The GrooveBarbers

The GrooveBarbers
Industrial Strength A Cappella

"A cappella rock and soul royalty" - Village Voice

For a quick overview of the GrooveBarbers style, check out this
Medley of Industrial Favorites

New Album - Glory!

The GrooveBarbers are featured in national TV commercials as The Astelins, the deliriously suave vocal group that offers Astelin nasal spray to seasonal allergy sufferers. An a cappella supergroup? Sounds paradoxical, absurd, perhaps even dangerous; indeed, The GrooveBarbers is all these things. Each member of this all-vocal powerhouse quartet is a bona fide star in his own right: Sean Altman, Charlie Evett and Steve Keyes are former members of the pioneering contemporary a cappella group Rockapella, and Kevin Weist is a renowned bald vocal guru. Collectively they have established themselves as the "go to" vocal group for rock, doo-wop, jazz and even (no way!) barbershop!

SEAN ALTMAN is considered "the father of the modern a cappella". He is the only three-time winner of the Contemporary A Cappella Society's "Best Original Song" award, and has also won the "Best Male Vocalist" prize. For eleven years, he was a lead singer, arranger and composer for the pioneering group Rockapella, with whom he released nine CDs and starred in the five-year PBS-TV series Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? Sean composed the ubiquitous "Carmen Sandiego" theme song, which continues to get international airplay. He has released three solo albums, performs a comedy song act called JEWMONGOUS, produces and sings with Kol Zimra Jewish acapella, was named "Best Male Artist" in the 2005 International Acoustic Music Awards, and was dubbed "absurdly talented" by the Village Voice.

CHARLIE EVETT is a giant in the field of a cappella bass singing. His thumping lines and Richter- scale solos powered Rockapella to national prominence, and now he is the sturdy foundation beneath The GrooveBarbers, which he co-founded. His signature solos include "North to Alaska" and the smoothest "Sixty-Minute Man" in the business. Charlie is also an accomplished classical singer and a long-time member of the acclaimed Boston Cecilia.

STEVE KEYES, a founder of Rockapella, has long been considered a premier high tenor and rock/blues soloist of the a cappella scene. Since his landmark performance of "Flat Tire" on the ground-breaking TV documentary Spike Lee & Company-Do It A Cappella, Keyes' awesome vocal stylings and winning persona have earned him legions of fans and imitators. His signature solos on "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress," "Keep On Smilin'," and "Crazy 'bout An Automobile" have cemented his reputation as both a smooth falsetto crooner and a power rock wailer. Since leaving Rockapella, Keyes has been a featured solist with the New Choral Society of Central Westchester, and now enjoys acclaim as a co-founder of The GrooveBarbers.

KEVIN WEIST...is the other guy. Although he resembles former Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin, he has long enjoyed the democratic practice of a cappella singing -- most notably as the director of The Williams Octet and his NYC-based group, the Lemmings. He has written and arranged a cappella songs for television (MTV's Just Say Julie, Nickelodeon, TNT) and composed the infamous cockroach songs for the MTV feature film musical Joe's Apartment. (The New York Times wrote, "The film's highlights are its musical numbers...Some viewers will still want to reach for the Raid.") Kevin joined The GrooveBarbers in 1997 and already smells a little like Elliott Kerman.

Upcoming "GrooveBarbers" Gigs

photo courtesy of Jennifer Kirkwood

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