A Reflection on the SNC FanChat

I'm lying in bed next to my mom, sick, in a hotel in Las Vegas, writing this at 12:41am. The clock next to me is wrong; it says that it's 11:51pm, and I don't know how to change it. I don't know why or how, but somehow, tonight's circumstances have caused me to be a bit reflective about the journey that I, and four others, have made while working on the SNC FanChat podcast. At the time I'm writing this, I still haven't finished my concert report from December 4th, and I'm in the middle of finishing up editing my photos. But you know me... Inspiration is a fickle faerie.

I thought I would give you an inside look, a behind-the-scenes peek, at how the podcast came to be. I don't know if any of you actually read the "About the Podcast" tab on our blog page, but I give the short version of the journey there. You'll get more specifics here. (I really should be sleeping, but my two-hour nap made me less tired.)

On November 30, 2009, I sent a Facebook message to Dave White, Kathy Mendoza, and S. Brandon. Heading: "An Idea..." I'd been thinking for a while about maybe doing a fan podcast for Straight No Chaser, but I did NOT want to do it alone. Though in some aspects it would be easier to do it alone, there's something to be said about having co-hosts. You get different perspectives, and people to keep you in check when putting something on the table that's "out there." More people involved means that it's harder to stop doing it, and besides, the chemistry and atmosphere among friends is always a great thing, and more fun to listen to.

Admittedly, that first podcast topic thread went off-topic quite a bit. We bounced around several ideas on how to record the podcast, everything from Google Chat to AIM audio chat to Skype. I'd been hoping that we could have gotten something done by the New Year, but as new complications arose, the start of 2010 came and went. We started thinking about the legal aspects of doing the podcasts, bouncing around names for the podcast, and thinking about who would be a good first interviewee.

Late January/early February: I sent an email to SNC's publicity person at Atlantic, Ashley White, regarding legalities. She seemed quite enthusiastic about the idea and was willing to provide us with audio/video clips and news of the group. YES. Legality complications CLEARED. Once we knew that it was okay for us to do a podcast in the first place, we decided that Ryan would be the perfect choice for our first interviewee, and thought that bringing in someone "young(er)" and more familiar with what podcasts are would be a good idea. Kathy suggested Tina, and I thought that was a great idea, as did S and Dave. So, I sent everyone a new message, bringing her up to speed.

Our first tentative general outline looked something like this:

I. Introduction

II. About Us

III. About the Podcast

IV. News

V. SNC Fans Got Talent!

VI. What to Do Before the Next CD

VII. Interview

VIII. Conclusion

We'd talked about putting out a podcast at least once a month, ideally twice a month. But before we could really get into the whole thing, we needed a NAME. We'd bounced around ideas like SNCast, ChaserCast, SNCsuperfans, SNC Fan Crew, SNC Pod Fans, SNC PodCrew, SNC Insiders, Inside SNC, and some more goofy ones that used the letters "SNC" as an acronym. But, none of them really seemed to click.

While this whole project was being discussed and whatnot, we all agreed that we would keep it "top secret" until we released our first episode. We didn't want to announce all of this, only to find that it wouldn't work out...

Throughout this process, I was using another podcast as a model, borrowing some ideas, like the introduction ("Hi, this is [name], and you're behind the mic with the SNC FanChat!"), from it. Some of you may or may not know, but I'm a big Chuck fan (it's an awesome TV show). I used to be an avid follower of the podcast "Chuck vs. the Podcast" (I don't really have time to listen/watch anymore...), so a lot of ideas were pulled from there. It's a fantastic podcast. Just saying.

Once I heard from Ryan, things started picking up. We came up with questions to ask him, and we started hammering out the specifics, like what program we were going to use to record the podcast. Bounced around a few more names, like SNC Recap, "The Permasmile Buzz," SNC Unplugged... We got closer with the SNC FanCast, "From Center Stage or Behind the Mic: a Look at SNC from the Eyes of their Fans," "Center Stage: the Fans' Look at Straight No Chaser," and "Behind the Mics: a Closer Look at Straight No Chaser." It was S who came up with "Fan Chat, with Straight No Chaser," and Tina put "FanChat" together with "Behind the Mic": "Fanchat: Behind the Mic with Straight No Chaser." We finally settled on "SNC FanChat" with a tag line "Behind the Mic with Straight No Chaser."

Phew! The name thing was the hardest. Now, it's time to get a song to open and close the podcast. I'd thought that since Dan wrote "Straight No Chaser," it would be fitting and the easiest to get legal permission to use.

It's been three months since I first came up with the idea, and I scheduled an interview with Ryan on February 11, 2010. I remember that day well; I did the interview at school, locked myself in a classroom... It took us an hour and a half to get set up; Skype wouldn't work for him, so we used iChat/AIM, and we were convinced that technology hated us. That last phrase rang true when I played back the interview and saw that it hadn't recorded... I seriously freaked out. Excerpt from the FB message thread to the other hosts:

"OH. MY. GOD. THE INTERVIEW DIDN'T RECORD!!!! :'("

...

"I EFFING HATE MYSELF RIGHT NOW!!!

-CRIES-

It took us an hour and a half to get things set up; then we talked for an hour... AND NOTHING GOT RECORDED!!!

I want to hit something."

-sigh- It seriously sucks, because he'd given me lots of hints about "With a Twist." I was incredibly heartbroken and frustrated, but when I told him that it didn't record, he was INCREDIBLY nice about it. We decided to postpone the interview for a little while so we could work out the kinks (I really didn't want to have to deal with a recording mishap again), and the discussion on how to record the podcast and interviews resumed. We got confirmation to use the SNC theme song, contacted the WebCrew about hosting (Yeahh, Dave!), and got the okay to use the microphone design from "Six Pack" for our logo.

(At this point, my mom caught me still awake at 2am and got mad at me for still being awake. This is being completed after I woke up...)

April 3, 2010: The day of the interview re-do with Ryan. I locked myself in the closet under the stairs (think, Harry Potter's room the first eleven years of his life, except it's my brother's hideout filled with a bunch of junk EVERYWHERE). We still had a few technical difficulties, but we fixed it by video chatting instead of just doing an audio chat, which freaked ME out because I was not expecting that (and I probably looked like crap). But the interview went fairly well, save for a few interruptions on Ryan's end. They were sound-checking and rehearsing for their show at Harrah's that summer, so he was in AC... And very busy. During the interview, Walt texted Ryan, and Charlie came into his room to give him five hundred WaT posters to sign. (You see, they really DO sign those by hand; I witnessed it!! No stamps used. And it took them an hour or two to do so. For each person. Poor guys.) But anyway. The important part is that everything recorded, even if the sound quality was a bit iffy.

A few days later, we tried to record the actual podcast content via Skype, but with four of us, for some odd reason, the sound quality was horrible. Three people was okay. But once a fourth person got on the line, the quality was just... BAD. Trying to be an optimist, I decided that this was really a blessing in disguise. No longer keeping the podcast a secret, we tried publicizing the podcast, and we decided that recording a teaser would both help me set up the podcast feed and put the podcast "out there." Ashley White forwarded me to Ryan Brady, my current Atlantic contact, who offered to post the podcasts on the main website.

It was around this time that we decided that it would be more reasonable to use a cell phone conference service instead of an online service, which I have to say, has been INCREDIBLY useful since we can record podcasts ANYWHERE. AND, it's so much more convenient for interviews. We recorded a teaser and put it up, I got a little bit of editing experience, and WEEEEEEEE, we were up and running... Almost.

Things were finally starting to fall into place. The teaser was up, people were starting to find out about our podcast, and new segments, like the SNC SuperFan Chat (a Dave White original), were starting to come up.

Finally, after weeks of conflicting schedules (me with my AP tests, homework, choir concerts, etc. made things harder on everyone...), we finally recorded our first episode on May 12, 2010! Took me a few days to edit everything, and then it was sent over to Atlantic to get okay'ed. Took a while, but it was finally approved on the 24th! I uploaded it the next day, fancied up our blog, and submitted the podcast on iTunes, and the rest, as they say, is history. :)

(Sorry for the rushed ending... I'm about to go out into the crazy Vegas air. My mom wants to go to Macy's. As if we didn't have one five minutes from our house...)

Feeling Nostalgic Four Months Later...

Well, it's been four months since my last "Shaina's SNC Ramble," so I guess it's time for a new nostalgic look. And, like last time, it's in the "wee hours of the morning," though it's not as abnormal for me anymore as it used to be, what with my crazy college hours and whatnot. I apologize in advance for sappiness, cliches, and cheesiness. (I did have macaroni and cheese for dinner.)

I can't believe it's been two years. Two years ago this Saturday will be my two-year anniversary of my first SNC concert. Two years ago this Saturday, I saw a concert that would change my life, so to speak. Now that I think about it, I should probably write this blog on Saturday, since it will be the official "anniversary." And, I do need my sleep...

But, once you start a ramble, you can't stop.

Two years ago, unbeknownst to me, I was getting ready and gearing up for finals week my junior year of high school. I can't believe it was really that long ago; it seems like such a short time ago, yet such a long time ago. I had already taken the SAT once, I was taking two AP classes and one honors class, I was singing in choir... I loved harmonies and knew only a little bit about a cappella music (mainly just "older" stuff like do wop and barbershop; we'd done "Mister Sandman" for our spring concert the year before), but I hadn't been introduced to "modern" a cappella.

Rewind a year ago. It was my first year in concert choir. I'd seen the concert choir, The Nightingales, perform throughout my freshman year. I was a member of only the Liturgical Choir that year, but every time the concert choir sang, I was thrilled to hear such great music, from "Bohemian Rhapsody" to "When Love Came Down." So I joined. It was my sophomore year, I had made it into the chamber choir, and I was looking forward to hearing my fellow choir-mates perform a funny version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I loved it; the kookiness, the seemingly messing up, one girl storming off... It was all an act, of course, and I wanted so much to sing that.

I was still taking piano lessons at the time, and I happened to mention that performance to my teacher, who told me that a friend of hers had forwarded her something similar. As I mention in my previous rant, she emailed me the link, and thus, my first exposure to Straight No Chaser.

Unlike many others, though, I didn't really 'get it.' For one, I had no idea what song it was that they were singing at the end of the song. I mean, really? What is this about Africa? I had no idea what the song was; I'd never heard it before. I didn't fall in love with the guys or their music then. I wasn't enthralled by their performance; I didn't search for more of their songs on YouTube.

Fast forward a year later. Junior year. I was selected to sing "12 Days" that year, and in order to properly prep myself, and after remembering that version I saw the year before, I searched for it again. Except this time, I saw that they had been signed and would be touring around the US. Intrigued, I went to look at tour dates, noticed that they would be in town on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 and Thursday, December 18, 2008. Thursday was the day of my last final. I went to my mom, asked her if she could give this to me for Christmas (and under the guise of "it'll be a great show to do my concert report on!"), and she said okay!

The performance of "12 Days" was the best it had been in a long while, and my last final was over. My mom picked me up from school, I changed my clothes, and we drove to the theatre; a small theatre called Largo at the Coronet. We found parking, we walked to the Beverly Center and back, we got our tickets, we walked around the block, got some yummy French pastries, and went in for the show.

Now, back in 'those days' (man, I feel old), we weren't allowed to take pictures or videos. But then again, the theatre probably seated about fifty to one hundred people. The concert was way different back then... Well, that's not true. There were a lot of things that were different, but some things haven't changed. Charlie's wisecracks. The magic of ten voices. Hoosiers in the audience. A mic-less encore. (It was much better in that small theatre than in a thousand-seat threatre, let me tell you.) A funny thing was that Jerome had (apparently) lost his luggage in transit, and so was wearing a pinstripe suit. He made a crack about it; something like, "I know I'm wearing a pinstripe suit. As if I'm not already different enough." I was enchanted by the music, and also by their sense of humor.

That morning, my mother told me, SNC had paid a visit to a local radio station, KOST 103.5 FM, and did a few small performances. I had not yet bought the CD; I had been listening to Holiday Spirits on the website, I think, and I loved the music... But not enough to buy it. You should know something about me; unless I think I will be listening to music for a long while OR if I'm truly obsessed with a song or artist, I don't buy their music and would -- get this -- get a cassette tape and tape my favorite songs from the radio. Or pull up a music video from Launch.com, get the microphone from our cheap little karaoke machine, push it as close to the speaker as we could, and record the song EXTERNALLY onto a cassette. Okay, maybe I stopped doing that once I got to high school. But, that's just telling you how much I wouldn't buy music.

Most of the music they sang I had NEVER heard before. I went in expecting a pure holiday music set, only to find that there were such a variety of songs, from "Moondance" to "Any Dream Will Do," most of which I had never heard before in my LIFE, just like "Africa." Nevertheless, I was so amazed at the performance that the first thing I did after getting out of the theatre, after convincing my mom to stay a few minutes for the meet and greet and getting my first photo with Ryan as everyone was milling about and saying hi to old friends (my mom was like, "SHAINA. Go UP to him! Ask him for a picture!" I was thinking, "I don't even know who he IS!" And I'm just a naturally shy, awkward, non-assertive person to begin with, so THAT made me feel uncomfortable. And I felt short. Because, you know, I am. I'm also a full head shorter than he is. But anyway.), was ask her if I could buy a CD to get signed. Heheh, part two of my Christmas present. ;)

Thanks to the pictures I have from that night, I remember the order of the meet and greet. The tables were just several tall round tables with the barstools all pushed together into something resembling a row, and there was no organized system of people going through the line. My mom told me to hurry up (she hates driving at night and gets progressively grumpier the later it gets), and she literally PUSHED me as we inched towards the tables. Steve was first. I don't remember what I said to anyone. All I remember is that I got the CD signed, didn't say much because of my shyness, took pictures, and then left right after to avoid my mom grumpy-ing. ;) Next up was Randy; then Walt, Jerome, Dan, Mike I., DR, Charlie, Ryan, and Mike L.

We drove home that night listening to the CD I bought, enjoying the music.

I'm at home now as I write this, and after writing the above sentence, I reached over into my bedside drawer and pulled out my copy of "Holiday Spirits." I still can't believe it's been two years. Things have changed so much since then. I'm no longer in high school. Mike I, Steve, and Dan are no longer with the group. I don't freak out and act like a squealing fangirl when I get an email notification that a member of SNC has contacted me. (Well, most of the time.) I have interviewed many members of SNC for the SNC FanChat. I've become more assertive on the internet and in my typed word. I buy every single SNC album I can when it comes out for preorder. I have made somewhere around 60 new friends, SNC and Chasers, who are the most loving, caring, wonderful people I could ever hope to know. A lot has changed.

And yet, not that much has changed, either. SNC is still enchanting people with their amazing music. I'm still non-assertive and incredibly shy when seeing the guys unexpectedly (as witnessed in the restaurant we went to before the concert at the Wiltern on 12/4/10 when I put my sweater to cover my head as Seggie, Tyler, and Charlie come over to our table). My mom still doesn't like to wait for me after the concerts. ;)

I don't know what I'm trying to say here. But I do feel blessed. Blessed to have had this opportunity two years ago. Blessed to have met such amazing people that I can call my friends. Blessed to have found amazing music that has opened my mind to a whole new realm of possibilities. But most of all, I feel blessed to have had my life changed in such an amazing and powerful way. Straight No Chaser changes lives. I should know. It changed mine.

(Photos from 12/18/08 at the Largo at the Coronet)

A Night to Remember with Straight No Chaser: Ticketmaster Review

Link here: http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1261643/?lang=en-us&featurereview=16854612#BVRRWidgetID

A Night to Remember with Straight No Chaser

The Wiltern

- Los Angeles

, CA

- Sat, Dec 4, 2010

Posted 12/07/2010

by shainae12

This Fan's Reviews

Having followed these gentlemen for three years, I think it's safe to say that I am a big fan of Straight No Chaser. However, in this review, I will attempt to be as objective as possible as I describe the show.

The different genres of music that Straight No Chaser performs are extremely variegated, ensuring that there will be something for everyone to enjoy. From Marvin Gaye to Jason Mraz, Stevie Wonder to Madonna, you are sure to hear something that catches your imagination, no matter the generation. But no matter what they perform, there is always one guarantee: there are absolutely no instruments used throughout the performance. You might find this hard to believe, but every single sound you hear is organic; you'll hear nothing but ten voices, beatboxing/vocal percussion, and some snaps, claps, and stomps. Straight No Chaser's music hearkens back to the days before auto-tuned and highly-processed music became the norm, and their tight harmonies and inventive arrangements show off the group's musicality and ingenuity.

But these gentlemen not only sing; they PERFORM. Member Randy Stine is often quoted as saying, "We take the music very seriously; we just don't take ourselves too seriously." If you're expecting the ten men of Straight No Chaser to sing their songs in a straight line across the stage, you will be pleasantly surprised to see that they actually have some great dance moves. For example, their choreography for their "Billie Jean/Poison" mashup features Jerome Collins and Mike Luginbill (both soloists for the mashup) and their sweet dance moves: Jerome does a great job emulating Michael Jackson's difficult dance moves (including an impressive split), and Mike shows off his moonwalk; all the while, the other eight guys are backing them up and doing some sweet dance moves of their own.

Just as great (and as hilarious) as some of their dance moves are their introductions and witty banter on stage. They truly are having a great time performing on stage, and their energy translates from the stage to the audience. They try to encourage audience participation, whether by inviting them to sing and clap along, by taking photos and videos of the performance (and telling them to post it on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), or even by taking audience photos and encouraging audience members to tag themselves in them on Facebook. And after every one of their concerts, they encourage all in attendance to meet them for an audience meet and greet, where they will sign autographs, take pictures, and talk with you. It's great to get to know the individual men that make up Straight No Chaser, as each member is incredible and special in his own right.

In the end, Straight No Chaser is basically a group of ten friends, singing and having a great time on stage. They can make the audience both howl with laughter and shiver at the sheer beauty of a song, at any given moment, and the purity of the music they sing is unbelievable.

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Their set list for the concert at the Wiltern comprised of both holiday and non-holiday songs. They started out with "Joy to the World" (not the Christmas song, but the Three Dog Night song), then proceeded to "Heard it Through the Grapevine" (with hilarious dance moves) and "I'm Yours." They then sang "Chicken Fried," "Under the Bridge," "Stayin' Alive," and "Like a Prayer" before transitioning into the holiday songs. They started off their holiday set with "Hey Santa," then went into "Jingle Bells" (for which one of the guys challenged the other nine to sing it in under two minutes), "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" (with incredible booming bass solos), and ending with an original song written by director Walter Chase, entitled "The Christmas Can-Can" before intermission.

After a fifteen to twenty minute intermission, they started off with a haunting arrangement of "Carol of the Bells," then continued with "Hark the Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard on High." Then to wrap up the Christmas set, they finished with "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Going back to non-holiday music, they sang their "Billie Jean/Poison" mashup, then a cartoon medley (which included theme songs from shows like "The Flintstones," "Gummi Bears," "The Jetsons," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," and "The Loony Tunes," among others), "Don't Stop Believin'" (not the Glee version, mind you, but their own arrangement), "Tainted Love," and "Fix You" before closing out the show with their "Lady Gaga Medley."

After the end of their final song, the audience gave them a standing ovation, and they came out for an encore of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," the song that got them signed to Atlantic Records in the first place. Then, after another standing ovation, they came back out, without microphones, and sang a hauntingly beautiful rendition of "O Holy Night," completely off mic. The theatre was silent; almost as if all audience members were holding their breaths until the very last note; then, they erupted into cheers and wild applause, giving these gentlemen a third standing ovation for the night.

The concert lasted about two hours, and the meet and greet lasted for another hour, as people went through the line and left. It was an amazing night and an amazing concert, and I know for a fact that I will be seeing them again the next time they are in town.

Favorite moment: Shoutout from band member Charlie Mechling during "Chicken Fried."

Setlist: Joy to the World, Heard it Through the Grapevine, I'm Yours, Chicken Fried, Under the Bridge, Stayin' Alive, Like a Prayer, Hey Santa, Jingle Bells, Grinch, Christmas Can-Can, Carol of the Bells, Hark the Herald Angels We Have Heard on High, Donde Esta Santa Claus, Billie Jean, Cartoon Medley, Don't Stop Believing, Tainted Love, Fix You, Lady Gaga Medley, Twelve Days of Christmas, O Holy Night

Opening act(s): -

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