The Christmas Miracle–10 Years Later

Below are several clips from the a capella vocal group Straight Note Chaser.  Not only is the music fun, but their unlikely rise to success illustrates the power technology can play in determining success for musicians.

Straight Note Chaser was formed as a group of mostly non-music majors at Indiana University, Bloomington in 1996.  Members were chosen not only for their vocal ability, but also their personality (a model that is becoming common for chamber ensembles).  The group was touring nationally within a couple years. But upon graduation, participants moved on with their lives. Some found employment in the music and theatre worlds, while others pursued opportunities in completely different sectors.  None of the singers expected to work with their college group again.

In 2006, IU arranged a reunion concert with the original members. To reminisce, they posted some videos from 1998 of the group on YouTube.  Quite unexpectedly, they went viral.  The video of The Twelve Days of Christmas (featured below) received in excess of 7 million hits in Dec. 2007 alone. 

One of the viewers was the Chairman/CEO of Atlantic Records.  Impressed with the group and the amount of buzz they generated, he offered them a recording deal.  Since that time, Straight Note Chaser has experienced exceptional success as recording and touring artists.  

Here is the 1998 video of The Twelve Days of Christmas that got the ball rolling.

Who Spiked the Eggnog:

The Christmas Can Can:

While there are hundreds of thousands of great performances captured on tape, the music videos featured on TSM blog feature musical creations that are unusual, innovative, humorous, or otherwise “purple.” This collection is fun–perhaps a stress reliever or diversion at a late night bash! It also provides you with an opportunity to discover new and creative musicians.