@wtrfallprincess Sara, was the guy in the artwork on your Chaser Archives page header modeled after one of the SNC guys? If so, can I guess?— Dottie Kovacs (@dottkov) December 10, 2015
Trepp had played piano while growing up, and performed in the usual high school bands, but he'd always been fascinated by vocals. His father's record collection helped foster that interest, as his dad's favorites included the Beach Boys, Queen, Styx, Journey, Chuicago and other bands that featured superb vocals and harmonies.Read more: http://canton.wickedlocal.com/article/20140711/BLOGS/307119978/12434/ENTERTAINMENT
"My dad had always loved a capella singing too," noted Trepp. "And when I began to look at colleges, and heard about the group at Indiana, that was a major reason for my choosing to go there."
For their most recent album, the double LP Under the Influence, Straight No Chaser found themselves almost overwhelmed by the people who teamed up with them. "I remember we sent out this huge list of people that we wanted to work with, not expecting much from them," Isho told On Tap, the excitement rising in every word, "And then it was just crazy; all of these people just started emailing back saying they wanted to work with us."Read more: http://www.ontaponline.com/2014/07/10/chasing-the-dream-straight-no-chaser
Stine's love of music started in elementary school, but carrying his trumpet home every day to practice was a pain. Singing didn't require instrument schlepping so he thought he'd try that instead.Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/naperville_lisle/ct-straight-no-chaser-naperville-tl-0717-20140710,0,3886098.story
He went on to sing while at Jefferson Junior High and Naperville North where he appeared in productions like "Oklahoma" and "The Mikado" before graduating in 1995.
“People can watch us on video, but the live experience is what it’s all about,” Collins says. “We try to make the audience feel like they’re part of the show. We want you to feel like we are not singing at you, we are singing with you.”Read more: http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2014/07/07/entertainment/doc53bb18b705a40555458835.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Prior to Pitch Perfect, there was Indiana University's favorite a capella group - Straight No Chaser. After a decade-old performance of theirs went viral on YouTube, the guys found themselves signed to a major label.Read more: http://www.fuse.tv/2014/01/fuse-news-rise-of-acappella
#ICYMI: @PTXofficial, @SNCmusic + 'Pitch Perfect' author @mickeyrapkin chime in on the a capella renaissance. http://t.co/o9Fu03THwA
— Fuse TV (@fusetv) January 15, 2014
"After each show, we do a signing line," Stine said. "People come through on a regular basis come up and say, 'You know, I didn't want to come to this. I was dragged here by my girlfriend or wife, and they bought me a ticket, and I didn't want to come.' And then they come through the line, and they bought three albums and a T-shirt."Read more: http://onmilwaukee.com/music/articles/straightnochaser.html?36165
Glaser and Straight No Chaser share managers, but she hadn’t heard of the group before being invited on the tour.Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/voice-singer-caroline-glaser-breaks-out-with-straight-no-chaser/article_8a284506-fd06-57c1-8699-2a2d654df726.html
When the manager presented it the music to her, “I was like, ‘Eh, I don’t know much about a cappella music,’” she says. “It’s so different from me. But I checked it out, and they’re frickin’ awesome. Their show is so entertaining.”
How did you make the decision to rejoin Straight No Chaser?
What was it like transitioning from the 9-to-5 job into one where you were well known and performing a lot?
Did it affect your family life or your personal life when you rejoined?
Have you noticed a progression in how you all worked together in 1999 versus the present?
What is most important in performing a cappella music? What things do you have to keep in mind while you’re performing?
Do you have a moment that was really big for you?
AFB: How has your past experience working with SNC’s first PBS special helped?
Dan: Putting the first SNC special together was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in the music business. I think I have a good understanding of the hard work that’s involved on and off stage to pull something like this off. You can’t cut corners.
The group’s label told them to make a wish list of artists they’d like to work with. “Not a list of people we might get to work with us but people that would be amazing to have on an album,” Nottingham said. “These names are just absolutely mind blowing... I mean, a Beatle! It’s hard to beat that.”
Nottingham began performing with the group full time in 2010 after giving up his day job as deputy district attorney in Jefferson Country, Colo.Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/
“It was a really good job that I enjoyed,” Nottingham said. “People think of music as a creative pursuit, but when I was a lawyer I was a trial lawyer and part of my job was connecting with 12 individuals sitting in front of me. There are times when I would think how to get a message across to them just like I do in singing.”
The 11-track album features covers of some well-known songs like The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” as well as guest performers Phil Collins (“Against All Odds”), Elton John (“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”), Stevie Wonder (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered”) and Dolly Parton (“Jolene”) performing some of their well-known songs.Read more: http://amestrib.com/sections/entertainment/music/nationally-renowned-cappella-group-kick-stephens-auditorium-2013-14
Trepp said he and the other arrangers work on songs on their own and then present them to the group.Read more: http://qctimes.com/entertainment/music/straight-talk/article_568823e6-0895-5bd9-aa5c-a3bc94c75fe2.html
"We record a bunch of songs," he said. "Some of them make it, some don't. It's kind of a longer process, but we're very happy with what comes out."
“We look for something that would lend itself to harmonies and maybe a change in style, a change in tempo,” Isho says of how the group assesses a song when deciding whether it will work in a cappella form.Read more: http://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/music/straight-no-chaser-transforming-favorite-songs-something-new
If we were to go backstage right before a Straight No Chaser gig, would we find a lot of water, throat lozenges and other aids for the proper care and feeding of voices?
How do you take care of your voice?
That has to be easier said than done. What with meet and greets and shaking hands with a new group of people on every show day, that must increase the chances of catching a bug.
But out of 10 singers touring in the group, there’s probably someone that has a frog in his throat. How do you cover for that?
How does Straight No Chaser select songs to sing?
Is the origin of a song – who wrote it or who had the hit with it – important when considering it for performances?
You have a version of “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” that also features Elton John on vocals. Did he come in and recut the vocal or did he supply you with a recording?
Speaking of entourages – does Straight No Chaser have an entourage?
Considering all the time the members of Straight No Chaser spends together, is there a trick to getting along with each other?
Along the same line I’m guessing that the group closes ranks, so to speak, whenever there’s a perceivable threat to one of the members – kind of an all-for-one vibe?
What moves Straight No Chaser from town to town?
What do you see when you look out into the audience?
There was a time when members of bands would take on specific roles. That is, there would be a cute guy, a joker, a serious person and so on. Do members of Straight No Chaser take on similar roles?
Is there a lady’s man in the bunch?
Whenever you hear a song, say on the radio or TV, do you automatically begin breaking it down into a Straight No Chaser arrangement?
What was your background before joining Straight No Chaser?
Are there acts you would like to work with?
What would you like to tell the world about Straight No Chaser and the upcoming tour?
With Under the Influence, was it important to preserve the original song's integrity while adding your own stamp?
Under the Influence also allows the respective artists a chance to re-approach their songs.
What was the curation process like for what artists you chose to work with? Did you vote on it?
Which guest surprised you the most?
How do you make each tour a different experience for yourselves and the fans?