A Modern Take on Classic Tunes

Classic tunes of the fifties and sixties still stir the blood and move the feet of those who remember it as the soundtrack of their youths. That same appeal exists for people born decades after the era that produced those hits. 

Such is the case with a quartet of vocalists known as The Modern Gentlemen. That isn’t surprising considering the fact the group comprised the “Four Seasons” portion of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons for more than a decade. 

Marco Islanders will be able to experience their talents first-hand on February 15 at Marco Island Center for the Arts’ annual fundraising banquet. The “Oh What a Night: Dinner and a Show,” the elegant event will also include upscale cuisine, highly prized auction items and dancing. Held at the Island Country Club The evening will also honor the contributions of Center supporters Michael and Vicki Hook. 

The catalog of songs by Valli and the Four Seasons, known for such hits as “Sherry Baby,” Let's Hang On” and “Walk Like a Man,” compriseThe Modern Gentlemen’s setlist, as do reimagined renditions of Motown, doo-wop, jazz, and more recent pop and rock hits. 

It’s a mix that blends together in a harmonious and audience-pleasing fashion, according to Brian Brigham, who’s one-fourth of the group, along with his brother Brandon, Landon Beard, and Todd Fournier. 

“We know that our show is great for all ages, and we just love to bring timeless music and memories back to people and to create new ones,” Brigham said. “You're going to have a good time. We love reimagining those hits. Everybody usually leaves with a smile on their face, and that's how we know we've done our job. We love what we do and we hope it shows.” 

Before joining forces with Valli during the ‘mid-aughts, the future Gentlemen were largely in their early twenties and performing at various Southern California theme parks.’ The Brigham’s sang together, as they’ve done throughout their lives. 

That all changed when Valli discovered them while scouting prospects for a new edition of his Four Seasons.  

“It was a great pool of talent to pick from, especially for the a-cappella sound,” Brigham said of the singers performing then at California’s major theme parks. “Frankie was looking for singers, and that's how we got the call. We've all done theater, musicals, and plays and been on TV, so we have pretty diverse entertainment backgrounds.” 

What followed was 12 years of touring the U.S., Canada, and the world with the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Famer, playing major venues such as London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Australia, and The National Concert Hall in Taipei. Along the way, they shared bills with many legendary vocalists and vocal groups, including The Beach Boys, Manhattan Transfer, Smokey Robinson, and other Motown greats.  

“Getting to work, first-hand, with those groups really gave us a lot of valuable experience,” said Brigham. But it was working and being on the road with Valli that proved to be most valuable, he added, describing that time period as “amazing.”  

In fact, “The Modern Gentlemen” owes their existence as a group to Valli and his respect for their talents.  

“We were starting to go into the studio with Frankie,” explained Brigham. “He brought us in because he’d found a sound in us he’d never heard with any of his other groups. He had an idea to record us doing four-part harmony arrangements of Sinatra favorites. He saw that before, we were all just individual singers, but working with him, we developed our harmonies and our sound. From there, he encouraged us to kind of do our own thing. We started doing our own shows, and we decided to create The Modern Gentleman and go out on our own.” 

A number of options were considered before they hit upon a name that reflects their love of classic group vocalese with modern musical styles. 

“We love the classics, and being younger guys, we thought The Modern Gentleman was a perfect fit for us,” said Brigham. 

Since going their own way in 2018, the Los Angeles-based group has entertained audiences with distinctive arrangements of hits from Motown, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, the Eagles, Queen, The Bee Gees, Billy Joel, and more, with a generous portion of doo-wop and of course a special tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. 

Over the years, the group has played performing arts centers, showrooms, and theaters around the country. The Modern Gentlemen have also appeared on Broadway, at Royal Albert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra, performed for several U.S. presidents, and been featured in a special “Doo Wop Generations” concert which aired on PBS stations across the country. 

The group’s visit to Marco stems from the members’ lengthy and cordial prior relationship with Charlie Blum, a member of the Center for the Arts board of directors. Blum possesses more than 40 yearsexperienceas a concert promoter, talent buyer, theater executive, television producer and artist manager.  

“We've known him for years, not just as a promoter, but as a friend,” said Brigham. “He promoted a lot of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons dates. And he was one of the guys that saw our potential back in the day and he would always nudge Frankie with, “Let's see what we can do with these guys. We've always kept in contact with him. We were thrilled when we heard from Charlie about this opportunity to come here to support the arts. Anytime we can do that, we always jump at the chance.”