Kiwis: A close encounter
What a treat for the Masters of Harmony to have a few up-close and personal moments with some gifted aliens brought to us by the “MIB”! I suppose you could call this a “Close Encounter of the Third Kind,” complete with the basic language and appeal of music just like the film of the same name portrays. Little Dorothy, upon landing in Oz or visiting Santa Fe Springs, would certainly be heard whispering to Toto the same iconic phrase of wonder, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Perhaps not the “Men In Black” chasing aliens around the globe, or a bunch of critters from outer space, but gentlemen from several thousand miles away bring some music that is sure to be out of this world. Please welcome the sensation from New Zealand better known as the Musical Island Boys and a few close friends, aka Vocal FX!
As we all prepare for our trip to Kansas City, the Masters will be sharing a wonderful June weekend with the Musical Island Boys and Vocal FX in Southern California, all of them staying in MOH homes. Word has it that our June 25th “Go For The Gold” Show at Plummer Auditorium will have a Kiwi flavor to it, and we’ll share some of that South Pacific music before they journey onward to St. Charles, MO and Dallas before arriving in KC.
So what you may ask is the back story for Vocal FX? Well, the group started up in 2003 in an effort to promote barbershop harmony to young men in New Zealand. For the first year, about 12 men attended rehearsals at Onslow College in Johnsonville (near Wellington on the North Island), including a young and previously unknown quartet from Tawa College who were crowned as the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Quartet Champions and garnered a 5th place medal in the 2002 New Zealand National Open Men’s Championships. Vocal FX’s first contest was in 2005 where they placed 3rd in NZABS with “Royal Garden Blues,” and an old favorite of the Masters, “My Wonderful One.” Just one short year later with 20 members the chorus took home the NZABS national convention gold medal with “When My Sugar Walks Down The Street“ and “Come Fly With Me.” Vocal FX successfully defended their title at the next two NZABS national conventions in 2007 and 2009. For more details about Vocal FX you can visit their website here. If we are lucky, perhaps they will bring in a supply of their new CD, Vocal FX Go The Distance.
As for that secondary school quartet, we know them as the history-making Musical Island Boys and they have been setting records all over our musical world. They entered their first MBNA College Quartet Contest in 2004 and earned a bronze medal their first time out. That same year they won the New Zealand National Open Men’s Championship held in Christchurch, with the highest score ever received in that contest. They doubled up in 2004 by also winning the Pan Pacific contest championship, once again receiving the highest score in that contest’s history. MIB returned to the MBNA contest stage in 2005 placing third. In 2006, MIB sets records once again as the first international affiliate quartet to win an International Gold Medal in any Barbershop Harmony Society competition, becoming the collegiate champion. In 2009, MIB returned to the BHS International contest stage and made history yet again with their island version of barbershop harmony, by being the first International affiliate to place in the prestigious top 10. A year later the 2010 contest saw MIB place fourth overall, the highest finish for an International affiliate to date.
So, join me in welcoming Vocal FX and MIB to Southern California. Should you see a group of young men in face paint making contorted expressions, rolling their eyes and sticking out their tongues, not to worry. While one might expect that from the Maori of New Zealand, to challenge their foes in preparation for war, I think this time it will be our friends getting ready to take on all comers in Kansas City on the International stage.
As we all prepare for our trip to Kansas City, the Masters will be sharing a wonderful June weekend with the Musical Island Boys and Vocal FX in Southern California, all of them staying in MOH homes. Word has it that our June 25th “Go For The Gold” Show at Plummer Auditorium will have a Kiwi flavor to it, and we’ll share some of that South Pacific music before they journey onward to St. Charles, MO and Dallas before arriving in KC.
So what you may ask is the back story for Vocal FX? Well, the group started up in 2003 in an effort to promote barbershop harmony to young men in New Zealand. For the first year, about 12 men attended rehearsals at Onslow College in Johnsonville (near Wellington on the North Island), including a young and previously unknown quartet from Tawa College who were crowned as the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Quartet Champions and garnered a 5th place medal in the 2002 New Zealand National Open Men’s Championships. Vocal FX’s first contest was in 2005 where they placed 3rd in NZABS with “Royal Garden Blues,” and an old favorite of the Masters, “My Wonderful One.” Just one short year later with 20 members the chorus took home the NZABS national convention gold medal with “When My Sugar Walks Down The Street“ and “Come Fly With Me.” Vocal FX successfully defended their title at the next two NZABS national conventions in 2007 and 2009. For more details about Vocal FX you can visit their website here. If we are lucky, perhaps they will bring in a supply of their new CD, Vocal FX Go The Distance.
As for that secondary school quartet, we know them as the history-making Musical Island Boys and they have been setting records all over our musical world. They entered their first MBNA College Quartet Contest in 2004 and earned a bronze medal their first time out. That same year they won the New Zealand National Open Men’s Championship held in Christchurch, with the highest score ever received in that contest. They doubled up in 2004 by also winning the Pan Pacific contest championship, once again receiving the highest score in that contest’s history. MIB returned to the MBNA contest stage in 2005 placing third. In 2006, MIB sets records once again as the first international affiliate quartet to win an International Gold Medal in any Barbershop Harmony Society competition, becoming the collegiate champion. In 2009, MIB returned to the BHS International contest stage and made history yet again with their island version of barbershop harmony, by being the first International affiliate to place in the prestigious top 10. A year later the 2010 contest saw MIB place fourth overall, the highest finish for an International affiliate to date.
So, join me in welcoming Vocal FX and MIB to Southern California. Should you see a group of young men in face paint making contorted expressions, rolling their eyes and sticking out their tongues, not to worry. While one might expect that from the Maori of New Zealand, to challenge their foes in preparation for war, I think this time it will be our friends getting ready to take on all comers in Kansas City on the International stage.
