Are they going to change their name?
Last year, the aptly-monikered “Consolations” took second place in the Nevada County Fair Barbershop Quartet Competition. But this year, they came in first.
“During rehearsals for ‘Par Four at the Masters’ we were discussing what we would call ourselves if we went out on our own,” said JR Lewis. “Many comedic replies came up but we all consider ourselves underdogs. None of us are stars; we are more than happy to be runners up.”
The “Par Four” show was an offshoot of “Doo-Wop Shoo-Bop,” both Off Broadstreet productions featuring the quartet of Lewis, Isaias Acosta, Jed Dixon and Andrew Kerr. They’ve since taken that step out on their own, performing at various functions, both public and private. This weekend, they return to the Off Broadstreet stage for two sold-out shows.
“Not everybody gets to sing like this with other people,” said Kerr. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to get into those tight harmonies with other guys that can really sing. When we get up there and do it correctly, it caresses my soul.”
For Kerr, the more challenging the song, the better. They’ll do four-part harmonies, doo wop and barbershop. Everything from “Stand by Me” to “Coney Island Baby,” a little Beatles, some Beach Boys and, of course, the Four Seasons. And while these far-from-Jersey Boys will perform a good deal without instrumental accompaniment, they will be joined by keyboardist David Blanchard for a portion of the show.…
The Consolations are on top of doo wop
By: Paul Cambra, of the Auburn Journal