Chasing Straight No Chaser

We’ve been wanting to see the a cappella group Straight No Chaser for quite a while now and we finally got the chance July 3 at Penn’s Landing.
The group of 10 college buddies from Indiana burst onto the scene a few years ago having been signed to a record deal on the strength of a YouTube video of their act that was seen by a recording executive.



They’re currently in the early stages of a two-month gig at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City. That turned out to be gravy for The Blonde Accountant and I because a last-minute cancellation in the lineup for the Fourth of July weekend Fam Jams event opened up a spot for Straight No Chaser.
If you haven’t been to a show at Penn’s Landing, the seating area there is essentially a bunch of cement steps in front of the stage. It can accommodate a couple of hundred people.
Although one can bring along a lawn chair, most folks just park it on the steps. Unfortunately at my age, getting up off cement steps requires a large crane after I’ve been sitting for a while.
Still, that did nothing to hamper our enthusiasm for Straight No Chaser. As a bonus, some of the Straight No Chaser wives plopped down right beside me for the show and I exchanged some brief chit-chat with one of them. After the show, the wives asked me to take a picture of the four of them, and I only botched the first attempt. Not bad for as guy who gets paid to take pictures on occasion.
I mentioned to one wife that since SNC is so good at harmonies, the group ought to include a Beach Boys song in its show, for old guys like me.
Based on SNC Wife’s response — which I didn’t entirely hear because in addition to having trouble getting up off the cement, my ears aren’t so good — I'm guessing the group does “California Girls” with a twist. The guys substitute the words “Jersey girls” for “California girls.”
We plan to head for AyCee in August to see a SNC show. I assume I will not have to sit on cement steps at Harrah’s.

Some deserve their 15 minutes, others don't

There are a few local things that interest me this week and a few not so local things that don’t interest me, and in fact, are trying my patience.
Among the people I find compelling is Philadelphia singer-songwriter Mutlu, who was scheduled to perform Dec. 11 at the Sellersville Theater.
Unfortunately, a car accident has sidelined him for a little while and canceled the Sellersville show for now. When he has rescheduled, look for a story on him Ticket magazine inside your local newspaper.
He’s the next generation of Philly soul and his career at this point has been influenced by local sons Daryl Hall and John Oates. I’ve seen Mutlu perform a few times and he’s quite good.
Here’s hoping he has a speedy recovery and can get back on the Sellersville schedule in quick order.
The other group that’s caught my eye is called Straight No Chaser, an a cappella group of 10 guys who will perform Dec. 18 at the Keswick Theater in Glenside.
These guys have an amazing sound. We’re trying to put together a preview story for next week on their appearance in this area. Check them out online and on YouTube.
Mutlu and Straight No Chaser are legitimate talents and deserve well more than their 15 minutes.
Consequently, there are a few stories on the national scene that are just wearing me out.
First, there’s Tiger Woods. I don’t play golf and I don’t watch golf on TV. It’s a challenging sport, but boring nonetheless. I’m a baseball player. When I hit a ball, somebody else should chase it. I shouldn’t have to track it down and hit it again.
As for Tiger’s personal life, I really don’t care. It does not impact my life in any way.
Then there are those two goofs who snuck into a state dinner allegedly without an invitation and got face time with both President Obama and Vice President Biden, among others.
OK, so the Secret Service needs to be perfect and wasn’t on this one. Fine, let it examine its security procedures and make the necessary adjustments so that something like this doesn’t happen again.
As for the two party-crashing reality TV wannabes, if everybody just ignores them, maybe they’ll go away. They got 15 minutes that should have gone to somebody more deserving.