Continental Drift

By Larry Flick
October 5, 2002

PURE HARMONY: One of the best shows we saw this past summer was not in an arena or a hipper-than-hip New York club. It was in a small theater in Provincetown, Mass. The act wasn't a red-hot new rock troupe about to explode, nor was it a deeply introspective singer/songwriter. It was the rich, four-part harmony quartet the Kinsey Sicks.

Actually, the group -- which comprises Ben Schatz, Chris Dilley, Maurice Kelly, and Irwin Keller -- prefers to be called a "beauty shop quartet," since it marries smooth a cappella harmonies a la classic barbership quartets with drag -- making it one of the more uniquely original (and thoroughly fun and entertaining) acts we have encountered in years.

The Kinsey Sicks are currently promoting their fourth CD, Sicks in the City, an album that combines charming original fare like the lilting "Leaning Close" and familiar material rewritten in comedic/parody form. For example, West Side Story's "Maria" is hilariously recast here as "Ad Nauseum." Also extremely amusing is the act's revision of the Association's "Cherish," which is delivered here as the cheeky, envelope-pushing "Fetish."

Thought it might be hard to imagine a project like this rising above the club circuit, we're not convinced that some of the material wouldn't be a fine fit for morning radio shows that make a habit of programming song parodies and other funny musical bits. In a just world the Kinsey Sicks would be snapped up by a major radio station.

Given the act's increasing media profile, we're not alone in such an assessment. The Kinsey Sicks have been called "gut-wrenchingly funny" (The Advocate) and have been praised for their "voices sweet as birdsong" (The New York Times). They have been profiled on 20/20 and CBS' The Early Show.

Much of their media attention has been due to their Drama Desk Award-nominated off-Broadway show Dragapella! Starring the Kinsey Sicks.

At the moment, the act is playing gigs in San Francisco and other parts of the U.S. that include Portland, Ore., Grand Rapids, Mich., and Boston. A return engagement in New York is under consideration.

At the moment, Kevin Smith Kirkwood is touring with the act through the spring in place of Kelly, who has temporarily left the lineup (but appears on the CD).

Of the show, Dilley says, "I love how it allows a different side of my personality to come out. You can access your feminine side, of course, but it's more than that. You just generally free different sides of yourself."

Schatz has a different perspective. "They're basically our therapy issues onstage." In any case, this is one act that should not be missed, either in person or on CD. For more information or to order Sicks in the City, log on to the group's Web site, kinseysicks.com.