VOCAL MASTERS
Straight No Chaser brings its a cappella sounds to Kiva Auditorium
Life has definitely changed for Steve Morgan since his days at Indiana University.
It was 1996, and the beginnings of Straight No Chaser were humble and simple — sing for food and girls.
Flash forward 22 years, and the band is signed to Atlantic Records and is gearing up for the release of its seventh studio album, “One Shot.”
That’s a lot of music for the all-male a cappella group.
The new album has the band taking songs from James Brown, Fleetwood Mac, Ricky Martin, Boyz II Men and Montell Jordan and giving them a Straight No Chaser twist.
The lead single from the album is Simon and Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound.”
The video is made up of clips from the band on the road paired with family moments from each of the singers.
Morgan grew up listening to Simon and Garfunkel, and his parents were always playing their music.
The music resonated with Morgan while he was a high school exchange student in Germany.
“I had my own feeling of homesickness,” he says. “I found a copy of Simon and Garfunkel, and I played it constantly over the seven weeks. It really helped me. Today, it has a different meaning for me as I have to leave my wife and kids at home while I head out on tour. I still get homesick. And we don’t have it as bad as musicians who toured decades ago. They weren’t as connected as technology has us right now.”
The members of Straight No Chaser began working on the album in December, and it was recorded in June and July.
“It was a labor of love,” he says. “And a long and arduous process. There was a lot of discussions on which songs we were going to tackle.
At this point in their career, Morgan says, there is always debate over a set list.
“We’re constantly trying to find a balance,” he says. “We question how much of our classic songs to perform. The set list has remained fluid, and we highlight our favorites from the new album. We went through spreadsheets of which songs we’d like to bring back. There was a lot of work going through the process.”
Being on tour also forces Morgan to think of creative ways to stay in shape.
“I’m a little bit of a gym rat,” he says. “My needs are quite simple on tour. I always have to find a place to work out. We have Netflix, Hulu and Facetime. On the road is a pretty great place to be.”