PREVIEW
6 Minute Warning
Saturday, Nov. 2 Dinner 6:30 p.m., Show 8 p.m.
Morinville Community Cultural Centre
9502 – 100 Ave.
Tickets: $45 to $55 Call 780-939-7839 or at ticketpro.ca
A cappella ensemble, 6 Minute Warning, has ripped through a revolving door of musicians since it formed nearly a decade ago.
While many groups might falter and disband, 6 Minute Warning continues to empower with its modern, edgy vibe that gets young and old excited.
Unlike the more fatigued-sounding barbershop quartets, the sextet’s members display significant expertise in pop, rock, R&B, gospel, jazz, classical and choral music. Blend the diverse skills into a high quality unit and the rotating lineup just keeps the signature sound fresh.
Renowned throughout the province for tight harmonies, seamless phrasing and intricate beat boxing, 6 Minute Warning brings their latest concert to Morinville Community Cultural Centre on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Tenor Bernard Quilala, a former Canadian Idol competitor, just rejoined the sextet after a four-year hiatus.
“I took time off because I’d started a career in nursing and I couldn’t do tours,” said Quilala, briefly describing his career as a mental health nurse working for Alberta Health Services and Primary Care Network.
Now that he’s gunning for a management position, “singing gives me an outlet for stress.”
The gregarious tenor, who enjoys taking centre stage, describes himself as a bathroom singer.
“That’s where the best acoustics are,” he jokes.
Kidding aside, Quilala’s power vocals, whether pop, R&B or jazz, have the ability to make crowds melt or start bopping. Brayden Foo is the one-man band with buttery vocals and charming smile that makes ladies swoon.
Tim Noel offers an intoxicating gospel sound while Brian LeGrow delivers a rainbow voice and keeps everyone in check with a let’s-get-down-to-it work ethic.
Andrew Malcolm’s choral and doo wop experience laced with a deep bass lays the foundation for 6 Minute Warning’s signature sound. At the other end of the spectrum, Brett Ludwig wears two hats as a sensitive vocalist and beat boxer.
The sextet’s vocal palette is wide and their repertoire is equally extensive, ranging from Tennessee Ernie Ford’s 16 Tons and Bruno Mars’ Finesse to Ed Sheeran’s Perfect and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
“Hallelujah is an arrangement by Tyson Kerr, one of our former members. It doesn’t sound like anything we’ve done before.”
Quilala adds the group doesn’t take itself too seriously.
“We used to give a history of songs, but we’ve done away with that and made it more about camaraderie, ribbing each other on stage and talking to the audience.”
“If you’re a fan of boy bands, you’re going to have a lot of fun at our concert. We are six singers without a backup band and we’re going to be making our own sounds.”
