Why the name?
Bauer: "Just cuz. I'm kidding, but do you know how hard it is to come up with a group name?"
Do you have a revolving member set up or has the lineup been the same for a while?
Nelson: "Wow, we have changed quite a bit. Joie and I are the original members that started two years ago. Then we lost our tenor and got Mike. Then last year we lost our baritone and got Josh. So we have had some revolving members, but it has been fun."
Since you guys are all different components of the band, do you milk the typical band dynamic where everyone has a different personality that attracts a certain demographic, like N'Sync or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
Nelson: "Yes, we are all different and we definitely represent our personalities. That's why it's fun. I hate being related to N'Sync or N'Suck. I would say we most likely resemble the Turtles. Me being Michaelangalo, because I'm a screw-off party animal. Mike being Donatello because he is the brains of the group. He knows all the music stuff that most of the group doesn't know. He's usually the one playing the piano. Joie is Leonardo because he thinks he's the leader, when really we only have him because he can sing low. Just joking. Then Josh would be Raphael because he's the outcast due to being the new guy."
Do you need perfect pitch?
Bauer: "None of us have perfect pitch, although it would be great. You need to have good to great pitch matching ability for the tight harmony that is required in barbershop."
Who gets to blow on the note producing thingee before you start singing?
Bossman: "Mike, the tenor, blows the pitch pipe...its a big job...not as easy as it looks."
Is there a distinct way to sing barbershop, is it different from a capella?
Bossman: "Yes it is very different...there are only four people...one to a part...it is for the most part straight-toned, with the melody in the lead part or second tenor. The writing of barbershop music follows many specific rules and there are quite a few."
What do you play in between "Hello My Ragtime Gal" and "Goodbye My Coney Island Baby?"
Nelson: "We sing other classics like, "Hello Mary Lou," "The Old Songs," "Shine On Me," "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," and a few others. If we aren't singing, we are usually just talking or trying to be funny."
Are you affiliated with the university?
Nelson: "Nope. We were, but then there were some complications so we dropped it."
What kinds of gigs do you play?
Bauer: "We usually sing at the U. Brew or for fun around campus. We have also sung for birthdays, business meetings, Valentines Day sweethearts, barbershop chorus annual concert and we have a Christmas holiday set that we carol with."
Are you trying to bring barbershop into the 21st century?
Bossman: "Yes, it is a very important style. It is American music and if you think about it there isn't much music that is just from America, so it is very important that we keep the music going."
Reach reporter Luke Gaeckle at lgaeckle@usd.edu.
Reprinted with permission from Volante Online: http://www.volanteonline.com/media/paper468/news/2005/11/09/Verve/just-Cuz.Resurrects.Barbershop.Harmony-1051091.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.volanteonline.com
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