Straight No Chaser to debut songs in final performance

With jokes, gimmicks and attention spans of five year olds with new toys, it might seem surprising that Straight No Chaser gets any work done. But once they put the jokes aside and start singing, these 10 men are a musical rarity.

The group is preparing for its annual spring concert at 8 p.m. Friday at the IU Auditorium, where it will debut about 10 new songs in the 25-song set. This is also the final concert for three seniors: Jason Jacobs, Drew Kipfer and musical director Shaun Kelley.

With recent graduate Owen Stevenson and three other members leaving, the group has lost a total of  seven members this year, causing the new members to step up.

“This is a huge show for all of the new members,” said sophomore Brent Mann.
For sophomore and new member Julian Morris, this will be his first time performing at the IU Auditorium.

“I actually kind of auditioned on a whim. ... I was looking for an outlet for non-classical music,” Morris said. “I didn’t realize it was this huge thing that would completely ‘180’ my life.”

With practices four nights a week and countless performances throughout the semester, the group demands a lot of time and dedication from its members. It also results in an uncanny closeness, resembling a sort of “singing fraternity,” as Morris called it.

“I have no idea what I’d be doing if I wasn’t in SNC,” Mann said.

For Kelley, who joined during his senior year of high school, the group has defined his entire college experience, helping him mature and work through a lot of things in his life. Kelley said accepting his role as musical director at the beginning of his junior year forced him to take things more seriously.

“I realize the sound of the group is dependent on how I make it,” Kelley said. “I
wanted to carry on the legacy. I don’t want to let anyone down.”

After its founding in 1996, the group certainly does have a legacy.

“We’re something that IU can call their own and something that people outside of IU know as well,” Morris said.

Mann heard about the group in 8th grade from his sister, who was at IU during the 2nd generation of Straight No Chaser. She gave him copies of the their CDs, and his love for the group grew from there. Mann joined first semester of his freshman year and will be a senior member next year.

The group will hold auditions next fall to replace their graduating seniors.

“We’ll be looking for a bass primarily, because we’ll be down to only one,” said Jesse Townes, the sole senior in the group next year.

But before they can worry about next year, they have to prepare for a concert.

“For a couple of the songs, we literally put the final touches on them last week,” Mann said.

Their practice time is a collaborative effort to problem solve as they wade their way through chord progressions and harmonies, all while practicing their “award-winning choreography.”

If the guys start to get off track, Kelley, the “dad” of the group, keeps things in line by coaching the guys to they cut off at the right time, lighten their tone and make sure they hit the right pitch.

The concert will include a variety of music, with a cappella classics such “Worlds Apart” to top-40 hits such as “Apologize.” The group is even including a throwback to childhood memories with a Disney remix.

“It’s a balance of not letting it get too slow and also not overbearing the audience with too many upbeat songs,” Kelley said.

Regardless of the order of the songs, audience members can also expect classic dance moves coupled with cheesy jokes.

“It’s a cappella humor,” Mann said. “You can’t really get away from it.”