Straight No Chaser celebrates 15 years

Ten black stools accompanied by 10 mic stands sat centered on the IU Auditorium stage.

It was the 15th anniversary concert of the collegiate group Straight No Chaser, which celebrated turning “old enough to get its learning permit” by welcoming home the now Atlantic Records SNC and alumni.

It was a nearly sold-out anniversary party as people came to see the group perform Friday. Straight No Chaser founding father and Atlantic Records SNC member Jerome Collins said it was great to return to IU.

“Seeing shows fill up these huge venues and seeing 3,000 to 4,000 shining faces has been quite a surreal feeling,” Collins said. “Yet coming home to Indiana is great. We have a lot of pride because we came from here and we appreciate that.”

Collins said when the Straight No Chaser group formed his sophomore year in 1996, it had the goal of showcasing the group’s talent by singing to sorority girls, having fun together and working to have its name put on the map.

Freshman and youngest member of the collegiate group Drew Ferlmann said he feels the current group works to maintain these initial goals.

“We’ve been around for 15 years, and I think we still have the same mission,” Ferlmann said. “It’s the same goal — to make people enjoy themselves and just have a lot of fun.”

Collins said one way that the group has evolved since getting the record deal, however, is that it is reaching to the masses and giving a greater purpose to its music.

“Our group has a fresh sound because it’s not beat-heavy and overproduced,” Collins said. “We have real harmonies, amazing soloists, and we’re ready for change in the music industry.”

Ferlmann and Collins both said part of the group’s performance is based on inside jokes and lightheartedness. Collins said the alcohol reference in the title is almost an inside joke in that the connotation adds a twist of youngness that being in college has.

“When people picture the generic a cappella group, they tend to think it’s all seriousness,” Ferlmann said. “But we like to lighten the mood and our name helps us do that. It puts everyone in the same relaxed dimension and makes them laugh and have fun with us while still impressing them with our music.”

With a wide variety of Straight No Chaser classics such as “Africa,” along with a mix of new compositions, the collegiate group opened the night doing just that.

Sophomore Nancy Kwak said the collegiate group sang for her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, a couple of times and she decided to attend with some friends because she had always enjoyed the performances.

“It’s a cool tradition for us as a school. I mean, everyone knows of Straight No Chaser on campus,” Kwak said. “I had wanted to see them for a long time, and they couldn’t have been more awesome.”

The collegiate group made the audience want to get up and dance when it sang a Flo Rida, Jay Sean and Akon original, “Down.” However, Collins said his favorites were the performances of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and the Disney medley. When the Atlantic Records SNC took the stage with a Michael Jackson cover of “Billie Jean,” Collins couldn’t resist trying a little Michael Jackson choreography.

Junior Tommy Wettstein attended the concert with his parents and said his favorite was the all-member Straight No Chaser performance of “Back Home Again in Indiana.”

“They have a natural talent,” Wettstein said. “Both groups lived up to all expectations, and they were completely engaged with the audience the entire time.”

Senior members Will Lockhart and Brent Mann ended the evening with the performance of their final solos as members of Straight No Chaser.

As the night ended with even more rounds of applause, Collins said he couldn’t wait to return for the 20th and 30th anniversaries.

“It shows that after 15 years Straight No Chaser is still going strong, still pulling in excitement, and I think the group will be on campus for many years to come,” Collins said. “I guess the show was a nod and a tip of the hat to say thanks to the people of IU that continue to support a cappella and Straight No Chaser.”