Straight No Chaser

Last week I stepped into the world of Pitch Perfect, a hilarious movie about Barden University’s a capella groups that offers both super quotable lines and catchy soundtrack. Don’t worry – I am not about to write another entry about this movie (though it deserves one). Fast forward the collegiate singing days and you’ve got Straight No Chaser, a professional a capella group that originated at Indiana University in 1996. Yes, 1996, as in while most people only go downhill after their college glory days, these talented men are still living theirs.

Last Thursday, Straight No Chaser showed off their impressive vocals and harmonies at the Beacon Theatre (on Broadway, between 74th and 75th St.), which is the most beautiful theatre I have ever set foot in. Even the lobby is impressive, with gold decorations and a mural of a landscape to complement the beautiful chandelier at the center of it all.

Nothing beats the inside of the actual theatre, however, where a very beautiful, dramatic wood carving hangs from the ceiling. I expected to see another chandelier but rather found this impressive, er, “thing.” I can honestly say I have never seen anything quite like it before, but that could just be my lack of knowledge in theater architecture. I can’t imagine what fun it must have been for the lucky audience members sitting in the orchestra to look up and find that staring back at them.

My friend and I almost missed the opening number (we had to make a quick stop at the Apple Store a few blocks away, not to check out the cool gadgets but because we saw a puppy through the windows and couldn’t resist), but made it just in time to hear the mash-up of Fun!’s “Some Nights” and “We Are Young,” which I believe is a great a capella song because of the amazing harmonies. They did a variety of oldies and hits from today, and, of course, the “12 Days of Christmas,” which led them to fame with over 16 million views on YouTube (if you haven’t seen it, please take three minutes of your day and check it out, but let me warn you that you may get excited for the Christmas season, which is, unfortunately, a very long 303 days away). Their choreography wasn’t quite at the level of Pitch Perfect or Glee and included some corny dance moves, but it worked! After all, these guys aren’t exactly twenty years old anymore; even from the nosebleed seats I’m positive I spotted some receding hair lines and balding heads.

Of all the musical numbers, my favorite was the movie score medley, in which the group added funny lyrics (sometimes paraphrasing the story, sometimes questioning choices made by the characters, and sometimes suggesting alternate endings) to the themes from classics like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and Titanic. They ended the show by singing a song without any microphones, in which the theatre became eerily silent as each audience member intently listened. They said they wanted to bring us back to what it would have been like at one of their 1996 a capella rehearsals, which must have been even more special for them than it was for us.

The best part, however, was watching these guys perform. You could tell they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and it was obvious how much they loved being on stage with each other and for their fans. Props to them for continuing to do what they love and not letting college graduation stop them. After the show, they sat in the lobby and took the time to meet their fans, which they deserve respect and admiration for.

After the show, my friends and I headed to 16 Handles (on Amsterdam, between 75th and 76th St.), a self-serve frozen yogurt place that I called “16 Candles” for a good five minutes before realizing that it actually had nothing to do with a coming-of-age film starring Molly Ringwald. The line was pretty long, but worth the fact that one can virtually get any delicious flavor or topping imaginable. My friend’s cup was covered with so many toppings I could not even see the frozen yogurt hiding underneath. The space offered only a few spots to sit, but we were lucky to find a few chairs at a high table to enjoy our snack!

Straight No Chaser’s new album, Under the Influence (they promised it’s PG rated), comes out May 7th and features awesome guest singers like Jason Mraz, Rob Thomas, Phil Collins, Seal, and Dolly Parton! Sounds aca-awesome to me.

“Aca-scuse me?”

I may or may not have watched the movie Pitch Perfect four times within the last two weeks. I may or may not know every lyric to every song in the movie. And I may or may not be about to write a blog entry on why this movie is aca-awesome.

If you haven’t seen the movie, watch it. You won’t be blown away and you probably won’t feel the need to watch it more than once like my friends and I have seemed to, but this film has got some good things going. It tells the story of Beca (Anna Kendrick), a spunky freshman at Barden University who brings a much needed makeover to the ancient competition set list of the university’s all-female a capella group, the Barden Bellas. So it doesn’t deserve an Oscar nod by any means, but unless you hate music or have no sense of humor, it’s worth sitting through at least once. Then again, that is coming from someone who loves the movie enough listen to the soundtrack everyday, so take it lightly.

As an advocate of lists, I figured this format would be the best to convey the greatness of this movie:

1. Funny and Super Quotable Lines That You Can Apply to Daily Life

“I will stop at nothing to take those dinglings down.” I used this during a debate in my English class the other day and it did indeed empower me to take my opponents, or “dinglings,” down.

“Aca-scuse me?” Warning: Don’t put “aca” in front of anything unless surrounded by people who have seen the film or at an a capella group rehearsal.

“Everybody be cool, it’s just a normal day.”

“Seriously, I am nude.” Hopefully this is not something that comes up daily, but hey, you never know when you might need it.

“Crushed it.” You just aced that test or audition and you need something to say afterward to express how awesome you just did. Here it is. Say it with a British accent, Rebel Wilson-style, and it will sound ten times better.

“Dixie-chick serious.” The only viable response to “Are you serious?”

“I’m gonna finish him like a cheesecake!” Ex-boyfriends and annoying little brothers, watch out, because we girls love cheesecake.

“Hard pass, hard pass.” The famous “I’ll pass” was just taken to the next level.

“I sometimes have a feeling I could do crystal meth, but then I think, mm, better not.” Words of wisdom that are not only perfect when trying to get out of any situation, but also because doing crystal meth is not exactly the best idea. Also, Rebel Wilson’s delivery with this, and all her lines, is spot-on (and I know several people who would justifiably argue that her facial expressions and dance moves make the film).

2. A Capella Mash-Ups

Pitch Perfect is the only time when Pitbull and Simple Minds can be played at the same time and sound harmonious. The a capella mashups that come usually when the groups perform live onstage, but occasionally on a bus or in an empty pool, sound auto-tuned but still present pretty fun songs, from Madonna to Miley Cyrus to Foreigner. They’re fun and I sing along every time (and they also work great on my Showtune Pump-Up Playlist!). Props to Anna Kendrick, too, who not only has a beautiful voice but who makes me want to learn how to make music with a plastic cup after watching her version of Lulu and the Lampshades’ “When I’m Gone.” She impressed me once again when she did the whole thing live on David Letterman.

3. Skylar Astin

From Broadway to the big screen, this stage veteran got his start in Spring Awakening as Georg, an adolescent with sausage curls who fantasizes about his piano teacher. Whenever a Broadway actor or actress shows up in a movie or TV show, I often feel like a proud parent or someone watching her old friend do great things (not to say that Broadway actors who do not end up on screen are not doing great things, too). What’s even more fun, though, is being able to exclaim “I saw them on stage! I met them!” (and, of course, failing to mention that “seeing them on stage” meant from the very last row in the theater and “meeting them” meant simply getting their autograph and muttering a quick, nervous thank you at the stage door). I also enjoyed Astin’s character, Jesse – a playful, likeable guy who I often felt sorry for when Beca gave him some unnecessary, Dixie-chick serious attitude.

4. The Mystery Machine and the Guy Who Falls Off His Bike

Just watch it.