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These guys know how to strike a chord....
Journal Photo by Lauren Carroll
Joe Doub of East Bend performs “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” at a recent Triad Harmony Express concert.
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Published: September 14, 2008
Then Dave Powell was living in Pennsylvania about 26 years ago, two of his relatives were singing in a barbershop chorus there and wanted him to join the group. Powell, now 54, remembers "being worked on" for several months before he finally gave it a try.
"I've been hooked ever since," he said. "It's a real energizing hobby. I get a lot of satisfaction out of it."
Powell moved to Winston-Salem a couple of years ago for work reasons. Shortly after arriving here, he joined Triad Harmony Express, saying he gained "30 instant friends" in the process.
Powell participated in "In the Mood," Triad Harmony's annual show on Sept. 6 in Hanes Auditorium at Salem College.
"In the Mood" was written Nathanael K. Pendley, Triad Harmony's president. It revolves around the staging of a radio show, with the chorus, several quartets and a female group performing popular music from the 1930s and '40s in barbershop style, in between radio skits and singing commercials. An abbreviated version of "In the Mood" will be presented Saturday in Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University in Boone.
Triad Harmony Express upholds a tradition of singing unaccompanied four-part harmony in barbershop style, which began developing in the United States during the late 1800s. Singers in the group aim to manipulate the parts of a chord to yield a lush range of overtones or what Powell described as "a bigger sound than what you're actually producing."
Barbershop singers live and die for just the right harmonic effect, likening the sensation to the sound of angels singing.
"It's pretty exciting when it happens," said Robert Cox, Triad Harmony's music director. Cox, who leads several barbershop groups in the area, studied voice at East Carolina University. He has concluded that barbershop singing, with its challenging close harmonies done a cappella, is "the most demanding music I've ever sung."
This is not to say that a member of Triad Harmony Express must be particularly gifted or even be able to read music.
"We take guys where they are and grow them musically," Cox said.
Membership in Triad Harmony Express requires a fairly significant commitment. It means attending rehearsals each Tuesday evening at First Presbyterian Church in Kernersville. And it means learning individual parts at home — many Express members do that by listening to special Mp3 players that highlight a part in isolation or as it sounds along with other voices.
As for performances, Triad Harmony Express presents an annual show each year in Winston-Salem and then takes a version of it on tour around the region.
In recent years, the group has embraced a concept first proposed by Pendley, namely to make the shows theatrical creations in which performers not only sing but also deliver lines and perform in brief skits.
During "In the Mood," one Express member played the banjo, while another juggled. The telling of jokes was also frequent, particularly those of the most corny variety. Here's an example: "Why did Beethoven kill off all his chickens? Because all they would talk about is Bach, Bach, Bach."
Jon Vickers is a longtime member of Triad Harmony Express, having first sung barbershop in the 1960s. While stressing that the group remains "above all … a music organization," he said that simply presenting "song after song" in concerts had resulted in "dwindling audiences and dwindling enthusiasm among singers."
"What we really needed to do was make entertainment the principal objective, rather than simply singing," he said. "That led to developing themes and a theatrical production integrating the theme. The dynamic is really just amazing. It's seen not only great audience appeal but greater enthusiasm, among singers. It's just fantastic. It's been a real shot in the arm for everyone."
Triad Harmony Express often participates in competitions under the auspices of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which claims 29,000 members in more than 800 chapters in the United States and Canada. Contestants are judged on everything from intonation and sound quality to how well they convey the feelings of a song through gestures and facial expressions.
"It's fairly competitive; everyone wants to win," Powell said, though he added that contests are hardly cutthroat, and you end up pulling for other groups to do well.
Oh, if you're looking for a different way to say "Happy Valentine's Day" to your significant other, you might consider hiring a quartet from Triad Harmony Express to do it for you, through a "singing valentine." The price for that begins at $50 and includes a rose and a card.
"I was hooked in a big way," said Pendley, who performs in a quartet on Valentine's Day, despite the fact that he must miss a day of work as a litigation attorney to do so. "Somebody weeps. You see the love and joy that it brings."
One challenge that Triad Harmony Express faces is finding a way to attract more members, particularly younger ones.
"The average age of our chorus is diseased," Vickers joked. "This is a widespread problem throughout the society overall."
Vickers said he believes that the key to barbershop's future "is to promote a cappella singing in our schools."
"All in all, we're seeing a lot of young fellows coming into the craft," he said. "They're very accomplished and very enthused."
"It's a positive way to spend (your) time and energies," he said. "Get with your buddies and do some singing."
Triad Harmony Express will present parts of "In the Mood" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University in Boone. The program will also include performances by MaxQ Quartet. Tickets are $20 at the door, free for students and children, depending on seating availability. For more information, call Roland Moy at 828-264-8811. To join Triad Harmony Express, attend a rehearsal Tuesdays from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Kernersville, 611 Oakhurst St. See the www.thechorus.com or call 336-774-4044.
Ken Keuffel can be reached at 727-7337 or at kkeuffel@wsjournal.com.
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