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We hear many different stories about how our music relates to our fans in some meaningful way, unfortunately, we don’t often have the opportunity to pass it along to the rest of you. Here is a personal experience for which we obtained permission to share with the rest of our fans. Enjoy!

‘Hi Guys,
Just wanted to send a note to thank you guys for helping me. Back in February, I began a journey, and you guys took it with me. I began an exercise program with nothing more than some hope,determination & all of Tonic Sol-Fa magical harmonies loaded in my MP 3 player. When I saw you guys in February In Sidney,OH, I was the heaviest I’ve ever been @ 248 lbs.That following week we began the Biggest Loser at work. It lasted 90 days ,and within that 90 days, I not only began to lose the weight ,but I made an entire lifestyle change. From the begining I had you guys singing me all the way through. It was amazing how at times when I felt like I couldn’t go any further, a song would come on to encourage me like Grace or Long Black Train & give me that extra burst of energy that I needed. There were times that I felt you guys were singing straight to me, encouraging me to keep going. I learned to set my cardio pace to the beat of your songs. Eventually, I was able to double pace myself to your music as well as sing along to it. I have listened to you guys repeatedly every day over the last 7 months to the point that i could sing all your parts in almost every song( although I could never hold a candle to you guys). I would always cover the time on the machines,so over time I got creative & I could guesstimate my time by the length of each song. Over the last 7 months ,you guys have went to several 5K & 10K walks \ runs with me, & we are fixing to do a half marathon together in October.( I hope you guys are up to it) I did win the Biggest Loser at work with flying colors. As of today I have lost 72 lbs which is 33% of my total body weight. & I feel awesome. I just wanted to share my story with you, & to let you know that I appreciated all the high 5s & encouraging words you gave me. I thank God that we had the opportunity to meet. Tonic Sol-Fa and your magical brand of song & personality have touched my life in ways you’ll never be able to imagine, & I’ll always be grateful for that. Thank you for singing 72 lbs off me. God Bless & Keep You
Barb Jung
Cincinnati, Ohio”

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Plastic Santa needs a friend.  A few years ago, we found PS amidst stage props in Durand, Wisconsin.  And the rest, as the cliche goes, is history.  Since that first off-the-cuff visit with our Christmas mascot, we have received much hate mail and just as much enthusiasm for keeping a ridiculous segment in our yearly trips across the Midwest and beyond.  We’ve toyed with the idea of making Plastic Santa more international, of releasing a cartoon, of filming an untimely demise and of pairing him up for a year with a pink flamingo or a garden ball (look that up, it’s real), or one of those gnomes from Greg’s backyard pumpkin patch.  So if this were Plastic Santa’s last year (and I’m not saying it is), how should the faded ball of polymer be remembered?  What would his last words be?

Shaun

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Say what you will about a cappella, it’s portrayal in digital media is rarely flattering, but we consistently have the best and most loyal fans (take that Emo and Bluegrass!).  I read of Justin Timberlake being booed off the stage in Canada and of objects being thrown at Lady Gaga, of country stars who can stand on their head while singing and still not be noticed, of amazing musicians toiling in obscurity for their art peppering the streets on NY, LA, and Nashville.  Why are we any different?  Because of you.  True, in the past decade we did have a woman sit in the front row of a show in IA with headphones listening to her “favorite group” (obviously not us) and this past weekend at the MN State Fair we did have a gentleman read the paper from front to back during our entire set, but the former had her rods and cones mixed up and the latter was probably filming a new Parisian reality show on rude behavior in public settings.   In either case, our experience has been almost perfectly wondrous.  And today, I thank you for that memory and that experience.

shaun

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