Fans of the quartet contest may have noticed Yonge Guns’ absence from the preliminary round this year. While it wasn’t their desire, circumstances demanded that they take the year off of contest, so Yonge Guns used the time to pursue other musical interests. In a previous article, I wrote about our journey working on the new album, Show Some Love. The same week that album was released, we took a plane to Edinburgh, Scotland, to perform in the biggest and oldest Fringe Festival in the world.
While we were in Scotland, I learned that the Fringe Festival earned its namesake because it began on the fringes of the Edinburgh International Festival, famous for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. This festival of the dramatic arts has taken to large cities all over the globe, but in Edinburgh it is a thing to behold, having grown to such proportions as to have spread its wings beyond dramatic arts and into all the performing and fine arts.
Yonge Guns initially were approached by representatives of the Sing! Festival in Toronto to represent the festival at the Fringe in Edinburgh. The recommendation came about through our years of working with Sing! Toronto, but the process was all us. Greg did the bulk of the work arranging logistics: buying flights, applying to the festival, renting a venue, renting a flat, and designing the posters and flyers. Our contact at Sing! Toronto helped introduce us to a few folks who were reliable, and we worked with them on an ad in the venue pamphlet. Jonah kept track of our finances while I reached out to contact as many potential reviewers and attendees as I could. Greg set up an ad in the BABS convention programme, and the quartet got to work on turning our show into a streamlined, time-efficient, and completely flowing show.
In many ways, this whole trip to Edinburgh was Greg’s baby. Perhaps that’s why he didn’t want to write in the Trillium about it when I asked! The amount of preparation alone is a passion project, but once you’re there, the work isn’t over. After all, to an average Fringe festival goer, a barbershop quartet is a barbershop quartet; you’ve seen one, you’ve seen’em all. Our recent escapades at international left us with a fantastic photo mid-dance-pose that gives viewers an idea that we are doing more than just standing and singing, but how would we differentiate ourselves from all of the other a cappella groups seeking to do the same?
Handing out flyers, taking opportunities to perform a couple of numbers when you’re about the town, and asking if you can put your poster up in every establishment you visit is a key aspect of the game. Visibility cannot be underestimated, but further to that, all of the old hats we spoke to at the festival told us that good reviews are essential. If you get a good review, you want everyone to know it. People will attach reviews to their own posters all over town in the middle of their run, and allegedly this brings more people in to watch. Yonge Guns was lucky enough to have a good amount of pre-orders and a fairly large audience for every show, with a couple of full houses, but we can probably chalk that up to the supportiveness of barbershop communities around the world and Greg’s initiative.
During our trip, we visited with the Rolling Hills Chorus (BHS) and Forth Valley Chorus (SAI). They are a testament to the spirit of barbershop everywhere, welcoming us warmly, helping us get around, coming to see our show, and even having a party with us! Should you ever find yourself in Edinburgh, say hi to Rosalind and Colin for us!