By Chasers, For Chasers

A PUBLICATION FOR STRAIGHT NO CHASER FANS

Special Edition: May 2013

Influence
the
Special Edition: May 2013

Under

Contents
Volume 2, Issue 1 May 7, 2013

Letter from the Editor: Our New Format Masthead Dear #blameCarla... Letters from Lieve Chaser Dictionary: #Hashtags Walt's Top 5 A Cappella Recordings of All Time From the Preview to the Guessing Game to the Suspense and Finally, the Album! Under the Influence: In the Studio

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Image Straight No Chaser

OUR NEW FORMAT...

Hello, Chaser faithful! Its been a really long time, hasnt it? Im afraid thats my fault. I know I said multiple times that I would try to put out a new issue, but my workload at school just kept piling up to the point where I just couldnt put anything out. It was during this time that I had decided to step down as editor-in-chief for a time, and Sara Dowling stepped in and served as editor and put out various articles you may have seen on the SNC Quarter Notes blog. In my last editors letter, I noted some changes to the magazine, but those changes still did not allow me enough time to put out issues in a t imely man n er. Howev er, Magcloud, the service that we use to print and distribute print editions of the magazine, has introduced a new digest format. Because of this, I think it might be easier to design and put out issues more frequently than we have been in the past. I cant promise that well put out an issue quarterly, as was our original intention when
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this was first started, but I can say that I would like to put an issue out twice a year once during the summer and once during the winter as well as additional special additions like this one that will coincide with special events in Chaserville. I want to introduce some new members of our staff: Victoria Dong, Lieve De Geyter, Susan Hannah, Kerriann Harrington, Jennifer Lyon and Sara Page! They will be joining Christina Sinnot as regular contributors for the magazine (both online and in print). Remember, were always looking for more contributors, so if you would like to get involved, shoot us an email at sncquarternotes@gmail.com. Wed love to have you on the team! This issue is a special edition issue to coincide with the release of Straight No Chasers fourth fulllength album and second nonholiday album, Under the Influence. In this issue, youll be

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Volume 2, Issue 1
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Shaina Eng

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Jana Barnes Kim Davis Sara Dowling SJ Fosnaught Tara Kellerman Annie LaDuca Marna Lampe Carla Rodriguez Sarah Twilley

able to read about what it was like to be among the first to hear some tracks from the new album, go behind-the-scenes in the recording process and get a tour of the Los Angeles studio. Youll also see some of our regular columns, like Dear #blameCarla and the Chaser Dictionary, as well as some brand new columns, like Letters from Lieve. You may notice that some of our other regular columns are missing from this issue, but never fear! Columns like the Quickfire Q&A, Sarahs Voice Crush and others will return in our next issue! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this issue!

CONTRIBUTORS
Victoria Dong Lieve De Geyter Susan Hannah Kerriann Harrington Jennifer Lyon Sarah Page Christina Sinnot

sncquarternotes@gmail.com www.sncquarternotes.com
SNC Quarter Notes is published by several Chasers, fans of Straight No Chaser. This publication is completely fan run, and those involved in the making of this magazine do not profit in any way from its publication. All images and material found in this magazine have been used with the consent of their respective owners, and no copyright infringement is intended. Send all inquiries, messages, etc. to SNC Quarter Notes at sncquarternotes@gmail.com. 2011-2013 SNC Quarter Notes . All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the express written consent of the owner(s) is prohibited.

Shaina Eng, SNC QUARTER NOTES FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Special Edition: May 2013

Dear #blameCarla...
Carla #blameCarla Rodriguez

Views and advice in this column are not necessarily those of the rest of the editors, SNC, or anyone else really. Taking this seriously may result in bad things happening... BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Dear #blameCarla, How do I become the main course instead of being treated like a side dish? The ladies tell me I'm sweet, but then they don't want to ear what I have to say. I think I'm starting to lose my mind - the other night I dreamed I was being creamed and canned! Help!!! Signed, Tired of the Corn-y Jokes Dear Tired, Corn-sider that it might be your lot in life. Let's plant the seeds in your head to accept the wonder of the fertile life you will have to lead. Face it, there are worse things than being "sweet," husky and silky all at the same time. Corny-ness aside, I think there are a lot of ladies that would eat your personality right up... (uhh, maybe not the best phrase in the world to use). So plow that idea under for a harrowing good time, and accept the power of the Vegetable! Signed, She Who Hasn't Thrown Nearly Enough Corny Puns Into This
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Dear #blameCarla, I am a big fan of a great a cappella group. They're really talented and fun to follow, but every time they're recording a new CD they really like to tease their fans by sending useless hints or photos of them recording in the studio. I can barely stand the waiting as it is and really can do without that! What should I do??? Signed, Curious Me Dear Curious, I hear writing your own rumors and spreading false leads on your own can be quite fun and provide a bit of distraction to your own predicament. I have always found that a little misdirection and confusioncausing can be helpful in killing time, and laughing at your fellow Chasers is great fun. Or just laugh at me, they will blame me anyway. :-) Sincerely, NinjaChaser

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Dear #blameCarla, I hear the SNC Cruise was SOOO much fun! How can I live the experience vicariously AND how can I get in on the fun next time? Sincerely, Landlocked Dear Landlocked, Great question! There are MANY videos out there from many different sources that will have all three SNC cruise concerts, Ryan's solo concert and the Mike and Jerome Show. Tara has some and there are many others, including me (YouTube channel : Marcaich), who have put things up specifically for those of you who weren't able to go. As for getting on the next one, make sure you start saving NOW, put all your pennies aside. And while you are waiting for the next cruise, please do all you can to tell Atlantic, Rose Tours (who are fabulous to work with) and especially David Britz that not only do you want another one, but also send hints on what you would like to see on the next one. Floatingly, #blameCarla P.S.: Yes, I was blamed for things on the cruise... *sigh*

Dear #blameCarla, I hear SNC's new album is being released soon. How about you 'borrowing' a promo copy and leaking it out to us. I mean, it's you, so we'd have the bail money all set... just sayin'. Signed, Looking To Get You In Trouble Dear Looking, Like I need ANY help in getting blamed for anything... Sincerely, Blamed Ad Nauseum ________________________ Are you in desperate need of advice from #blameCarla? Submit your questions via email (blamecarla@gmail.com), Twitter or Facebook!

Image Ethan Lofton

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Special Edition: May 2013

Letters from Lieve

Lieve De Geyter

Photo Michel Hbert

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Dear Straight No Chaser, As a huge fan, I think it would be cool if you would come to Belgium one day. I know it is a little European country, but dont let the size fool you!!! It has a lot to offer. First of all, we Belgians are real food lovers. We produce about 187,000 tons of chocolate a year and there are about 2,300 chocolate shops, which youll find in every city. Did you know that the praline was invented by Neuhauss in 1912??? (This one is for you, Ryan. Hope you have your highlighter ready because there is more to follow.) We have the most delicious waffles over here; the Brussels waffle that is rectangular in shape, and the Liege waffle, made with chunks of sugar which caramelize and form a crispy, crunchy coating. We also serve the best fries in the world! I dont want to brag, but the French fries were also invented over here (Got that, Ryan???). We have REAL Belgian beer, not "Belgian style" beers. Over 650 different ones, in fact, all served in their personalized glass in which only that beer may be served. (Yes, Walter, some of those are big.) We serve great dishes, too. My favorite is Belgian stew with fries and fresh applesauce. You guys should really come over and try it. ;) It rains often over here, but that cant be a problem for all of you because almost every city has its own cinema. (When you decide to come here make sure Seggie pays his ticket, will you???) When the sun shines, you can go to the Belgian coast, or go hiking or biking in Waloni. There are also a lot of museums over here. We've got a cool scientific museum called Technopolis. (I can assure you that you won't be thrown out. If you all behave, of course.) In Brussels, you have the Belgian Comic Strip Center, and at Jubelpark, the Autoworld car museum. We've got REAL castles and landhouses and citadels - some of them have remains from the Middle Ages. I really love the Citadel in Dinant and the fort in Bouillon. A must-see is Brugge in West Flanders. It is a great city with lots of old buildings. Now that you know all of this, I hope you will consider Belgium as one of your European tour destinations! Sincerely, Lieve De Geyter aka: @BelgianChaser
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Chaser Dictionary: #Hashtags

Victoria Dong
What exactly is a hashtag? Here's the #BassLove official definition from Twitter Help Used to express our love and Center: appreciation for our most beloved basses, Randy Stine and The # symbol, called a hashtag, is Charlie Mechling. used to mark keywords or topics in May also be used in the case of a Tweet. It was created organically other bass singers. by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages. #Beep/#Greep Please refer to Shainas detailed People use the hashtag symbol # article, BEEP 101: A Chasers before a relevant keyword or Guide to One of the Most Popuphrase (no spaces) in their lar Chaserisms, in Volume 1, Tweet to categorize those Issue 3 of our magazine. Tweets and help them show more easily in Twitter Search. #BlameCarla Clicking on a hashtagged word Your perfect excuse/alibi to anyin any message shows you all thing in life. other Tweets marked with that First coined by Kim Davis the keyword. #antagonizer, who used the Hashtags can occur anywhere hashtag to blame Carla for somein the Tweet at the beginning, thing insignificant, then invited middle, or end. everyone to do the same. Hashtagged words that become Carla thus became the Chaser very popular are often Trending scapegoat for everything that Topics. The following are some goes wrong. hashtags commonly used by It is Kim's dream to see Chasers. #blameCarla trend someday. When in doubt, #blameCarla.
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#ChaserFail An expression used by Chasers when they realized they didnt know something or do something a Chaser should. e.g. Wow! I didnt know about the SNC Cruise! #ChaserFail P.S. That was just an example. I dont think its possible for any Chaser to NOT know about the SNC Cruise!

#ChaserProblems Some things that only Chasers would experience. Examples: Listening to Jason Mraz singing Im Yours and finding it weird that he had skipped the Somewhere Over the Rainbow part. Starting to count down the days to your next SNC concert when its still 8 months away. #ChaserLove Spending next weeks gro Chasers are an amazing group of cery money on an SNC people that support one another ticket (or five). on a daily basis, and especially through difficult times. #FreePonce The love may be expressed Originated from the incident on through tweets, Facebook mesMarch 17, 2012, when Dan sages, greeting cards, handPonce, the founder of SNC, was made gifts and prayers. wrongfully arrested while cover A great example of #ChaserLove ing a news report. is the Scarves for Sara fund The SNC guys started tweeting raising initiated by Angie Wool#FreePonce and urged the lard. Chasers to do the same in order to try to make the hashtag trend on Twitter. It did.
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#IntermissionReport #IUBB & #Hoosiers An eagerly anticipated report Hoosiers = Indiana University during an SNC concert intermisbasketball (IUBB) team sion consisting of highlights The SNC guys are proud supfrom the first half of the show. porters of their alma mater bas Mostly tweeted by Ryan, alketball team, and will tweet frethough Walt and Seggie have quently about the team during occasionally tweeted intermiscollege basketball season. sion reports as well. Chasers also use it to share SNC #MovieWalt concert highlights of their own, Walt watches most, if not all, of with occasional personal use the Oscar nominated movies beduring other events' intermisfore the awards ceremony, then sions. gives succinct reviews on each movie and his predictions of the Has now been retired by SNC winners. due to Ryan's transition out of the group. #SeggieFace Dave experimented with Loosely defined as a vacant, his own #halftimereport potentially dumbfounded look tag at some 2013 winter on ones face in which ones shows. mouth is wide open. Shaina #ThankYouRyan Eng
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Image Shaina Eng

#SeggiesMovieReviews Seggie gives a concise, 140character review (complete with a letter grade) for every movie he has watched. I highly recommend you read Seggies review before you go to see a movie. @SNCSeggie: Savages-A. Cinematography, acting, & music all spot on. Oliver Stone back doing what he does best. Go see this movie. #seggiesmoviereviews @SNCSeggie: "Spiderman" B+ Very well done. Loved how they kept him a little more human. Better than the old ones. See it in 3D. #seggiesmoviereviews

#SNClive Used by both the SNC guys and the audience when tweeting live from an SNC concert. Its a great way help promote SNC and connect with other Chasers, so make sure to add #SNClive to your tweets next time youre at one of their shows! Was also the official name of the Fall 2012 SNC Tour. #SNCPityParty Virtual party held on Twitter by Chasers who are unable to attend special SNC events, e.g. SNC's summer residency in Atlantic City, the SNC cruise, or SNCs New Years Eve concert. The party provides a venue for the unfortunate Chasers to support one another and wallow in self-pity together.
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Special Edition: May 2013

Walt's Top 5 A Cappella Recordings of All Time

Walter Chase

Why make a list of my favorite a cappella recordings? Why not? I made some guidelines for my list before starting: Only one song per group. (Someday I'll do a list of just my top twenty Take 6 songs.) Don't limit myself to the best known songs. (These are my favs, not the top downloads.) No SNC songs. (Nothing worse than someone listing one of their own as the greatest, you know?) Here they are, feel free to play along at home. I highly recommend downloading these immediately and listening to them until they play themselves...

1. "Get Away Jordan," Take 6 This song is the beginning and the end of what I know in a cappella. Literally it was the beginning, as it was the first song I was introduced to by Take 6 way back in high school. I learned to sing screaming falsetto by playing this song to and from school, blasting in my car, trying to be Claude McKnight and wailing the top part. Heck, Boyz II Men even quote the chorus on their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony, a true tip of the hat from the top selling vocal group of all time to their lesser acclaimed, but worshiply adored, counterparts. 2. "I Found a New Baby," The Real Group Could have gone with any of a dozen recordings by The Real Group, but this one's

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special. Randy Stine first introduced all of the original SNC guys to their sound, and we even got to meet them at Butler University back in the late 90s. "Perfection" is the word to describe them and this track is the pinnacle of that. Anders countercounter-tenor lead is not only pitch perfect, but his feel for the melody and the jazz in his Swedish style is unreal. 3. "I Walk With You , " Rockapella There are many more popular Rockapella tunes than this single, but to me this is the Rockapella I love. Some of their tracks are too percussion based, some are too corny for my palate. When Rockapella is at its best in my mind is when they just SING. "Don't Tell Me You Do" is a close 2nd, but this song brings the house down for me. The gospel bridge. The inverted last chorus. This song was on Sean Altman's last album with the group, and I equate this track as his "Let It Be" before leaving. Loved it so much, I had SNC and Ladies First sing it together at my wedding. Image Shaina Eng 4. "Mother Nature's Son," The King's Singers I borrowed a lot of CDs from Don Nottingham in college, usually without returning them for a long time, if ever at all. The King's Singers' Beatles album was a staple in

Don's car for a stretch of a month or so, and he could never drop me off from a Delusions of Grandeur rehearsal without him playing me this track. It's everything an a cappella arrangement should be: Sung effortlessly, arranged without awkward syllables, and powerful without forcing the issue. Play and repeat, play and repeat. 5. "Gone," The House Jacks A game changer for me. This wasn't choir boys singing, this was a legit rock ballad with heart and power. I first met Deke Sharon and the guys backstage at the National Collegiate A Cappella Invitational (now ICCA) at Carnegie Hall in 1998. Straight No Chaser was competing in the finals, and the Jacks were the host group that would sing while the judges tallied scores. Hearing them perform this song live at Carnegie Hall was mind bending. Again, Don introduced me to this song about a year prior to that meeting. IUSNC would record it in 2000, with Ryan Ahlwardt and Don (of course) wailing away on the solos.

Five songs that shaped my life and love for a cappella. -Walter Chase
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Special Edition: May 2013

From the Preview to the Guessing Game to the Suspense and Finally, the Album!
Christina Sinnott

Ever since th e cru ise was announced, I know a lot of Chasers were thinking, "When are they going to have time to get to the s t u d i o an d r eco r d a ne w album?!" (Actually, I think it was way before that when With a Twist came out and everyone wanted more.) As Chasers became more aware of what was happening on the cruise (i.e., concerts, Q&A and Wine Tasting) it suddenly became known that there was going to be an album preview. WHAT?! Now that the whole track list has been announced, those who were on the cruise wont spoil anything by talking about the tracks that were played in the Q&A session. As David Britz was talking about the album and release date, the auditorium was frozen in anticipation. (It was also really, REALLY early in the morning...) They then announced, and played for us the song Soldier featuring Ryan on lead. I don't think there are any descriptive words that
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can do it justice. After it played, there was a huge round of applause and the guys, being the guys, were all looking a bit bashful as if to say, "We weren't even singing, it was a recorded track." There were a few more questions afterward; the guys talked about the process of trying to meet in one place to record as many tracks as possible and trying to pick which tracks to go on the album. They also alluded to special guests that they couldn't say too much about at the time but were obviously extremely excited about. Next came another track that was recorded and it was the long awaited, much requested song Hallelujah. I don't know if there was a dry eye in the room after hearing it. On top of that, after the song was played, the guys explained the significance of that song. They told everyone that it was a really hard time for them emotionally as it

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was right at the time Walt's father had passed away. They said it was almost like fate that they would be tracking that song at that time. Hearing all of this, Chasers applauded Walt in appreciation to his dedication as well as in sympathy for his loss. It was definitely an emotionally charged moment shared by all. Soldier and Hallelujah were the only two tracks mentioned and played that day at the Q&A. Conveniently, later that night, SNC performed their #SNClive show which had many new songs featured. Many people wondered just how many of the new songs debuting that night may potentially have been recorded...Dun dun DUN! Flash forward to after the end of the Fall tour. The guys decided it would be fun to tease the Chasers in having them play a little guessing game. They had mentioned, of course, that

there would be guest artists on the new CD, so they asked Chasers, "Who do you think we sang with?" One by one, new artists were revealed; yet, the guys were still asking for guesses. I, personally, was thinking, "Holy cow, how many artists did they actually work with?!" Remember With a Twist and the one guest artist? Yeah, that's what I thought. On top of this guessing game, they would release only some tracks at a time, so it was not until about a month or so later that the full list was finally revealed. Eleven tracks and six bonus tracks later, Chasers now know what will be on the album. (Oh, and of those seventeen tracks? Eight of them have different special guests. Eight!!) They say that knowledge is power. In this case It's torture. May 7th cannot come soon enough....

Image Shaina Eng

Special Edition: May 2013

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Under the Influence: In the Studio

Shaina Eng
It's quite possible that many people pass by the ivy-covered gate of Glenwood Place Studios without a second glance. Located on a residential street right next to a school in Burbank, California, just north of Downtown Los Angeles, the studio is where famed artists like Nikki Minaj and Drake recorded their latest albums. But the over-produced tunes from those albums are a far cry from the organic sounds from Straight No Chaser. When you pass through the studio gates, it's like walking into a whole new world, with lots of foliage overhead, providing shelter from the hot, 90degree summer heat of the outside world. And you won't find just studios and recording booths here; you can shoot some hoops out back, grill a few steaks outside, or lounge around and relax inside, playing Xbox or snacking on some freshly made cookies and waffles. But the real magic happens inside the studios. Studio B is dimly lit, with pot lights in the ceiling, huge subwoofers facing the board, and dozens (and dozens) of knobs on the mixing board. Large sliding doors with the words "Glenwood Place Studios" on the glass separate the control room from the recording booth. The photos that follow give you a look inside the studio process.
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Image Shaina Eng

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The sliding glass doors that mark the entrance into the recording booth bear the name of the studio.

There were usually three people sitting behind the mixing board. The audio engineer sat to the right, focusing intently on the computer; the producer (middle) and the arranger (left) would instruct whomever was in the booth to sing that line again or try it in a different way.
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Mark Kibble of Take 6 offers some pointers to bass Charlie Mechling while tracking in the recording booth.

Hard at work or hardly working? When not tracking in the studio, it seemed like the guys would be buried in their mobile device of choice.

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Keeping track of the dozens of tracks recorded in a given session seems like a really hard task to me, but to a seasoned audio engineer, its just another day at work.

Tyler behind the board while Charlie lays down the bass line in the recording booth.

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Seeing Mark Kibble at work, offering his advice and insights and pushing toward musical perfection, was a pretty awesome experience. (Plus, hes also a really nice guy.)
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Creating just one song is a meticulous process, and more so with a cappella. There are several steps in the recording process. Other than preproduction, arranging and rehearsals, songs are first recorded, then edited, mixed and mastered.

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Seggie reviews the baritone part before recording it in the studio.

Ryan joins Tyler and Mark at the mixing board to look over the arrangement and to track the recordings progress.

Special Edition: May 2013

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Tyler goes over a section on the arrangement while working on the recording in the studio.

Today, the guys have been recording a fun. medley that mashes up Some Nights with We Are Young. This track is track 6 on Under the Influence.
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Tyler and Jerome look over the tenor part of the Some Nights arrangement before laying down their parts.

Seggie sings through his part before the baritones record their parts.

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Hey look! Its a bunch of knobs that do stuff and meters that measure things! Dont worry; I didnt touch anything...

The baritones are ready to go! Depending on various factors, each vocal part was recorded separately in the recording booth. Each member sang along to the arranger's demo track, which was played through the headphones.
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Yeah, they werent actually singing anything. I take that back. They were singing different (random) things, and this was the only shot in which they were singing similar vowels, ha!

Heheh, I appreciate that they were hamming it up for the camera.

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Welcome to Glenwood Place Studios! Above, the entrance is almost completely blocked by trees and branches.

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The perfect place to lie down for a nap. The entire outdoor area is filled with trees, bushes and other foliage that offered tons of shade from the hot summer sun.

Theres even a table outside, shaded with an umbrella, which is the perfect place to eat lunch and enjoy the weather and great conversation.

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When not recording, this is a great place to watch a movie or catch up on the latest episodes of your favorite television show.

This room even has a microwave, fridge and other great amenities!

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If you remember reading tweets from the group about waffles, this is where the famous treats could be found. Alas, when I visited the studio, they didnt have waffles, and I definitely didnt see any cookies, either.

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Chill out location number two, with a comfy couch and lots of light...

...perfect for playing video games on the big screen TV!

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More tables and chairs. If you keep following the pathway, you might just find a basketball hoop and a few a cappella singers playing a game of HORSE.
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SNC Quarter Notes is an independent project by several fans of Straight No Chaser and is not affiliated with Straight No Chaser in any way.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! We would love to hear your feedback on this issue! Tell us what you like, and what you think we can improve on. Please let us know, so we can continue to improve our future issues and bring you the best.

sncquarternotes@gmail.com