Some days ago, in my hometown (Southwest of France near the city of Cognac) I went to listen to.... believe it or not, a French Barebershop Quartet.
Of course, the theater has no air conditioning system and, being a sweltering night, it was quite a task for both the audience and the performers...
They sing in French and in English; at one moment, we were asked to guess the song: I have to humbly say that I was the only one to recognize the Vultures' Song from the Jungle Book, "We're Your Friends!"
Anyway, here's a pic of the group! Don't ask me why they dress that way! So strange and unBarbershoppy!
http://bluefish-art.com/html/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2Also, here's a little write-up about them I found on some site:
"The name ot the quartet is "The french Barber Shop Quartet". We sing a few barber shop songs in English and many humoristic songs in English too, and still with the Barber Shop harmony. We sing 3 or 4 songs in French to remain exotic. Cécile is a lyric singer, she sang in many operas and she is soprano. Isabelle is ajazz singer, she has sung in many clubs. She is alto. Bertrand is also a jazz singer, and he imitates many instruments with his voice. He's also an actor and he is the funny guy. Bruno is the leader of the band, he plays many instruments (clarinet, flute, guitar, banjo...). He sings the tenor part and he's the one who speaks to introduce the songs. He speaks English. The band is professional and plays everywhere in France: festivals, theaters, open space etc.. They begin to get famous because of the qualities of the voices but also because it's a real show they're providing. It all began eight years ago when four friends who were singers as well discovered the Barber Shop style(which is unknown in France) and decided to sing it for their own pleasure. To sing in America with real barber shop quartets is the top of our careers."
Hope you'll enjoy reading about a little bit of Americana direct from France!
