They aren't wearing their grandpa's striped shirt and straw hats. But they might sing some of their grandma's music.
And they're serious to the last note.
The "World Series" of barbershop music is in Salt Lake City this week, and 10,000 barbershoppers and fans are in town for the event. After regional competitions, only the top 50 groups are here to compete for medals in the annual Barbershop Harmony Society Convention. The competition finals are today, and the gathering ends Sunday after a performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
"We treat it almost as a sport. We know what we want to do with it and how to make it work," said Mitch Greenberg, baritone for HotShots.
So who are these people walking around in matching outfits, harmonizing?
Competitors come from all over the nation and Canada, and convention attendees come from all over the world. When not in serious pre-competition huddles, they might mingle by singing a "tag" or part of a popular song with strangers.
"No matter where you go in the world, you can find four different parts and sing with those guys," said Richard Vonk, of Utah's Beehive Statesman Chorus. No quartets from Utah are competing — any groups in Salt Lake City looking to medal would have to win their area first.
A camaraderie exists between the groups. Even though he competes against them, Roger Payne, a tenor for Reveille, arranges music for quartets around the world.
"There's not a city in the United States and most countries you'd want to go to where I couldn't pick up the phone and find a friend," Payne said. Reveille is a comedic favorite among many at the convention.
Another favorite, though formed more recently than some of the other groups, is O.C. Times. They walked on stage chanting their names to the crowd and left with a standing ovation. The boys have grown up listening to Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble and a lot of barbershop.
"It's a little older, but we're kind of into that. When we sing a chord just right, it doesn't matter what the song is," Patrick Claypool said.
The quartets are required to wear matching outfits when competing. And they all shatter the stereotype of straw hats and striped shirts. The only stripes were worn by a group dressing up as a chain gang, complete with a chain. Most groups are dressed formally, but some are in costumes that match their songs.
The quartet Sterling loves flashy outfits because as member Todd Reavis said, "When there's a shine on your shoes, there is a melody in your heart." He then broke into song and sang the quote, from a common barbershop song of the 1930s. The Texas quartet wore royal blue zoot suits with red ties and white shirts.
In competition, each group performs two songs. Music choice is all about personality. While familiar turn-of-the century pieces lend themselves well to the harmonizing of barbershop, other songs are often arranged for the type of group.
Reveille, from New York City, does a lot of comedy. Their arrangement as characters from the "Godfather" movies brought something The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Conference Center stage has probably never seen before — a prop cigar and a song titled "That's Immoral."
Because the crowd is so large, it comes into consideration in choosing a venue. The Conference Center was chosen because of its acoustics and Salt Lake City was analyzed for its hotels, restaurants and other amenities after a bid was put in by the local Beehive Statesman chorus. This is the fourth time Salt Lake City has hosted the international event.
And if you walk by the Conference Center this week, don't be shy. Most barbershoppers maintain that anyone can sing barbershop, and this isn't an elitist group.
"The guys at the top of the mountain will never hesitate to sing with the guys at the bottom," Paul Agnew of HotShots said.
E-mail: nandrews@desnews.com