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Those Guys! is the University of Redlands' resident male a cappella group, which began in 1994 and was the brainchild of student Devin Lawrence and alumnus Damon Tribble. At first, the group was assembled rather informally, Lawrence and Tribble seeking guys who wanted to sing for fun. It wasn't until later, when Those Guys! proved it was a formidable ensemble, that auditions proper were instated by the group. With Lawrence becoming the group's musical director and Tribble handing the business and bookings, Those Guys! slowly began accumulating a healthy following in the Redlands area.
Those Guys! wasn't always the name of the ensemble. During it's first semester the ensemble was minus a moniker, and thus were generically dubbed "The Men's Chorale" for their performance of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" at the U of R's Feast of Lights celebration in December of 1994. As the group began attracting more attention and as its membership began growing, the group voted on the rather extreme but amusing name "The Disgruntled Postal Workers". But once they began spreading the news of their newly chosen name around the university, students' subsequent befuddled looks and comments of "that's really stupid" convinced the group to devise a new name.
The new name came at the suggestion of Karen Crutchlow, the mother of Those Guys! member Ross Crutchlow. She once jokingly suggested "why don't you call the group Those Guys?". Ross took this suggestion to heart and informed the group collective, and the rest, as they say, is history. The name stuck, and the group has remained Those Guys!--exclamation point included--to this day.
The group had begun compiling a rather impressive and flexible repertoire to suit all tastes. This included classic doo wop standards (The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), barber shop (Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender"), American folk music ("Shenandoah") and obscure a cappella covers (The Bobs' "Helmet", Rockapella's "Zombie Jamboree", The Nylons' "This Island Earth"). The 1995-1996 season proved to be an auspicious year for the group, as they began doing a number of select performances off campus, as well as putting on informal dormitory concerts and coffee house performances on campus. The group was once again invited to participate in The Feast of Lights in December of 1995, performing "Angels We Have Heard On High". Their crowning moment came in May of 1996, as Those Guys! displayed the hard work they had done thus far by putting on a large end of the year concert, which filled U of R's Memorial Chapel. The concert culiminated with an incredible 18 minute medley of 1980s songs, which entailed the members dressing up in appropriate garb from the decade. The piece was an absolute hit and received a standing ovation.
By this time, the ensemble had amassed a rather prodigious, eclectic and impressive repertoire, and by spring of 1996, it was decided that the group would record an album. "That Album!" featured an impressive array of songs spanning the year and a half of the group's existence, including crowd favorites such as Billy Joel's "For The Longest Time", The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs' "Li'l Red Riding Hood", Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" and The Bobs' "My Shoes". The aforementioned 1980s medley was also tacked on at the end of the disc: a "secret track" appearing 8 minutes after the final cut.
The popularity of the group began snowballing and reached a fevered peak by December of 1996. Those Guys! performed a revved up version of the gospel standard "Everything Gonna Be Alright In Christ" at the 1996 Feast Of Lights celebration. Something unusual and special happened on the second night of the Feast, as the congregation in the chapel gave the group an uproarious and then taboo standing ovation--the first ovation ever given in the sacred ceremony's 50 years. The group recieved an ovation the following two nights as well.
Though founding fathers Tribble and Lawrence departed the group in 1997 for bigger and better things, Those Guys! continued to march on. With Ross Crutchlow as newly appointed business manager and Christopher Chardi as musical director, the group attempted to carry on the success it had earned in its first three seasons. The group hit an expected slow period after this transition of power in late 1997, but started climbing uphill once again in the spring of 1998. Through ASUR, Those Guys! were invited to perform a joint concert in May with professional group The Knudsen Brothers in the Memorial Chapel. The concert was deemed "An Evening Of A Cappella Magic," with Those Guys! opening and The Knudsens headlining. Those Guys! were even invited to perform Billy Joel's "For The Longest Time" with The Knudsen Brothers at the end of the concert.
Those Guys! put on an end of the year concert in May of 1998, showcasing a 10 minute television theme song medley, again replete with the group sporting costumes of its favorite television characters. During the summer of 1998, the group recorded a sophomore disc to be titled "Colton Avenue." The album included more crowd favorites such as The Gas House Gang's "Eine Kleine NOT Musik", Oingo Boingo's "Only A Lad", Boston's "More Than A Feeling", and the aforementioned television medley.
Those Guys! received wonderful news at the end of the 1997-1998 season. Numax Entertainment, management of The Knudsen Brothers, sent Those Guys! a personal thank you for the wonderful "Evening Of A Cappella Magic", and invited Those Guys! to join them again on October 17th at an a cappella festival to be held in Los Angeles. World Acappellafest '98 was a giant convention of a cappella music, with groups, agents, managers, record labels, media moguls and corporate representatives all in attendance. The focus of the festival was to demonstrate the power and magic of a cappella music, as well as its potential to be a formidable commodity in the music world - the ultimate goal being to have a category created for a cappella music in the Grammy Awards. Groups that performed included The Bobs, The Blenders, The Knudsen Brothers, The Nylons, and supergroup Rockapella, perhaps best known for its contributions to the children's game show "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?"
With a renewed energy, Those Guys! put on the largest concert of their career in the Fall of 1998. The group used flashy costumes, fog machines, creative lighting and wireless mics to put on one of their most memorable/controversial performances. Unfortunately, the concert also marked the end of an era, as the last two original members of the group--Ross Crutchlow and Steve Rodriguez--bid the group a fond farewell.
With a sizeable chunk of their ensemble having departed by Spring of 1999--including director Christopher Chardi, who departed after graduating--semester-long member Robbie Riddle took the helm, leading the group through a relatively low key year in which they retooled and carefully decided their next plan of attack. Riddle graduated in Spring of 2000 and passed the torch to two-year member Vincent Robles. In 2001, Those (old) Guys! finally released their second album entitled "Colton Avenue," which had been plagued with post-production problems and setbacks. A release party was thrown in January at the University of Redlands Alumni House, with members of the group from past and present, as well as students and alumni, in attendance.
Sadly, Those Guys! folded some time in 2003.
The members of Those Guys! were accepted through audition only, and all members were students, staff or alumni of the University of Redlands.
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