The three tenors evoke thoughts of opera and gleaming shirts tucked into tails. Not so much with the group that takes the stage for “Southern Comfort.” This trio of tenors is at home in New York’s cabaret circuit, but ditched their big-city sound to pay tribute to country music legends such as Dolly Parton, Hank Williams and George Jones.
Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter and Tim DiPasqua’s country boy act takes the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, March 12, at the Schwartz Center for the Arts, 226 S. State St., Dover.
All three have worked in clubs and cabarets looking for songs that took the listener on a journey, Coulter said. So country music seemed a natural fit, even though New York isn’t exactly a honky tonk hot spot. Or at least that’s what the group thought when they developed the show. Turns out, country music fans are everywhere.
“The songs that have made it to the top of America’s consciousness have been country songs,” Coulter said.
They play to that by performing classic country tunes — think “West Virginia” by John Denver and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” — from the 1940s to today backed by a four-piece band. Audiences will hear favorites from Charlie Rich, Glen Campbell, Randy Travis, Patti Loveless, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood and a slew of others.
The men all bring a distinct outlook to the show. For instance, Coulter is the only one from Nashville originally, and his heart is with the melodies and stories from classic country.
“For me, country music is really about home. I don’t mean about Nashville, I mean about family,” he said.
He said that connection to home is what makes the music relatable to people of all walks of life, from all parts of the globe.
DiPasqua agrees that the beauty of the music is its heart, but he sees it from a different perspective: one from the other end of the country.
“I bring the whole West Coast, California country/rock, folk-inspired element to the whole proceedings,” he said.
That means there may be some Eagles and Linda Ronstadt worked into the program.
Part of the beauty of great country music and its variations, DiPasqua said, is how genuine it is. It’s not complicated.
“I think that with a simple, honest and heartfelt sound, it resonates,” he said.
It’s also moved into his original music. The three performers are all solo musicians as well, and the Dover audience will hear one of DiPasqua’s original songs in “Southern Comfort.”
Email Sarika Jagtiani at sarika.jagtiani@doverpost.com
