Based in Vancouver, Canada and Bellingham, WA, a very talented pair of brothers, Tim & Doug Broersma and Mark & Tom Metzger, form four part a cappella quartet Realtime, who have been singing together since 2003. They quickly placed 2nd in the Harmony Sweeps Pacific Northwest Regional in 2004, then they became the 2005 International Quartet Champions of the Barbershop Harmony Society in Salt Lake City! Having reached the pinnacle of the barbershop world, they stopped competing in Barbershop contests. However, they continued to compete in the Harmony Sweeps, winning the Pacific Northwest again in 2007, and again in 2010, where this supergroup is an early favorite to win the upcoming National Finals May 15th! Listening to their jazzy, wonderfully arranged rendition of Dave Brubeck's jazz standard "Take 5" underlines the group's determination to "sing and record music of many styles, whatever (we) decide we like!" What Realtime likes includes 13 diverse selections, Lennon/McCartney's pop hits "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "Blackbird," "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz, the Tennessee country anthem "Rocky Top," The show tune "On A Clear Day" (You Can See Forever), the scattish jazz favorite "Flight of the Foo Birds," the haunting spiritual "Follow the Drinking Gourd," and the Doobie Brothers' foot-tapping rocker "Listen to the Music." The last two cuts, "Funny Valentine" and "Georgia On My Mind," are harmoniously performed with the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra. "Take 5" is great stuff, the rock-solid harmonies and pure entertainment chops of this gold-medal-winning Barbershop group, joyously applied to some of our favorite tunes in other genres. Listening to it, we can't wait to hear Realtime at the Finals! |
