Tuesday, August 25, 2009

No rest for the weary!


WHEW! The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for us and it's not going to get any quieter in the days ahead. SNC was back in NYC to rehearse, film a concert for PBS, and begin discussions about our new holiday album, "Chrismas Cheers." Let me break those down one-by-one for you:

1. Rehearsals. There's something very cool about waking up, grabbing breakfast at a NYC deli, and fine-tuning music all day with your 9 friends. We rehearsed at Chelsea Studios in Manhattan and were joined by two outstanding new members of the SNC family, our choreographer/movement coaches Ross and Jim. We couldn't have put on the PBS show without them and appreciated their dedication to seeing that we looked as sharp onstage as possible. Highlights from rehearsals included owing the group 10 push-ups for every mistake one made, seeing songs grow from their earliest stages to their onstage performance, and the grade-A drinking water at the studio. I don't care what they say about you, NYC Drinking Water, you're alright in my book.

2. PBS Concert. What a great time! Snaps to the Angel Orensanz Foundation for hosting us. Home of the oldest synagogue in the city (4th in the country), the venue was incredible. With its Gothic architecture and awesome lighting, it served as the perfect setting for a very fun show. We can't wait to see the edited footage and hear the audio. Show day was pretty long and tedious, full of lighting cues, tech run-throughs, and blocking notes, but we couldn't have been happier with the outcome when all was said and done. Thanks to the crew, stylists, and everyone at the label who made us look and sound good! Cheers to our fantastic special guests in the audience, the PBS crew & Kathy, and our friend Jermaine Miles for giving us a booming intro before we took the stage.

3. "Christmas Cheers." Without giving too much away, let me say this: despite the lack of sleep and time at home, SNC is excited and eager to be back in Bloomington, IN, home of Airtime Studios, to finish work on our newest project. This album will be a festive, upbeat collection of songs that will be a great complement to "Holiday Spirits" ((hopefully...we'll leave that up to you to decide). We're also hoping the sessions will allow time for a killer SNC cornhole tourney or two ;)

On the homefront, "Holiday Spirits" is happily anticipating the arrival of his younger brother and is looking forward to having a new friend he can boss around and rough-house with. Sorry, everyone, sorry. With whom he can rough-house.

More details to come as we move forward...thanks for your support and kind words of encouragement!

(Christmas) Cheers,

Ryan

Monday, August 24, 2009

New SNC Tour Dates Announced

Hi, everyone -

Straight No Chaser will be singing in over 50 cities this Fall & Winter! Check out the tour schedule and contact LiveNation, TicketMaster, or your local box office to get your tickets. See you on the road!

Cheers,

Ryan

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Join RA on Twitter!

Hi, everyone -

After an exhausting (but exciting) time in NYC w/Straight No Chaser, I'm back in Indy teaching guitar & voice @ Michele's Studio and eagerly anticipating SNC's summer schedule. We're releasing an EP of 6 songs in the upcoming months and will have promotional appearances on the schedule to get the word out! Thanks to those of you who supported our debut album, Holiday Spirits last Christmas, we're looking at a 50+ date tour (!) this fall & winter. Keep an eye out at for more details. Hopefully, we'll be in your neck of the woods.

I've joined the wonderful world of Twitter (perhaps like some of you, I was reluctant at first) and have enjoyed "tweeting" back and forth with new/old friends. If you're a member, stop by sometime and say hello on my page.

Off to go enjoy this beautiful Spring day!

Cheers,

RA