The holiday season grants plenty of great music. This time, it’s coming on a road trip and stopping right here in Columbus.
Male a cappella group, Straight No Chaser, brings its Holiday Road Tour to the Palace Theatre on Tues., Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. The nine-man show will perform 14 Christmas tunes, their only instruments being their own voices in harmony.
With songs both classic and comical, this Straight No Chaser concert offers a night of music and fun for all ages. The group’s setlist includes Christmas classics such as “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson, “It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams and “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” by Randy Brooks.
Straight No Chaser has been a holiday staple for over two-and-a-half decades now. The singers don classy black-and-white tie suits and travel to perform in locations all over the country. Since its conception, the group has sold various recorded albums and collaborated with musical greats such as Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.
Getting the band (back) together
Jimmy Fontaine
Dance Captain and baritone, Steve Morgan, was with Straight No Chaser when it first formed at Indiana University back in 1996. He and his bandmates sang in the Singing Hoosiers, a co-ed show choir comprising 120 students.
Soon enough, the members realized they could take their performances further.
“Some of us got together to sing for girls,” Morgan says. “What higher calling could any college gentlemen have?”
He helped Straight No Chaser get on its feet for three years until he and others graduated. Afterward, Morgan and four of the members scored a short-lived record deal in Atlanta.
Morgan then moved to New York City where he landed roles in multiple Broadway shows and national tours before going to Europe to perform. During his 2007 run in Mamma Mia!, one of Straight No Chaser’s old performance videos on YouTube went viral. It caught the attention of Atlantic Records, which reunited Straight No Chaser and signed the men onto a record deal in 2008.
Stage presence and sweat
Throughout the now 17-year lifetime of Straight No Chaser, Morgan has drawn inspiration from one of his musical favorites, Harry Connick Jr. Morgan says he has seen Connick Jr. in concert and appreciates how he incorporates an earnest, solo moment for each show, giving his band a break while also bringing the audience closer.
For Straight No Chaser shows, Morgan and his bandmates take a similar approach. For example, toward the end of the concert, they step to the front of the stage and ditch the microphones to sing truly a cappella – the same way they started the group.
“We like to break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience,” Morgan says. “We’re not performing at them; we’re performing with them.”
As the group’s Dance Captain, Morgan pairs his dance experience from both collegiate and professional musical theatre. This enables him to perfect the choreography the group learns for each tour. He reviews fan-recorded videos of past Straight No Chaser performances on a daily basis to correct any mistakes.
Aside from that role, Morgan always finds himself dancing throughout the concerts. According to his biography on the Straight No Chaser’s website, he deems himself “probably the sweaty one.”
“I’ve worked with some fantastic choreographers over the years and ultimately, I think I've seen firsthand what makes good choreography and how to maintain it,” Morgan says. “That makes me a natural for the role. I enjoy the movement and want to keep an eye on it.”
The best present
Straight No Chaser
Straight No Chaser has performed many holiday songs over the years, but the Holiday Road recordings are special. Not only does it combine guest artists and arrangers, but Happy XMas (War is Over) by John Lennon and Yoko Ono also features each members’ own children singing on the track, such as Morgan’s 13-year-old son.
“There’s a lot of variety and emotion,” Morgan says. “We’re at our best if we're making you laugh or cry.”
The live show spans much of the brand-new material from Straight No Chaser’s latest album, as well as reprises of fan-favorites and others rarely ever taken on tour. Morgan says audiences have told him this is the group’s best Christmas show yet.
Morgan shouted out one of the Holiday Road Tour songs as being more interactive than others.
“Audiences are always very surprised and erupt in cheer,” Morgan says. “The kids especially lose their minds.”
Tickets for the concert range from $48.80 to $95.78 and can be purchased from the Columbus Association of Performing Arts at the link here. The concert venue, the Palace Theatre, is located at 34 W. Broad St. downtown.
Fans of Straight No Chaser can buy merchandise on the group’s website here. The shop offers vinyl records and autographed CDs of recorded songs from the concert setlist, as well as sweatshirts and T-shirts.
Evan Che Stefanik is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback is welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
