The a cappella group Straight No Chaser will be preforming at Columbus’ Palace Theatre Friday evening. Credit: Courtesy of Jimmy Fontaine
With a viral YouTube video posted back in 2006, the a cappella group Straight No Chaser caught the attention of the music industry 10 years after its formation on Indiana University’s campus in 1996.
The video resulted in a deal with Atlantic Records, album sales over 1.7 million in the U.S. and nationwide tours, with the current tour taking the group to Columbus’ Palace Theatre Friday at 8 p.m.
Jerome Collins, an original member of the group, said Straight No Chaser is paving the way to make a cappella mainstream by changing people’s minds about the genre.
“Our show is as fan-friendly as it gets,” Collins said. “People come to our show because it’s a fun show for everyone. It’s fun for the entire family. It’s not your typical a cappella show. We actually put on a full performance, Broadway style.”
The appeal of Straight No Chaser is not limited to a cappella fans, Collins said, and the group’s die-hard fans, called “chasers,” come from many demographics.
Tyler Trepp, the tenor for the group, said the growing audience for a cappella is due to its ingenuity and interactive nature.
“There’s not a lot of shows you go to where you don’t see any instruments,” Trepp said. “It’s just nine guys up there singing.”
Collins said Straight No Chaser has accumulated a broad audience because of its comedic value, which comes from self-deprecating humor.
“We take our music seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously,” Collins said. “We’re a bunch of guys that love to make fun of ourselves, and you have every chance to join in on those things.”
Collins said Straight No Chaser started out as something casual and said none of the members expected it would reach a bigger audience later on.
“One of the guys in the group said, ‘I’ve got some friends that sing in a cappella groups in other schools, and I’m telling you, it’s a great chance to meet girls and get free food,’” Collins said. “That was all that it took for all of us to sign right away.”
Trepp said access to social media has changed a cappella production for the better, giving groups like Straight No Chaser a global spotlight beyond just college.
“It’s in a public realm now where people know a little bit more about it, which is only good for us,” Trepp said.
Collins said social media was an essential part of Straight No Chaser’s success, and the group is very supportive of fans getting involved, even posting the performances online.
“Social media has been a huge exposure for us,” Collins said. “We were fortunate that we got a record deal because of our YouTube videos.”
Collins said social media sites, like YouTube, also helped keep the group going during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was unable to perform live.
“We were able to be comfortable in our own spaces, and recording in our own times,” Collins said.
Trepp said the group’s current tour has a mix of new songs fans have never heard from Straight No Chaser before, as well as older classics to celebrate the group’s 25th anniversary.
“We definitely step it up each year and get better and better,” Trepp said.
Whether it be Harry Styles, Radiohead, Michael Jackson or Madonna, Collins said the new tour was inspired by songs and artists unlikely to be performed in a cappella, which the group translated for its genre.
“That is our claim to fame,” Collins said. “We take music that you normally would hear, and we make it our own with our special mashup.”
Tickets for the Columbus show are available online, ranging from $25 to $68.
