Come and see us
perform for one of these fine groups. If you're a glutton for punishment, come
and see us perform for a bunch of these fine groups.
OCTOBER
2008 NOVEMBER
2008 APRIL
2009 Here's a few memorable moments from past gigs... MAY
2008 APRIL
2008 MARCH
2008 DECEMBER 2007 NOVEMBER
2007 SEPTEMBER 2007 AUGUST 2007 JULY 2007 JUNE 2007 MAY 2007 APRIL 2007 MARCH 2007 JANUARY 2007
· Tuesday October 7 George Washington Masonic Lodge Music Festival
Silver Spring Masonic Center - 517 W Beaumont Ave, Whitefish Bay WI
One pretty darn good show - 7:00pm
· Saturday November 8 Rock Valley Badger Chordhawks Annual Show
Janesville Performing Arts Center - 408 South Main Street, Janesville WI
Two stupendous shows - 2:00pm and 7:30pm
· Saturday April 18 Capitol Chordsmen Chorus Annual Show
Middleton Performing Arts Center - 2100 Bristol St, Middleton WI
One show to end all shows - 7:00pm
· Saturday May 17 Racine Dairy Statesmen Annual Show - Kenosha WI
Back to the days of WWII for this show. The chorus did an excellent job with sets, costuming, and song styles, bringing us back to wartime in the 1940's. Adding to the ambiance was Night Wing, a local trio that treated the audience to some of the top hits of the day. See our photo page for a little taste of what we saw...whoa momma... Oh yeah, we were on the show, too. Kudos to the crew for a fantastic sound system. Of course, there weren't enough effects on Earth to make us sound decent that night. Ah well, fun was had by all, as well as a ton of pizza at the cast party. I'm still full!
· Saturday April 12 River Valley Harmonizers Annual Show - Wausau WI
I feel such sympathy for our friends in After Midnight. That barbershop quartet has had to endure us on their undercard so many times, I think they are in group therapy because of it. They did rock the house during the River Valley Harmonizers' pirate-themed show. We were just glad to be along for the ride. It's a beautiful drive to a gorgeous theater with friendly people packing the house. What's not to love?
· Saturday April 5 Battle of the Badges and Milwaukee Admirals Hockey - Milwaukee WI
It was like Stars on Ice...we were asked to sing our National Anthem at the Battle of the Badges hockey game, benefitting the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. In a crazy coincidence, the Milwaukee Admirals requested that we stay on and sing once again prior to their night game, without having heard us sing. Good thing they didn't have another option once they heard us in the afternoon... Anyway, Nooge couldn't attend, so super-sub Dennis handled the low end with ease. In fact, we've never sounded better. In fact, that night was the first time we've ever been offered a recording contract with a $500,000 signing bonus. Hmmm...
· Saturday March 15 Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, Chicago Regional - Skokie IL
This may have been the most incredible gig we have ever done in our history...no lie. A fired-up crowd was in the house to catch an amazing regional contest. As last year's winners, we were invited back to host the show, and we were determined to put on a better performance than we did in 2004 (I'm not namin' names, but one of our members...we'll call him "ik-Stay"...really stank it up last time out). The plan was in place, the crowd was raucous, Andrew Blendermann (the Regional producer) was dressed to the nines, and the competitors were totally on their game. Even though we were at the mercy of the red and yellow lights, we tried to keep things moving with a Diner Set excerpt, Nebraska jokes, an "Ask Flip" segment, an infomercial for a love drug, and more. Then we had to fill a big time slot while the judges deliberated, so we pulled out our award-winning Broadway Set and some brand-spankin' new material - our "Salute To Mediocrity" (you have to hear it to believe it). Follow that up with an audience request for "Jezebel", and the results were finally ready. Some well-deserved kudos go to Five:One (the winners), An Octave Above, MAUF, and all of the other groups that layed it all out there that night. We finished off the night with some photo ops, greeting old friends, and making some new ones. Our thanks to the crew of the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts for making us look and sound good - you guys rock!
· Saturday March 8 Capitol City Chordsmen Annual Show - East Lansing MI
2008 started off with a BANG! for Nightwatch. We headed across the pond (Lake Michigan, not the Atlantic) to rejoin our friends in East Lansing for their annual show. What a whirlwind that was - we land, get our car, drive to Michigan State University, jump onstage to do our mic check (a crazy good stage), immediately walk down the street to eat with our hosts (the coolest), walk back to the theater, get ready, do the show (1800 people were there, we were told!!!), say hi to everybody (my voice is still tired), cruise on over to the afterglow, sing for the cast and crew (amazing spread, too!), crash on our beds for about three hours (Stik needs to bring PJs...I'm serious...), get up, drive back to the airport, and fly home. (exhales sharply) And you know what? We had an amazing time! How about trip number three to Lansing? We're game!
· Tuesday December 18 National Anthem prior to varsity boys' baskeball game - Kenosha WI
The Sports Marketing class from Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha called us out of the blue and asked if we'd sing the National Anthem. We asked if they had ever heard us sing before. They said no. We breathed a sigh of relief and agreed to sing. An energetic crowd treated us well as we unveiled our brand-spankin' new arrangement of the SSB. You know you have something when high schoolers used to the sounds of T-Pain and Soulja Boy tell you how much they liked your singing. Best part: Bradford beat visiting Franklin 62-53, extending our unbeaten-when-we-sing-the-National-Anthem streak. Take note, professional sports marketing people!!!
· Saturday November 10 Rock Valley Barbershop Chorus Annual Show - Janesville WI
Janesville...the home of the Badger Chordhawks...friendships were renewed and history was made at this gig. We joined our fine friends in Voices Only, past LO'L District Champions, in their final show performance. They were as flawless as usual, much to the delight of the crowd. We made our usual mess, and not only onstage this time...I apologize for the blood stains in the dressing room. The doctor says the scar on my head should be gone in only 6-12 months. The emotional scars from the rest of Nightwatch mocking me and kicking me while I was down, those may never fade...
· Saturday September 15 Pride of the Valley Barbershop Chorus Annual Show - Appleton WI
Repeat customers - gotta love 'em. The Pride of the Valley Chorus must have had a momentary lapse in their memories, because they brought us back up to the Fox Valley for the fourth time in our existence. This time, we portrayed a nightclub act, only without the ruffly tuxes and horrible scotch-influenced jokes. Our "Musical Set" hit very nicely in front of a couple of enthusiastic crowds, filled with both old and new friends. We also had a chance to reconnect with our pals in After Midnight, who were in fine form, both on and offstage (thankfully, our dressing room was not bugged...at least we hope not...). A great time was had by all, and we are looking forward to appearing in the area once again. How about next year? We have space on our calendar?
· Saturday August 25th Lakeland Barbershop Chorus Annual Show - Minocqua WI
One of the most eventful trips ever taken by us...I swear, we could have made a "Road to..." movie out of it. Neither rain nor sleet nor broken serpentine belt and pulley nor burst blood vessel in eye could keep our merry band of misfits from bringing our unique brand of entertainment to the North Woods. I'm not kidding - Kel (one of our Hot Babes) suffered from the burst blood vessel, which delayed Nooge's travel time. (P.S. - the prognosis looks good; here's to a speedy recovery!) Then, Stik's belt and pulley break on the side of the freeway, so he has to do some emergency roadside repairs. (P.S. - the prognosis looks good; here's to you getting a new vehicle!) After dinner at a fine local brewery, a packed house met us at the local performing arts center. The good times rolled on to the Afterglow and Glimmer (self-produced in our hotel rooms), where we drank homebrews and spoke of insane ideas. Thankfully, the trip back home was uneventful...or was it?...
· Saturday August 18th Andrea and Ryan's Wedding!!! - Janesville WI
We love nuptuals. Gives us an excuse to bathe and put on nice clothes. A safari-esque trip in Southern WI led us to the beautiful Rotary Gardens, where we provided cocktail-hour entertainment for the masses. According to reports, the longer the open bar was, well, open, the better we sounded. Go figure...didn't need Einstein to figure that one out. Anyway, Andrea has been a friend of our dysfunctional family for years, and we wish her and Ryan all the best as they start off on their new life together. Mazeltov!
· Saturday August 4 Kathy and Leo's Wedding!!! - Kenosha WI
Our baritone Leo, the old Redwood of our four-tree forest, finally settled down with a wonderful woman named Kathy, and we were there to see it. See it - heck, we were a part of it. "But how can that be?", you ask. "How could you perform with Leo up at the altar, knees-a-shakin'?" Easy as pressing a button for a major office supplies store: We called in Mike "Scooter" Lietke (recently pardoned), one of the fine thoroughbreds from our stable of stand-ins, to sing with us. And sing we did, at the ceremony and also a late-night encore at the reception. The encore was unexpected to us, but when the crowd chants your name and waves their lighters in the air, how can you say no? The best part was leaving the DJ thoroughly flabbergasted (in a good way) and garnering much applause and cheers from not only the multitude of staff that gathered at the back of the room, but also from the adjacent bar patrons. A free round would have been nice (and essential), but the hoots-n-hollers worked just fine. Congrats, Kathy and Leo!!!
· Sunday July 1 Kenoshas Civic Celebration Festival - Kenosha WI
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a trek down to Kenosha for their big-time festival. We hoped for a couple of brushes with greatness, but alas, it was not to be...we missed the Q-and-A session with Barry Williams (a.k.a. Greg Brady), and we did not get to rub elbows with Peter Noone and the rest of Herman's Hermits. We did, however, get to perform in full Diner get-up for a very large VIP section, with grass seats behind it to boot. Special props go out to the Larry King Orchestra from Chi-Town, who laid out a blistering set right before we got up there. Calling us "a change of pace" would be an understatement. We were more like a "slam on the brakes". Ah well...aaaannnnd we're done.
· Saturday June 16 Midwest Vocal Express "Really Big MVE Show" - South Milwaukee WI
It's always nice to sing on your own home turf, and this was no exception. The gents from the MVE were, as always, kind and accomodating and really messy. I mean, seriously - the amount of makeup and costumes they used rivaled our own wardrobe. Anyway, it truly was a "Really BIG Show", with filmed intros courtesy of the Ed Sullivan estate. It was great to see our old friend Drew Kirkman and the rest of the Humdingers, who tapped, chimed, and sang their way into the audience members' hearts. We'd like to extend a special thanks to the local Taco Bell for a delicious supper, then turn around and slap their hands, 'cuz they got our order wrong...again...
· Saturday May 5 Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival National Finals - San Rafael CA
It had been four years, so the municipal ban on us coming back to beautiful San Rafael had expired. That way we were able to take part in a truly amazing show...the variety was incredible, and the audience was digging it a lot. Not to be lost in all of this was the fact that these groups could seriously party! We had a great time meeting everyone, and we made new friends from every group (links to our new friends' web sites are on our front page, but don't go there yet; that would be impolite). If any of those groups happen to be reading this...when you're looking for your next opening act, think of your pals in the goofy costumes from Milwaukee...we won't let you down... As far as the competition goes, we had fun, looked fabulous, sounded less than fabulous, and finished 9th once again. Well, there's something to be said for consistency.
· Saturday April 21 Battle Of The Badges IV - Wilson Park Ice Arena, Milwaukee WI
We came, we danced to the pre-game music, and we sang with Matt "The Sieve" Martin in full goalie gear. There were plenty of biscuits being put in the baskets. Meanwhile, after getting lost in the fire safety trailer, I was chosen to participate in a live K-9 demonstration. I'm told I should fully heal in about 12-18 months.
· Saturday April 14 Clipper City Chordsmen Annual Shows - University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc Theatre, Manitowoc WI
Back up to Manitowoc we went to visit our pals in the Clipper City Chordsmen. It was a jam-packed night in that city...we were competing with many different events, including the one-and-only Melissa Manchester. However, the seats were filled for both shows, and the crowds were lovin' what the Chordsmen were sellin'. We also shared the stage with our friends, Heart To Heart, a mixed quartet from the Milwaukee area. They put on a clinic, their gorgeous voices dancing through some very complex charts with ease and virtuosity. We did OK, too. We capped off the night at the cast party, complete with climbing on tables, embarrassing the ladies, and a command performance with Brad and Kirk from Heart To Heart. Fun was had by all!
· Saturday March 24 Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival Chicago Regionals - North Shore Center For The Performing Arts, Skokie IL
What an amazing, amazing experience...the show lineup was star-studded, the hosts were primed and professional, the crew was prepared and on their game, and the producer (the lovely and talented Andrew Blendermann) was paralyzed by fear...ahhhh, just like 2003, our last trip to the Chicago Regionals. We'll never forget the energy that came from the crowd as we debuted our new "Musical Set" - just incredible. When the dust settled, we were fortunate to be given the opportunity to do the set one more time at the National Finals in San Francisco (hope to see a ton of people there for what promises to be a tremendous show). We are very grateful and humbled by the Regional experience. Thanks to everyone who made the show as great it was, both on and off of the stage, and thanks to the Chi-Town crowd for coming out and supporting a cappella. Represent!
· Saturday January 13 "Real Men DO Sing" Youth In Harmony Festival - Carthage College, Kenosha WI
Nightwatch, Guest Clinicians...this phrase could be a sign of the Apocalypse, but instead, it was our role at beautiful Carthage College in Kenosha WI. This was the spot where over 50 young men paired up with members of the Racine Dairy Statesmen, a local barbershop chorus, to spread the good word of a cappella music. We helped out as section leaders for the mass chorus and were the subjects of a Master Class (?!?!?). Questions such as "Why do you guys suck so much?" and "When will you guys be hanging it up?" were plentiful. The long-yet-very-fun day culminated in a night concert, featuring the Dairy Statesmen chorus, the Carthage Womens Ensemble, and the "Real Men DO Sing" combined chorus. Oh yeah, and us, too. The women sang masterfully and looked, well, wow-wow-wow-wow-wow-wow-wow! We hope they thoroughly enjoy their Europe tour and miss us a lot while they are gone. Anyway, much congratulations and praise for this fine event must go out to Jim DeBusman from the Barbershop Harmony Society, Dr. Peter Dennee from Carthage College, and Bob Gall from the Racine Dairy Statesmen. We hope to be asked back next year, with the only stipulation being the addition of "Nap Time" to the festival schedule.
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