Review: Oh, What Fun! STRAIGHT NO CHASER'S 'New Old Fashioned Tour' Lights Up The VETS

Social media has introduced a myriad of new words and phrases into modern vocabulary. Selfie. Viral video. Throwback Thursday. Nearly a decade ago - and before many of today's most popular terms had entered the communal lexicon - Randy Stine uploaded a short video to YouTube. A textbook "throwback" post, this clip showed Stine and his college friends singing a cappella at Indiana University (IU). The year was 1998; the song, a clever parody of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"; and the group was Straight No Chaser.

In one of the internet age's most brilliant success stories, the "Twelve Days" video "went viral." Within days, the clip had been shared thousands of times through e-mail messages, on social media platforms, and in blog posts. Television personalities aired segments of the video on talk shows and news programs, and in the blink of an eye, the former members of Straight No Chaser found themselves in the national spotlight. Years after the SNC founders graduated IU, moved to locations across the country, started families and pursued careers, one YouTube upload brought them back together again and forever changed their lives.

Today, Straight No Chaser is one of the most sought-after musical acts in the business. The current lineup - Jerome Collins, Walter Chase, Seggie Isho, Michael Luginbill, Charlie Mechling, Steve Morgan, Don Nottingham, David Roberts, Randy Stine, Tyler Trepp - features SNC founding members as well as those who carried on the a cappella legacy at IU after each class graduated. The popularity of the "Twelve Days" video was no passing fad. Since 2008, Straight No Chaser has released five full-length CDs, filmed multiple television specials, and enjoyed acclaim playing to sold-out houses worldwide.

And the group's success story shows no sign of slowing down. The 2015 "New Old Fashioned Tour" spotlights Straight No Chaser's enduring appeal. Not only are these ten men exceptional vocalists, but they are also charismatic performers of the highest degree. There is so much personality on stage, it can't be contained; the energy level of the room spikes the moment the group walks out. SNC members execute sharp, witty choreography throughout the show and they present a zany, goofy good humor that puts them instantly at ease with their audience. Each of the men has the opportunity to interact with their fans and with each other, and their laugh-out-loud, teasing punchlines feel fresh and unrehearsed from curtain to curtain.

Contemporary a cappella could ask for no finer ambassador than Straight No Chaser. The group's impeccable harmonizing and vocal percussion are so sharp and so rich, it sounds as though instrumentalists are backing several songs. There's nothing stodgy about the set list, either; Straight No Chaser's repertoire runs the gamut from classic 1970s hits (a medley of "Saturday Night Fever" and "Superstition," for example) to current chart-toppers such as "Happy," "Shut Up and Dance," and "Creep." The "Dock of the Bay"/"Proud Mary" medley (with Collins leading Tina Turner-esque choreography) is a highlight of the first set, as is the tongue-in-cheek "All About That Bass (No Tenors)." SNC's lineup includes some more serious and thoughtful pieces as well, such as the heartfelt pairing of "On the Road Again" with "I Play the Road."

The second set's "Movie Medley" outright stops the show as SNC members take some of the best-loved instrumental film scores - Star Wars, James Bond, Rocky, Chariots of Fire, and Jurassic Park to name only a few - and recreate them with wickedly funny "plot-in-one-paragraph" lyrics. Even 20th Century Fox's familiar theme song is fair game. In addition, "New Old Fashioned" features the Christmas music that put Straight No Chaser on the map. "Twelve Days" and "The Christmas Can-Can" meet with thunderous applause while SNC's superior arrangements of "Little Saint Nick," "O Holy Night," and "Carol of the Bells" seem custom-made for The VETS' excellent acoustics.

Straight No Chaser's members also take the time to explain the nuts and bolts of a cappella singing, breaking each vocalist's part down so the audience can hear the layers and detailing that go into their songs' compositions. Later, the performers set aside their microphones during "O Holy Night" in order to give listeners an insight into rehearsal studio sound and a cappella in its purest form.

Ultimately, an audience comes away feeling that the members of SNC shared - truly shared - their sterling talents in a performance that is both impressive and just plain fun. And right from the start, concertgoers are encouraged to take photos and videos and post them to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter in a nod, with grateful recognition, to the one little video that started this new chapter for Straight No Chaser.

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Straight No Chaser played The VETS (Veterans Memorial Auditorium) for one night only, Tuesday, December 1, 2015. For information about Straight No Chaser's CD releases and upcoming "The New Old Fashioned Tour" stops, please visit www.sncmusic.com.

Photo Courtesy The VETS

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