The Young Guns of Barbershop

image via BarbershopHarmonySociety

Barbershop is a style of music that society as a whole has reserved exclusively for old people it seems. That's a problem, because some people believe that the art form is dying out. These days, the average age of a barbershop singer is a whopping forty-nine. 

But that's where one new Californian barbershop chorus is changing everything.

During the 2006 International Barbershop competition in Indianapolis, Indiana, a little known chorus called Westminster made their international debut. The chorus was much like any other with one small difference: they had an average age of twenty-three.

In one fell swoop, all female audience members needed to change their pantaloons.

image via BarbershopHQ

*sploosh*

The fifty-five strong Westminster finished second, only narrowly losing. The winner? The one-hundred and sixty strong Vocal Majority Chorus, almost losing their thirty-one year winning streak. Westminster came back the next year in Denver, and mopped the floor with their competition. They went from unknown to international champions in just two years.

Being the youngest competing chorus in barbershop also comes with another distinction, they're probably the only chorus that actually has groupies. Seriously.

The group is basically the Jonas Brothers of the barbershop world, only instead of destroying the credibility of the medium, they're reviving it for a younger generation.

image via TIME

All without using auto-tune.

Four years later, Westminster found themselves facing the Vocal Majority again. Not only did Westminster beat them, they scored the highest score ever recorded in competitive barbershop. Earning 2932 out of a possible 3000 points from the judges, the other choruses could only watch in disbelief as people traditionally limited to trespassing onto their lawns came in and stole all their thunder.

image via GoodReader

"These damn kids these days!"

Westminster won the internationals a third time in 2015, and their chorus continues to break the stereotype of barbershop singers being a bunch of old geezers to this day.

image via WestminsterChorus

Specially recruiting socially awkward students from high school.