If I'm honest about it, I have a terrible crush on the a capella group Straight No Chaser. I first became acquainted with them 2-3 years ago when, like literally millions of others, I was first introduced to their original version of the 12 Days of Christmas on YouTube. It was amazing, and I've adored them ever since.
Straight No Chaser began as one of the a capella groups at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. During a show in 1998, they performed their incredibly clever arrangement of the 12 Days of Christmas and went on their merry ways. Ten years later, they decided to get back together for a reunion. On a lark, one of the guys posted some video footage of that concert on YouTube, including 12 Days, to get everyone in the mood for the reunion. Views of the video climbed to 100,000, much to the guys' surprise. Less than a week after their video reached the 100,000-view mark, it had climbed to 200,000. Shortly thereafter it went viral all over the internet, and currently has over 13.5 million hits. As a result of the sudden publicity, the video was seen by an Atlantic Record Company rep, who immediately signed the group. Straight No Chaser has been touring and making albums ever since. I have purchased each and every album and I even had the pleasure of seeing them in concert last December. They were SPECTACULAR. I highly recommend seeing them. Their harmonies are intricate and exacting and their showmanship is unparalleled. Best of all, they know which side of their bread is buttered--at every concert they insist their venues suspend taping regulations and allow the audience to take as many videos or pictures as they want as a nod of respect to us all for sharing their video and putting them where they are today. And that's pretty damn cool.
I considered swapping out today's video for the 12 Days video since that's the one that started it all and since I had to explain about it before showing the 3-4 SNC videos I've got planned for this month, but I just couldn't let go of the idea of sharing 12 Days during the actual 12 days of Christmas. I'm just compulsive that way. So enjoy this entertaining performance while you wait for their signature song. Meanwhile, I'll be waiting impatiently for the 18th, which is when I get to go see them again in Atlanta. Score!
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