Have you ever heard the solo voce stylings of BNS, BAR, Astha or Decadence? Whether an aca-fan or aca-oblivious, there is no way in aca-hell (“Glee” reference) that you will not enjoy the next show at The Fabulous Fox Theatre.
Straight No Chaser, an a capella group originally formed at the University of Indiana, will be performing live at the Fox on Oct. 22.
Member Ryan Ahlwardt said that the whole premise to starting the group back in 1998 was to “sing for sorority girls and get some free meals out of it.” No one could have imagined that just 13 years later, they would be touring the country, recording albums and hosting live television concerts. Ahlwardt joined the group as an incoming freshman at UI, just one year after the ensemble had gotten together.
“[The original members] passed the torch to us to carry on the group,” Ahlwardt said.
At UI, the group was sponsored by the alumni association, which afforded them the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C., Chicago and Arizona. They were even able to open for the Temptations when they came to Indianapolis. Because UI has such an outstanding music department, the group had “a lot of talent to pull from,” Ahlwardt said.
After four years of singing college-level a capella, many of the original members graduated.
“We put [Straight No Chaser] to bed and went our separate ways,” Ahlwardt said.
Then, in 2006, one of the members put up a video of the group singing “12 Days of Christmas” on YouTube. Atlantic Records contacted the original group and asked them to get back together. However, two of the members were unable to join the group again, and they extended the offer to Ahlwardt and Michael Luginbill, who joined the group a year after the video was recorded.
Ahlwardt said he received the call shortly after his wedding, while he was trying to figure out what to do with his life and teaching guitar and voice lessons at a music studio.
“Ten years later we were making the group all over again,” Ahlwardt said.
Straight No Chaser concerts are lively, to say the least. In addition pulling audience members on stage to serenade and improvising between the sets, this entertaining group will perform an eclectic repertoire of music.
“We’re going to sing everything from doo-wop to Lady Gaga . . . We might even throw in some Bieber every once in a while,” Ahlwardt said. “Nothing is out of the question.”
As can be predicted, constantly traveling has its ups and downs. At one point, while traveling through Oregon, the group’s tour manager suddenly said, “Do you want to be spontaneous?” According to Ahlwardt, they ended up spending the rest of the day at Crater Lake on a whim.
“Things like that don’t come up with your typical 9-to-5 job!” Ahlwardt said.
Currently, the group is recording a short album, consisting of songs that people have requested after hearing them on tour.
“We like to make arrangements unique- not a direct cover,” Ahlwardt said. “People respond most to hearing songs in a completely different way. Some people even like that better. That’s very rewarding as an arranger!”
Whether eight years old or 80 years old, Straight No Chaser will entertain audiences of any age. But what is the secret to Straight No Chaser’s success?
“We take the music very seriously,” Ahlwardt said. “We just don’t take ourselves seriously.”
To purchase tickets through the Fox Theatre box office, visit www.fabulousfox.com. For more information about Straight No Chaser, visit www.sncmusic.com.
