Seggie Isho had a good time singing in the a cappella vocal group Straight No Chaser when he was studying music at Indiana University in Bloomington.

And when the group — which became a national recording act in 2008 after the viral success of a video featuring the group performing “The 12 Days of Christmas” — called the Rochester High School graduate to join again earlier this year, he was more than happy to leave his “real world” job with his brother’s Sprint dealership in Las Vegas.

“It was actually like catching lightning in a bottle twice for me — being in the group while I was at IU and now being with them again on this level,” says Isho, 26. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When does this ever happen, you know? I knew I had to take it.”

Isho joined in time to perform on “Christmas Cheers,” Straight No Chaser’s follow-up to 2008’s “Holiday Spirits.” The group has also released an EP, “Six Pack,” and filmed a performance this summer in New York City that will be airing this month on PBS affiliates.

Straight No Chaser also is working on its first non-holiday album, which will feature some original compositions as well as standards and covers of pop hits such as Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” Coldplay’s “Fix You,” Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” and Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.”

“We’re still blown away by all of this,” Isho says. “We go to Schenectady, N.Y., a little town, and 2,000 people came out. Half of us missed the first few measures of the first song ‘cause we were so blown away — ‘You’re here to see us? Really? It’s just us ...’

“I get texts and e-mails from my mom every other day — ‘I just saw your CD at Target!’ ‘I just saw your CD at Wal-Mart.’ It’s so cool. My parents are ridiculously proud and so happy I’m finally back in music and their tuition dollars were not wasted.”



Straight No Chaser performs at 7 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 5) at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 S. Fourth St. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 day of show. Call (248) 399-2980 or visit www.royaloakmusictheatre.com.