Straight No Chaser has recruited 90s idols as special guests on several of the tour dates, like Lisa Loeb, whose platinum-selling song “Stay (I Missed You)” was the soundtrack to the iconic 90s film, “Reality Bites.” She will be supporting Straight No Chaser on six dates this year, including the upcoming show at the Rose.
“We’re so excited to breathe new life into these classic songs that will remind our fans where they were 30 years ago, and maybe even introduce a new generation to why the 90s was such a memorable decade,” said Straight No Chaser member, Walter Chase.
Additionally, Loeb is celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Stay (I Missed You),” which earned her a Grammy nomination and went on to become a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and stayed at number-one for three weeks.
“As somebody who grew up listening to a lot of music and being a fan… to be on the other side of that is really special,” Loeb said, on the success of her song. “To have that connection with my fans, to know that my music has touched people in different ways, that I’m part of people’s memories… it’s been a really amazing experience.”
Since then, “Stay” has received numerous accolades from Entertainment Weekly, SPIN and VH1, which listed it among its “100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.”
The renowned and innovative one-shot music video for “Stay,” directed by “Reality Bites” star Ethan Hawke, has inspired countless imitations and parodies over the years — most recently on Netflix’s “That ‘90s Show,” which guest-starred Loeb this past season.
Loeb achieved two additional top 20 singles in the Nineties with “Do You Sleep?” and “I Do”: potentially call-and-response titles for certainly superb pop-folk-rock tunes.
Beyond her contributions to mainstream pop, Loeb has garnered recognition for her work in children’s music. The journey into children’s music started with 2003′s folky “Catch the Moon” — alongside former songwriting-partner and bandmate in Liz and Lisa, Elizabeth Mitchell — and continued with five more albums since then.
“There was a freedom to it, and the fans actually really responded and kept asking, when was I going to make another kid’s record?” Loeb said. “So I decided to make a summer camp songs’ record [2008′s ‘Camp Lisa’] because that was another place where music was really important to me. And a place where I really started playing guitar.”
Her children’s recordings borrow elements from early “Sesame Street” episodes, “The Electric Company” and variety shows like “Donny & Marie” that bridged the gap between grownup and children’s entertainment. There is a silliness to it, with a lot of heart in the storytelling.
Her 2016 album “Feel What U Feel” won Best Children’s Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Loeb has also been honored with a Parents’ Choice Award, among other awards and nominations throughout her storied career.
“To be recognized by my peers, by people who are in the music business — musicians, producers, engineers — was really rewarding,” Loeb said. “It was a nice kind of seal of approval, in addition to just having regular people who listened to it.”
The singer-songwriter has never really stopped working, and her varied resume clearly shows that. From her sizable music repertoire to film and TV acting to hosting a cooking program with Dweezil Zappa to now DJing a show on SiriusXM, Lisa Loeb keeps propelling forward.
“I always have new ideas,” Loeb said. “Even the other day, I was thinking I really need a break. And then I thought I also really want to learn how to play ‘Moonlight Sonata.’ Let me just add one more thing into the already completely packed list of things that I enjoy doing.”
When Loeb was growing up, she’d see and admire people like Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Christopher Guest who cross-pollinated the music and comedy worlds, who’d go from something dry and absurd to serious in a beat. Loeb has continued that performing tradition and has shown that you can do it all if you want.
Lisa Loeb released her most recent solo album “A Simple Trick to Happiness” in 2020. This year she collaborated with folk band The Hollow Trees on two singles, “Take It While the Takin’s Good” and a cover of Cole Porter and Robert Fletcher’s “Don’t Fence Me In,” ahead of a full record with the Hollow Trees later this year.
She says performing alongside Straight No Chaser on this 90s tour, pairing her hits and newer tracks with the best-selling a capella group, with appreciative crowds to boot has been magical so far.
It’s been 30 years since “Stay (I Missed You).” She’s had a full body of work since, and has new music and more on the way. What Lisa Loeb wants to do after this is under wraps for now, but even if it is just her learning to play “Moonlight Sonata,” that’d be pretty wonderful, too.
How to go
What: Straight No Chaser Summer: The 90s, with special guest Lisa Loeb
When: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 30
Where: The Rose Music Center at The Heights,6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
Tickets: rosemusiccenter.com/events-tickets/event-list/event.html?event_id=311
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