The Newfangled Four

The Newfangled Four
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California
GenresBarbershop, a cappella
Years active2012–present
Members
  • Joey Buss (tenor)
  • Jackson Niebrugge (lead)
  • Marcus Carline (baritone)
  • Jake Tickner (bass)
Past members
  • Ryan Wisniewski (baritone)
WebsiteOfficial Website

The Newfangled Four is an American barbershop a cappella quartet, based in the Los Angeles area of Southern California.[1] Formed in 2012, the quartet won the Barbershop Harmony Society's collegiate championship (the Harmony Foundation Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Contest) in 2013.[2][3] In the 2020s, the group placed in the finals of the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Quartet Contest, including sixth place in 2023 and fifth place in 2024.[4][5]

History

The quartet formed in the fall of 2012 and has been associated (through its members' participation) with the Westminster Chorus and Masters of Harmony, two ensembles in the Barbershop Harmony Society community, also based in the Los Angeles area.[1][6]

In July 2013, the quartet, made up of Joey Buss, Jackson Niebrugge, Ryan Wisniewski, and Jake Tickner, won the Barbershop Harmony Society's collegiate quartet championship at its international convention in Toronto, Ontario.[3][7] Later in 2013, the quartet won the Far Western District Quartet Contest (district finals) at the fall convention in Bakersfield, California.[8]

By the mid-2020s, the group's original baritone Ryan Wisniewski had left the group, replaced by current member Marcus Carline.[9]

Members

The quartet's current and past members included:

Current members

  • Joey Buss: tenor[7][9]
  • Jackson Niebrugge: lead[7][9]
  • Marcus Carline: baritone[9]
  • Jake Tickner: bass[7][9]

Former members

  • Ryan Wisniewski: baritone[7][9]

Competitions and awards

The group has competed in collegiate, district, and international contests supported by the barbershop contest system.[2]

Year Contest Result
2025 Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Contest (finals, Denver) 8th place[10]
2024 Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Contest (finals, Cleveland) 5th place[5]
2023 Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Contest (finals, Louisville) 6th place[4]
2013 Harmony Foundation Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Contest (international collegiate finals, Toronto) 1st place[3]
2013 Far Western District Quartet Contest (district finals, Bakersfield) District quartet champion[8]

In 2020, The Newfangled Four were awarded "Quartet of the Year" by the Barbershop Harmony Society.[11]

Style and repertoire

Coverage of the group's live performances and promotional descriptions has emphasized comedic stagecraft, including slapstick humor and offbeat comedy, alongside barbershop harmony singing.[1][6][12]

The Barbershop Harmony Society has published arrangements written for, or associated with, the quartet. For example, the society stated that Theo Hicks's arrangement of the standard A Cottage for Sale was originally arranged for The Newfangled Four before being offered through the BHS music catalog.[13]

Media and appearances

In 2017, The Newfangled Four appeared on the Hallmark Channel program Home & Family, as reported by the Barbershop Harmony Society.[14] That same year, the Barbershop Harmony Society also highlighted a BuzzFeed segment in which quartet members coached BuzzFeed staffers through forming a barbershop quartet.[15][16]

Performances

The quartet has performed at various events, including:

Discography

The quartet's releases have included studio albums and an EP.

  • The Newfangled Four (2017)[23]
  • A Holiday EP (2023)[24]
  • We Stole It From The Internet (2024)[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c Reader Staff (September 23, 2025). "The Newfangled Four, October 3". River Cities' Reader. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Recent Champions". Barbershop Harmony Society. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "Official Scoring Summary: Harmony Foundation Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Contest – International Collegiate Finals (Toronto, Ontario; July 2, 2013)" (PDF). Far Western District (Barbershop Harmony Society). July 2, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Official Scoring Summary: BHS International Quartet Session 2023 Quartet Finals (Louisville, Kentucky; July 8, 2023)" (PDF). Barbershop Harmony Society. July 8, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Official Scoring Summary: BHS 2024 International Convention Quartet Finals (Cleveland, Ohio; July 6, 2024)" (PDF). Barbershop Harmony Society. July 7, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Tumbleweed program features the Newfangled Four". Hays Post. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e Addison, Brian (July 10, 2013). "CSULB Barbershop Quartet Wins Collegiate Championship". the Hi-lo. Long Beach Post. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Official Scoring Summary: International Chorus Preliminaries and District Quartet Convention – Far Western District Quartet Finals (Bakersfield, California; October 12, 2013)" (PDF). Harmonize.ws (Harmonet Reporter score archive). October 12, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Branstrom, R. R. (October 8, 2025). "Harvest of Harmony brings showmanship to concert". Daily Press. Ogden News Publishing of Michigan, Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  10. ^ "Official Scoring Summary: BHS 2025 International Convention Quartet Finals (Denver, Colorado; July 5, 2025)" (PDF). Barbershop Harmony Society. July 6, 2025. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  11. ^ "Virtual Society Awards". Barbershop Harmony Society. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Staff report (November 19, 2019). "Newfangled Four perform classics at Southport's Trinity Episcopal". Connecticut Post. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  13. ^ "New Music: "A Cottage for Sale"". Barbershop Harmony Society. September 20, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  14. ^ "Newfangled Four wows on Hallmark Channel's Home & Family". Barbershop Harmony Society. February 14, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  15. ^ "BuzzFeed staffers form quartet in less than a day!". Barbershop Harmony Society. October 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  16. ^ "We Formed a Barbershop Quartet In A Day". BuzzFeed. 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  17. ^ "Barbershop Musikfestival | BinG!". www.barbershop.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  18. ^ "Voices of Champions – Holland Harmony" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  19. ^ Abendschau: Barbershop-Chöre: Männergesang auf höchstem Niveau – hier anschauen (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-12 – via www.ardmediathek.de.
  20. ^ kctn28 (2026-02-27). "Morning Chat: Tom Chandler – Keystone Chorus Farewell Performance". KCTN2. Retrieved 2026-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "LAAF | Los Angeles A Cappella Festival | CASA Events". 2019-07-21. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  22. ^ Current, Westside. "Local Events". Westside Current. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  23. ^ "The Newfangled Four – Album by The Newfangled Four (Apple Music)". Apple Music. July 1, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  24. ^ "The Newfangled Four (artist page)". Amazon Music. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  25. ^ "We Stole It From The Internet – Album by The Newfangled Four (Apple Music)". Apple Music. July 1, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
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