Posted by Sandra Thacker, SCENE Producer | Friday May 31, 2013
Those Guys (Bobby Navassa)
When you see the rooftop shots, know that we are doing our absolute best to look like we are not freezing our butts off!
—Bernie Pastorin, tenor
You know what it's like when you're trying to remember someone. When you can't come up with a name you say 'you know - that guy'.
In the case of Winnipeg group Those Guys, once they realized they were all into singing a cappella, they kept the name and ran with it.
Group members Dexter Barcellano, Matthew Baron, Ben Campbell, James Campbell, Mike Engstrom, Derek Leenhouts, Simon Miron, and Bernie Pastorin formed their group one afternoon in 2009.
From vocal jazz to pop and even some original material, Those Guys released That Album last June.
They're presenting That Show at the West End Cultural Centre on May 31 and June 1. They've also got a new video out.
SCENE asked one of Those Guys, Bernie Pastorin to answer five fast questions:
Bernie Pastorin, tenor from Those Guys (Bobby Navasca)
How did it all begin for you guys? Those Guys formed in 2009 after local a cappella group The Dubs decided to call it quits. I called upon seven of my friends (whom I met through singing in previous groups or had performed in theatre productions with) to form an all-male a cappella group. After a trial rehearsal in 2009, we were on our way!
How did you end up with eight guys in the group? Eight just seemed to be balanced number; the vocal blend is nice. For a VERY brief moment, we were nine until one of us decided it was time for him to put his entire focus on his acting career.
What's the story behind the name? We played around with a bunch of names and eventually came to Those Guys but a day later decided against it.
We agreed on the name Blend and opened up a bank account for the group shortly thereafter. As soon as we left the bank, something didn't feel right about that name so the next day we changed it back to Those Guys.
Who writes the original songs for the group? We all have a hand in writing songs and now even have regular writing sessions. Band member Simon Miron, has taken a bit of a leadership role in that department. For That Show we will be singing two songs that were written by Simon. The arrangements have been a collective effort within the group.
Tell us about the making of this video. It's been a great experience making this video. We've had the pleasure of teaming up with Mike Sanders and Electric Monk Media to create it. We shot it over a few days during April and May at The Park Theatre and throughout the Exchange District.
We chose to wait and shoot in April and May knowing we'd be shooting outdoors for some of the shots. Little did we know that winter would be hanging around extra long this year! When you see the rooftop shots, know that we are doing our absolute best to look like we are not freezing our butts off!
What's next for you guys? More singing, more performing, more writing! We'd also like to take our show on the road. We're hard at work creating new songs to perform and record. We're definitely starting to talk about heading back into the studio soon. You can bet we will include our original material to go along with new covers for the next recording project.
Hear Those Guys perform on Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1 at the West End Cultural Centre.