Michigan-born Sargon Isho and the renowned vocal group from Indiana University bring their 25th anniversary tour to DeVos Performance Hall this weekend. The back story at Local Spins.
Fan-Pleasing Legacy: Straight No Chaser continues to tour and impress fans. (Photo/Jimmy Fontaine)
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From Indiana University to venues across the globe, it’s been quite a ride for members of Straight No Chaser.
Michigan native Sargon Isho – or Seggie to his friends and the world at large – has been there almost since the beginning. He joined what became Straight No Chaser during his sophomore year of college at IU.
“I was doing a musical off-campus,” Isho says. A friend in the show told him about auditions for an on-campus male a cappella group. Isho was skeptical, to put it mildly. “I said, ‘Why would you think I’d want to be in that?’”
Despite that disclaimer, he attended the audition and – surprise – got the part. He sang with the group the next two-and-a-half years. He enjoyed the time, then after graduation bid Bloomington and the group a fond farewell and headed out into the real world.
He became the director of operations for a wireless company in Las Vegas when he again got a call.
Two years earlier in 2006, original member Randy Stine had uploaded a 1998 performance of “The 12 Days of Christmas” to YouTube to share a bit of the glory days with his college buddies. Among those who viewed the video was Craig Kallman, chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records. Enthralled by what he saw and heard, he reached out to the group and signed them to the label.
The Group’s 2020 Album: ‘Social Christmasing’
A year later, two members opted out. That’s when Isho and fellow former member Tyler Trepp were asked if they were interested in rejoining. Isho said he and Trepp had initially joined SNC at the same time in college, and in 2009 they opted to do so again.
Quite a change from wireless sales. And while Isho says he actually misses parts of working in the business world, he initially went to IU from Madison Heights, Mich., to study music, so in many was it was a welcome change.
A skilled trumpet player as well as a singer, he credits his high school band director with encouraging him to attend Indiana.
“IU wasn’t on my radar, nor was college. I was thinking of soccer and doing plays.” By his senior year, however, that had changed, and the IU music school’s reputation won him over.
“If I’d gone to a Michigan or Michigan State, I’d probably still be in Vegas or pursuing a career in orchestral music. I do miss playing in the orchestra,” he admits.
Not that he’s in any way disappointed with the career he’s had since re-upping with his fellow singers. He’s since moved back to his home state, making Rochester Hills his home, though he’s often on the road with the band, which has surpassed all expectations.
Since its (re)formation, Straight No Chaser has sold 1.7 million albums domestically and more than 1 million tickets to their shows worldwide while racking up 100 million-plus YouTube views and a similar number of streams.
Straight No Chaser brings its 25th anniversary celebration tour to Grand Rapids’ DeVos Performance Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 26). Tickets — $46 to $95 — are available online here.
VIDEO: Straight No Chaser, “As It Was”
The group has done three PBS specials and boasts dozens of other major television performances, not to mention collaborations alongside the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Kristen Bell. Two of their holiday recordings, “Holiday Spirits” and “Christmas Cheers,” are certified gold.
Isho says he loves performing with Straight No Chaser. “It’s tough traveling, but stepping on the stage is incredible,” he says. “It isn’t work. I thank the audience because they’re the reason we get to do this.”
Despite the accolades, sales and tours, he believes there’s still a large audience that hasn’t yet discovered SNC. “We’re not Top 40. It’s a niche, a small slice of the musical pie. Nine out of ten people haven’t heard of us. That’s OK. It gives us room to grow.”
Whether you’re vaguely familiar with the group, a true fan, or have never heard of Straight No Chaser doesn’t matter. Isho says the performances invariably leave the audience wanting more.
“It’s an experience. It’s not just a concert. There are jokes, great production, content onscreen, hilarious awkward dancing. I’d put our show up against anyone.
Spreading ‘Christmas Cheers’: Straight No Chaser
“When we look out into the audience, we can see who was dragged there,” he continues. “One thing we love is we can see the change in their faces. By the end of the show we’ve got them.”
Isho says the group will continue reaching out to that great majority of people who haven’t heard or even heard of the group. So what’s next? Stadium tours alongside Journey or Eminem? Hardly. “We’re not going to play arenas,” he says with a laugh. He says the smaller theaters and performing arts centers work better for their music and presentation.
“There are projects we’re working on. There’s been talk about a movie. Getting to Asia would be great. It’s about getting in front of people. Especially now. Things are still unsettled,” he says.
For a couple of hours, he says, the group can help the audience forget its worries and come together to celebrate song, whether holiday classics, tunes by Ricky Martin, Eddie Money or Loverboy, even James Brown or Grand Funk. He says audiences range in age from youngsters to grandparents, often coming to a show together.
Isho says he and Trepp typically take the lead during the movie, Disney and Broadway medleys, and he particularly enjoys the comedic bits. But for him and for most of the group, the highlight is at the end of each show, when they put down the mics and gather in a horseshoe in the center of the stage.
“It’s back how it was in the practice room. The audience leans in. It’s a really special moment.”
VIDEO: Straight No Chaser, “Christmas Like”
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