MANSFIELD — The Twilight Tones barbershop quartet is doing its best to enhance the reputation of youth and vocal talent in Richland County.
The Tones, a pop-music, a cappella singing group, consists of four boys, tenor, Gage Goodwin, 15, baritone, Jody Odom, 19, bass, Eli Novak, 18 and lead and director, Tucker Boggs, 18. Their a cappella music is created with just the voice.
Gage, Odom and Boggs met at a Mansfield Youth Theater camp. Odom said he soon began begging Boggs to create a singing group. With three of the four parts, Boggs asked Novak to join the group after he heard him singing in Clear Fork’s show choir.
“We needed a bass and I had heard him sing before because we are in show choir together. A good bass is hard to find at this age. I was pretty impressed,” Boggs said of Novak.
What was intended to be a one- or two-time performance slid into being a promising success for the boys.
The group revolves around arrangements of popular songs in the style of barber shop. Their four-part harmonies collide and respond with each other in a way that shows the obvious fun the youngsters are having.
“We’ve done ‘Hooked On A Feeling,’ we’re working on an arrangement of ‘Forget You,’” Boggs said. “Youth really need some medium of expression, I feel. And music, because it’s so diverse, I think is the best.”
A cappella music has grown in popularity because of influences such as Pentatonix and Straight No Chaser and the movies “Pitch Perfect” and “Pitch Perfect 2.” The Tones said their interests have grown with this movement. The group attended Rockapella’s most recent showing at the Renaissance Theater.
“For me, most definitely (I see a bump in community interest,)” Odom said. “It wasn’t until going to Harmony Camp that a fire was put into me to want to do that. And seeing Rockacappella come to Mansfield, and even before doing this I have wanted to see young people perform.
“I just think it’s the right time.”
What sets this group apart, Boggs said, is their age. He said when the community realizes they are all students with no professional help, the group gets nothing but positive reactions.
A video posted on their Facebook page singing an a capella standard,”‘For the Longest Time” by Billy Joel, has garnered 1,900 views and been shared 47 times at the time of this writing.
“Everyone has been really encouraging,” Boggs added.
The quartet tries to rehearse once a week, and has gigs sprinkled through out the summer scheduled.
“We got like five new gigs out of (the Facebook video),” Gage said. “It’s been kind of a chain reaction.”
With two of the members going out of state in August for college, the future of the group is unclear, yet Twilight Tones is adamant on keeping the sound together. According to Boggs, the plan is to meet during spring, winter and summer breaks and continuing crafting their musical prowess. Though as they spoke, they considered inviting new members to fill empty roles.
“It would be a shame to see the Twilight Tones go away,” Odom said.
Boggs holds firm in his opinion music — not just voice only music — is accessible in the Mansfield area.
“If you have the drive, with a couple months of hard work and passion we’ve gotten really far,” he said. “(The group) all about encouraging youth to join.”
