“It’s cool how music affects people. It’s like bringing back a spark to someone’s life when we perform across Colorado Springs.” That’s how Gary Hickenlooper describes the Barbershop quartet sound you will hear live during his band’s Take 10 performance on Friday, May 26 from our Gazette Studio during the noon hour on the Gazette Facebook page.

Hickelooper’s Barbershop quartet is called Velcro. Yeah, the “why” of that name was my first question and Hickenlooper said the group kicked around names nine years ago and smiled when the name Velcro was brought up and that moniker stuck, no pun intended. Hickenlooper sings bass, Mark Hoffman sings tenor, Lee Jolly is the lead singer and Tim Simmons sings baritone.

Gary says the Barbershop quartet has a nice sound to it, “When you like to sing and you hear the notes and lyrics blend, you are addicted to the a capella magic.” Velcro has been a registered quartet for nine years with the Barbershop Harmony Society. The Colorado Springs chapter that he and his group are part of has been around for 71 years.

You may think that this kind of music is so “yesterday,” but that is not the case according to Hickenlooper. He says the fastest demographic of people joining this Barbershop quartet style of music is the under-25 crowd. Gary believes that this 21st century a capella sound is a mix of old and new music performed across the world, “We are getting a lot more contemporary music arranged in four-part harmony.”

Watch and listen to Velcro and their unique sound, live on our Friday Take 10 performance.

The Gazette is dedicated to helping southern Colorado performing arts flourish and prosper through our Take 10 performances. If you are musician, magician, poet, playwright or whatever you do to wow crowds, email me at eric.singer@gazette.com so you might be a part of a future Take 10 performances.

Colorado Springs Barbershop quartet Velcro. Courtesy photo.

Colorado Springs Barbershop quartet Velcro. Courtesy photo.

Colorado Springs Barbershop quartet Velcro. Courtesy photo.

Colorado Springs Barbershop quartet Velcro. Courtesy photo.

Colorado Springs Barbershop quartet Velcro. Courtesy photo.

Colorado Springs Barbershop quartet Velcro. Courtesy photo.