Hi all,

Many of you have been aware of a "big announcement" coming from
Realtime. Here it is!

<drum roll....>

John Newell, our original lead singer, has retired. He told us in
mid-November that because of family pressures, he would not be able to
keep up with the performance schedule of an active champ quartet.
John and his wife Corinne have three kids under three, with twins
arriving last January, so life has been hectic! John will be missed.

The remaining three - Tim, Mark and I - debated for about 15 seconds
and then decided to ask Tim's dad, Doug Broersma, to become the new
lead of Realtime. Doug is a wonderful guy and a legend in the
Evergreen district, and he had filled-in for John a couple of times,
so he was an obvious choice, as well as a great choice.

This change has really re-energized the quartet, and we're working
hard, learning new music, taking new gigs, and having a great time.
Doug's debut performance with the quartet was this past weekend in
Seaside, Oregon, at the annual QCED (Evergreen Champs) convention.
We've got video posted on the Realtime site, and it's already been
viewed hundreds of times, in less than 12 hours. So take a look, and
get to know the phenomenon that is Doug.

Also on the video is a little slide show we put together to honor our
good friend John. I got a bit choked up making it, so if you're
emotionally inclined, you might want to have kleenex near by.

Here's the link: http://www.realtimequartet.com

So in a nutshell, thanks for your support these past five years, which
have been amazing, glorious and unforgettable. In spite of our lower
genetic diversity, we're looking forward to many more years, each one
better than the last!

In Harmony,
Tim, DOUG, Mark and Tom
REALTIME