Showcase clip I caught up with the boys in Orlando back in April for a few minutes to grab a brief interview and catch a taste of their sound. Plus, I discovered their unique taste for wardrobe color. Joan Rivers would be proud!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW

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YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

CD REVIEW

Excellence In, Excellence Out

by Brian Philbin
Contrary to the typical programming mantra of Garbage In, Garbage Out, the converse is also true. Ive been fortunate enough to hear this quartet sing many of the songs on this new album live and witness, first hand, that the quality of their performance is beyond reproach. As one would expect of an International Champion Quartet - let alone one of the most anticipated champions in some time - this is an enjoyable recording with musical excellence throughout. Four of our favorite singers in one quartet makes for a considerable amount of promise and these guys *deliver*! In a sea of products out there, we ranked Crossroads first album as an Honorable Mention in YouBarbershops listing of the Top 20 Barbershop CDs of All Time (mostly because the album was quite new at that moment and we didnt want to get ahead of ourselves giving this one the Of All Time label). This album will make a great addition to their nascent-yet-already-impressive recording track record. Here are a few of the selections that pop out at me while hearing it again for what will, most certainly, be an ever growing number of listenings: Let Yourself Go - havent heard this exact arrangement before, but it establishes the same flair that lifted the quartet on the International stage to the highest level possible. Musical fun. Sweet Adeline - the treatment was certainly... different. Not my cuppa tea, but different, most certainly. The intent, according to the liner notes, was to reproduce the performance of the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet. This is one of my favorite songs when done well by a top level barbershop quartet (GGJQ certainly qualifying on that mark). I listened to it first without referencing the liner notes and it sounded more like a bit of a lark. My emotional reaction to the treatment didnt change upon learning what they were attempting, here, but thats what you get taking in any artist - an artist hopes for any emotional reaction. Mine just wasnt as positive as some will be - then again, I like listening to the old-time groups replete with scratches and warping on the cylinder records, so theres really no accounting for taste. Your mileage will, most certainly, vary. Hey, There - another one of my favorite songs and I have the exact opposite reaction. This is one of the many things these guys are really quite excellent at. Great musical and vocal treatment and I bathed in the smoothness of the jazzy arrangement. Again, artistry will guide one listener in one direction and another in... well, another (he wrote, wishing his own artistry could reduce the awkwardness of that last phrase). Your First Day in Heaven - Great rendition of this classic arrangement. I can honestly say Ive never heard it done *quite* this way or this well before. Superbly enjoyable and a *spankin* tag! What more could any barbershopper want? The pinnacle of this album is the title track - That Lucky Old Sun. Beautiful... Simply. Gorgeous. Cant Buy Me Love many regular readers of YouBarbershop.com and YBS Magazine are aware of my affinity for the Beatles. Dont get me started if you ever want to finish a conversation with me. Always interested to hear another version of a Beatles tune, I had never considered the treatment given this track as being viable, but it works for Crossroads. Aaaaand *another* screamin tag! Ever since Ive known of this quartet, family and faith have always factored heavily in their activities. This album is no exception and I absolutely adored hearing their family members on All People That on Earth Do Dwell. Lovely. Id missed their outgoing shot in Philadelphia last year & this is the second time one of Mr. Henrys quartets has moved me to tears over something that would - done by anone else - seem cheesy. Well played, sir... well played. Guard Me, O Lord - nice, old-timey feel to this tune. Sweet, simple and unfettered by anything overcomplex, lending a purity to the delivery. Plenty of singable arrangements (meaning: youll hear other quartets singing this material) and beautiful performances on this CD. If theres any exception to be taken with this recording, itd be pretty hard to come by, although one should expect that well hear someone lamenting the absence of their championship-level singing on more barbershop tracks. With the family ties between the four men, here, one would hope this quartet will be around for quite awhile. And though we cant predict whether their tenure as a quartet will be long enough to match or surpass the recording careers of quartets like The Suntones, Dealers Choice, Bluegrass Student Union and Boston Common, with this collection of charts and their previous album, Id say theyre off to a great start!

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rabs for g up
by Brian Philbin by YouBarbershop Staff

YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

Its been another year and YouBarbershop is taking a swing at calling the contest again! Will there be surprises? Yes! Can we be completely accurate? No! Are we gonna do it anyway? You bet! Its what barbershoppers do. interested to see what Brothers in Harmony brings to the
OUR TOP FIVE
When culling the input for 5th place medals, the YouBarbershop staff came up with a tie: The Alliance may be perhaps a Dark Horse in terms of their qualifying score - however, theyve proven themselves time and again with their ability to win over the audience and
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stage this year they are a smaller chorus with a big sound.

First up, the CHORUSES heres how we expect the Top Ten to shake out, counting down: YouBarbershop sees the likelihood of Kentucky Vocal Union helping round out the first half of The Ten with their tight, exciting sound driving them, as well as Voices In Harmony, who bring experience in the medals and on of our Societys greatest directors, Greg Lyne. The Northwest Vocal Project will bring their youth and energy and very clean performance, but will have to run up against the Pride of Phoenix with Gary Steinkamp back at the helm adding energy and fun back to the chorus. Were also

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the judges pit with their thoughtful performances. Well bet on The Alliance this time around, based mostly on their ability to put on a show before the greatest audience in barbershop, as well as their proven track record. AND:

in the Medals this time around, continuing their streak of memorable performances.

The Alexandria Harmonizers have proven themselves over and over to be an entertaining chorus with a range from high-energy uptunes to tender ballads. These guys have been at the top of this game before, so the highest levels are not unfamiliar to them. Can they pull one out again?

In 2nd, Toronto Northern Lights. Will this be the year? Another year where the smaller, more precise chorus comes out ahead of the previously medaled and proven juggernaut? Though we have them in 2nd this time around, the vote was *extremely* close! YouBarbershop thinks it has never been more possible for this chorus to take the top prize. Theyve proven time and again that they have what it takes to compete evenly with the biggest guns the Society has to offer. The contests theyve come close to winning have been decided over only a handful of points - these guys are the real deal, so dont doubt for a moment theyll be able to take it!

In 4th place, we see Sound of the Rockies coming in with a strong performance, again. This chorus has improved every single year - is it possible that they may even be able to compete at the absolute top levels of this competition? Bringing an even shinier medal to their collection? Possible. Odds do favor the more proven choruses in this instance - but keep your ears open!

And by a small margin our choice for 1st was Masters of Harmony. Always excellent, always an audience favorite. Their music will, no doubt, be excellent and their presentation, as well. But can MOH manage to streamline 130 singers to sing with the same accuracy as a chorus the size of Westminster or TNL? That is the question were all waiting to answer within our hearts and minds. There has never been a chorus with an unbroken winning record until MOH. Louisville lost their 3rd bid for the gold, Vocal Majority, their 2nd. This would be MOHs 8th attempt at Gold and theyve won every try since their first championship in 1990. QUARTET COMPETITION We certainly expect TNS to show up in The Ten again, with their excellent, solid sound and barbershop ringing through
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Our idea of 3rd is The Great Northern Union, who has everything it takes to remain at the top of our chorus competition - where they land will depend on what they put on stage in Kansas City, but we still have them solidly

YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

and Men In Black will likely bring their consistently highlevel performance, as well. Lunch Break and 3 Men and a Melody will also be making their bid for the ten (3 Men having been there before & Lunch Break having mic tested for the ten last year) and considering their entertaining stage shows, theres never any telling what else theyll bring. Round Midnight are always quirky and fun, which can either give them an edge or work against them and you could make the argument that Main Street, with two gold medalists, a bronze bari, Top Ten bass and another few months under their belt has a chance to be seen in familiar territory, as well. In the remainder of the twenty, expect Da Capo promising to bring some fun to the mix after their recent win at Harmony Sweepstakes and Ignition! and The Pursuit, posting strong preliminary scores, as well.

OUR TOP FIVE

Special Watch Out for These Guys Mention:

5th - Musical Island Boys Always an audience favorite, we expect them to be in the hunt for another medal - which medal remains to be seen. Their choice of music rather than their already demonstrated commitment to each performance will determine where in the medals they end up. With odds currently favoring two other new entrants to the medals, we would slate them in a possible 4th again, but the door is always wide open for these guys!

Forefront, Voc and The Crush The dark horses for a medal this year, these quartets may very well be significantly under appreciated, simply due to lack of time in the saddle and exposure. However, each quartets is coming with guns blazing Voc & Forefront with another year under their belt (this will be Vocs second year with Bass Dave Kindinger and The Crush with new lead Josh Szolomayer bringing a fresh sound to the quartet - so dont be surprised if these quartets finish as high or even higher than their qualifying scores suggest!

4th - The Allies These guys are so likable, it makes this a tough call. Theyre excellent singers and musicians, but even with their current slating, odds are favoring other quartets ahead of them.

3rd - A Mighty Wind A surprising improvement from their seating last year, however, considering the short start-up time prior to last

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YouBarbershop Magazine June, 2011

Laughter, Love, and a Barbershop Song

barbershop stories and experiences
inspired by the popular book
by Fred Gielow

The International Contest

Its interesting to note that theres just as much mental conditioning going on inside a chorus or quartet as there is between groups. Its critical that singers reach an optimum mental state before competing. Its essential for a peak performance. For me such a state is reached by building an increasing momentum of optimism and encouragement and by focusing all my mental energies toward the single objective of singing and performing well. Often other techniques are employed, as Freddie King explains: To show how psychology really worked on our lead singer, Jim Grant, let me relate what I did to him the year the Oriole Four won the International Championship. I concluded that he didnt do his best unless he was a little angry, so I nearly drove him insane. We felt the Sundowners had the best chance of beating us and as it turned out they came in second. They had a tremendous sound and were an extremely talented bunch of guys. Just the thought of competing with them made us quake. When we packed our bags to get ready to go over to the hall for the quarter-final competition, I wrote a little note and put it in Jims suitcase. It read, Some people say Larry Wright is the best lead in the world. You have two songs to change their mind. What the hell is this? he mumbled when he saw it. My plan was working. For the second session I had written another note and placed it where Jim couldnt help but find it: Some people are beginning to doubt that Larry Wright is the greatest lead in the world. You have two songs to add to their confusion. He was really getting hot. Then came the finals. I wrote, Some people say that Jim Grant is the greatest lead in the world. Prove it! He went out on the contest stage and did just that! Heres a story about Huck Sinclair and his quartet, the Four Harmonizers: When my quartet sang in the national competition, there were no regional preliminary contests, so there were no limts on the number of competitors. As I recall, eighty other quartets competed with us in Chicago in the elimination sessions during the week. At one point along the way, the surviving quartets were awarded small harmonicas as prizes. We were lucky enough to reach the finals, but when our lead, Leo Ives, tried to blow the pitch his pitch pipe failed, so resourceful Leo pulled out his harmonica. I dont know if he blew into the thing or sucked out, but I know we found ourselves singing the song so low we sounded like strangers to each other. I was angry and disappointed with our performance and in my exasperation I resigned, right then and there. I was really upset. However, with the return of the final scores, which proclaimed the Four Harmonizers champions, I decided charity was a virtue. I forgave the other three and promptly rejoined the quartet! For most barbershoppers, the International doesnt mean meetings, it means singing but not necessarily contest singing. Moments of singing in a massed chorus can be as memorable as any of the chorus or quartet contest sessions. Particularly memorable for Buck Dominy was a convention in Washington, D.C.:
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UP FOR GRABS continued... LAUGHTER, LOVE continued...

years convention, this shouldnt be terribly surprising. Were hoping for more fun antics and great singing this time around!

Word spread quickly that President Eisenhower was coming to the headquarters hotel for some kind of meeting, and we all gathered together in the lobby in hopes of singing a song for him. He was expected to enter the main entrance so we lined up along the stairway leading up to the balcony. The place was packed with barbershoppers. The we waited. It wasnt long before the doors opened and Secret Service men rushed in, with the President right behind. The moment he stepped inside we burst into Keep America Singing and President Eisenhower stopped abruptly at the sudden swell of four-part harmony. We thought hed pause for a moment and then quickly continue on his way, but no, he stayed for the whole song. I noticed a couple of old ladies on the balcony in front of me. When the song ended, there were tears in their eyes. It was such a moving and inspiring feeling to sing with that enourmous chorus for the President. Im sure everyone there had the same reaction and will never forget it.

2nd - Masterpiece This powerhouse quartet has been rumored to have consistently improved over the past year, with new charts to suit their new lead, expect them to be solidly within the medals this time around!

1st - Old School Theyve been slated to take the top spot by their qualifying scores for three years now. Their personalities, sound and artistry carry the day, every time. Lets expect to see them with an even shiner medal this time! All this said, a wise man once said: It aint over til its over. That Yogi-ism holds true in most everything, including barbershop. No pundit, no competitor, no judge can know what to expect until we all get there and see what everyone is bringing to the stage. And thats the fun of it, isnt it? See you all in Kansas City!

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CONTEST PREDICTIONS
The official BHS quartet rankings from the spring preliminary competitions. Prediction ranks from members of the Barbershop Music Database website.

Quartets 1.Old School 89.7 2.A Mighty Wind 86.4 3.Masterpiece 86.1 4.The Allies 85.4 5.Musical Island Boys 85.0 6.Forefront 84.8 7.Voce 84.2 8.Men In Black 83.6 9.The Crush 83.4 10.Round Midnight 83.2

Choruses 1. Toronto Northern Lights 94.0 2. Masters of Harmony 92.4 3. Sound of The Rockies 90.8 4. Great Northern Union 90.4 5. Harmonizers 87.7 6. The Alliance 85.9 7. Kentucky Vocal Union 85.2 8. Voices In Harmony 84.9 9. Northwest Vocal Project 83.7 10. Brothers in Harmony 83.6

Quartets 1. Old School 2. A Mighty Wind 3. Masterpiece 4. Musical Island Boys 5. The Allies 6. Forefront 7. Voce 8. Men In Black 9. The Crush 10. TNS

Choruses 1. Masters of Harmony 2. Toronto Northern Lights 3. Sound of the Rockies 4. Great Northen Union 5. Harmonizers 6. Alliance 7. Kentucky Vocal Union 8. Voices In Harmony 9. Brothers In Harmony 10. Spirit of Phoenix

youbarbershop TAFF
S
magazine

The contributors and editors of YouBarbershop Magazine threw in their individual predictions to the outcome of the competition in KC.

TOP 20 COMPETING QUARTETS PICKS

Members of quartets currently ranked in the top twenty leading into Kansas City.

Quartets 1. Old School 2. Masterpiece 3. A Mighty Wind 4. The Allies 5. Musical Island Boys

Choruses 1. Masters of Harmony 2. Toronto Northern Lights 3. Great Northern Union 4. Sound of the Rockies 5t. The Harmonziers 5t. Alliance

Quartets 1. Old School 2. A Mighty Wind 3. Masterpiece 4. The Allies 5. Musical Island Boys

Choruses 1. Masters of Harmony 2. Toronto Northern Lights 3. Sound of the Rockies 4. The Harmonizers 5. Great Northen Union

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