Members of IU's famed a cappella group Straight No Chaser are scattered throughout the country, quarantined in their homes, but fans can still see them at 7:30 p.m. Friday during their YouTube Premiere performance.
This will be the second performance that the group will share through YouTube. The first video featured their performance on Oct. 4, 2017 at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. The live stream raised over $10,000 for Meals on Wheels from fan contributions.
“It’s nice that people are so kind to be able to find a way to do that right now,” group member Charlie Mechling said.
The live stream scheduled for Friday will support the U.S. nonprofit Feeding America, and show an “Open Bar” performance recorded Dec. 23 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
“Open Bar” is the group's new EP released on Nov. 15. The five-track release was the debut production under their new record label, SNC Records.
“It’s our way to give the fans some songs and hopefully bring them joy now that everyone’s stuck in their homes,” group member Tyler Trepp said.
Straight No Chaser had been touring for the release, making a stop at IU last December just like previous years, but postponed the remainder of their spring tour in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the dates have been rescheduled for September.
The group has released other musical cover videos on their YouTube account such as “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers and “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor. The group members use the equipment they would typically use for remote recording sessions in their homes.
“It’s been a fun way to at least be doing something other than sitting around our houses or homeschooling our children,” Mechling said. “To kind of look back and remember songs that we’ve done that we’ve forgotten about.”
The group plans to continue these videos until they can return to its tour. Their next in-person concert is scheduled for July 9 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is possible they may incorporate streaming in the future to reach a larger audience.
“We would like to come out of this with some sort of positive,” Mechling said. “We have this new way of sharing concerts with fans that maybe have never gotten to see us live before because we don’t go to their city or don’t go there very often.”
The group was about to begin a new project before returning to their homes. Typically, they would record material together in Bloomington, but they are unsure if that can still be done this summer.
With extra time at home, Mechling and Trepp said they have enjoyed the opportunities with their families.
“I just celebrated my birthday on Sunday and I would have been on a flight to Europe, but instead I got to be home with my boys and my wife,” Mechling said.
Future performances can be found on the group’s Facebook and YouTube pages. The concert on Friday is free, but audience members are encouraged to donate.
