30 years later, the Buffalo Chips keep on singing

Their upcoming Valentine’s Day concert is a special one for the Buffalo Chips, UB’s lower voices a cappella group.

The performance on Feb. 22 will mark 30 years since the “Chips,” as they’re known, were founded in early 1995 by a dozen members of the UB choir who got together to sing “Goodnight Sweetheart” and “For the Longest Time” at a talent show and fundraiser.

They had so much fun they decided to start an a cappella group.

Today, the Chips have become one of the more recognizable, and beloved, traditions at the university, where for three decades now they have entertained the campus at concerts and formal dinners and commencements and sporting events and visits by dignitaries.

“I can’t believe it’s been 30 years,” says Ron Veiders, a founding member of the Buffalo Chips.

“We were just college kids. I don’t know if any of us ever thought the Chips would still be around all these years later,” Veiders says. “But it’s pretty cool.”

Nearly 70 former Chips are expected to return for the 30th anniversary concert, to be held from 7-9:30 p.m. in Slee Hall, says Chips member Matthew Beebe.

“You’re not only going to see the current group perform, but also different eras of Chips will perform together from when they were in the group,” says Beebe, a junior who serves as business manager. “It’s going to be a big show.”

The Chips were officially born in fall 1995 as “Cadence.” They learned the ropes from the local chapter of the barber shop quartet society and cut their teeth performing at area schools and events.

But Cadence sounded too formal and didn’t reflect the group’s playful personality, Veiders recalls. So, they relaunched for a concert in March 1996 and debuted under the more whimsical Buffalo Chips — slang, of course, for buffalo dung.

 A cappella had become trendy again on college campuses. The Chips tapped into the music of the popular boy bands from that era and threw their energy into practicing, recording songs, promoting performances, traveling to competitions and lobbying university administrators for funding. A year later, the Royal Pitches, the all-treble a cappella group at UB, was formed.  

“I’ll be honest — for me, it became addictive,” Veiders says. “It was sort of the coolness of what you were starting and doing something that was novel at the time.”

These days, the Chips still maintain a roster of around 15 and hold tryouts each fall to fill openings. They practice at night on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and take paid gigs throughout the year to defray costs of their three annual concerts — one in the fall, one in the spring and one for Valentine’s Day.

They sing what they like and arrange their entire repertoire. Pop, rock, soul, funk, R&B. You name it and the Chips have probably sung it a cappella.

Every few years, the Chips compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella. They placed third in the semi-finals in 2024.

“The movie ‘Perfect Pitch’ changed everything for a cappella because it made it more mainstream and made the competitions that much harder,” says Chips member Jeremy Meyers.

“The arrangements are more complex and the microphones of today allow you to do more with those arrangements,” says Meyers, a senior who serves as the group’s music director.

But while the faces and songs may change with the years, the Chips’ brotherly bond has not. The friendships forged through this “singing fraternity” over the decades have become lifelong.

“I didn’t expect it to be like this,” Beebe says. “I didn’t expect it would end up becoming the closest group of friends I maybe ever had. I didn’t expect us to sound so good, either. It sounds kind of crazy that college a cappella may be one of the most important things in my life, but it totally is.”

“I love this group,” says Chips member Sage Hellman, a freshman. “It’s definitely my favorite part of college — hands down.”

“No matter what’s going on with classes or what’s going on with your personal life, you always have the Chips and that’s something that is really important and pivotal to our group,” Meyers says. “We are a brotherhood.”

Brotherhood is how Veiders still describes the Chips, even now, 30 years later.

“A lot of us have stood up in each other’s weddings or became godparents to each other’s kids,” Veiders says. “If someone asked what the best times of our lives were while in college, we would talk about the Chips.”

Tickets for Saturday’s concert are $7 for students and $12 for general admission.