There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung
. . .
It’s easy
All you need is love
The Capital Chordsmen barbershoppers have taken these lyrics to heart and plan to belt them out verbatim at their annual harmony concert—a two-hour tribute to those amazing mop-tops from Liverpool. The Chordsmen will perform their concerts at 2:00 and 7:00 pm at Tallahassee Community College’s Turner Auditorium Saturday, June 10.
Chordsmen director and show chairman Greg Hilliard Jr. suggested a Beatles theme on a whim while practicing with his quartet Good Intentions. Hilliard admits he wasn’t an impassioned fan at first—the typical kind the English rock band seems to garner and also the kind who comprise the majority of Chordsmen singers. But the harmonies and diversity of their songs offered much in the way of barbershop harmony possibilities. Marketing VP Bruce Bickley observes, “The chorus has loved rehearsing for our June 10 Beatles show—we are continually wowed by the creativity, nuances, playfulness, and energy of their songs. Fifty years after they crossed The Pond, their music still rocks!”
The chorus itself will perform ten songs, including familiar tunes like “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Eight Days a Week,” concert theme song “The Long and Winding Road,” “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and “The Beatles’ Sunshine Medley”–along with a few of the lesser-known songs like the upbeat and engaging “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” Quartets The Rolling Tones, In-A-Chord, and Good Intentions, and the popular women’s quartet Revised Edition will bolster the show with several more Beatles numbers. Their performance numbers will include “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Please Please Me,” “Something,” “We Can Work It Out,” “Penny Lane,” “All My Loving,” “When I’m 64,” “Blackbird,” and others. Special guest quartet Easy Street, who hail from Tampa and recently nabbed the statewide seniors’ quartet championship title and the 2017 international seniors’ quartet 5th place bronze medal, will take the stage and perform their rendition of the Beatles by way of barbershop.
Hilliard’s personal favorite of the songs selected is “I Will.” He said, “It’s what [Chordsmen] president Steve Jacobsen calls ‘a nice little ditty.’ The guys in the chorus grabbed onto this one really quickly, and they sing it with a lot of heart.” The chorus is also reprising “Yesterday,” a haunting ballad that has been in the Capital Chordsmen’s repertoire for a number of years.
Concertgoers can expect to hear traditional four-part barbershop harmonies, along with some contemporary a cappella—think Pentatonix—all the while enjoying a spirited homage to John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Regarding the musical compositions, Hilliard revealed, “Some songs stay true to the original arrangement, but some take a ‘magical mystery tour’ into barbershop land.”
The venue TCC’s Turner Auditorium seats just under 500 people, and the Chordsmen have produced several sold-out shows the last few years. Serendipitous timing is sure to fuel anticipation, as the June 10th date falls within the same month as Paul McCartney’s 75th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ hugely successful 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. With a full house expected for both the 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. concerts, guests should arrive early and stay until the end, as “Hey Jude” will conclude the show with a special surprise.
Proceeds from ticket sales support the Capital Chordsmen and their Carraway-Anton Music Scholarships awarded to FSU, FAMU, and TCC undergraduate and graduate students every year. Guests also can make donations before or after the show to help ensure the future of the Chordsmen.
For tickets and more concert information, email tickets@capitalchordsmen.org or call 850.570.3148. For additional details about the Capital Chordsmen, visit their website at www.capitalchordsmen.org.