progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
band from
Oceanside
Oceanside may refer to:
Places United States
*Oceanside, California
** Oceanside Transit Center
*Oceanside, New York
Oceanside is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempst ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Their music is largely instrumental with only a few songs containing vocal performances. The final line up of the band consisted of Mario Camarena (guitar), Erick Hansel (guitar), Esiah Camarena (bass) and Nathan Camarena (drums).
History
Early career
In 2008, they began releasing demos via the internet. In 2010, the band began a brief hiatus, but reunited in 2011 to record two new songs, "O.G." and "Breathe". They returned in 2013 with the release of their debut EP entitled ''Newborn Sun''. In 2014, Chon released their second EP, entitled ''Woohoo!'' and embarked on two consecutive nationwide tours with
Animals as Leaders
Animals as Leaders is an American instrumental progressive metal band from Washington D.C. Since 2012, the band has consisted of Tosin Abasi (lead guitar), Javier Reyes (rhythm guitar), and Matt Garstka (drums), having originated in 2007 as a ...
.
''Grow'' and departure of Pelisek
In December 2014, Chon signed with the record label
Sumerian Records
Sumerian Records is an American record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.Grow'' would be released in March 2015. On March 5, the band premiered their song ''Can't Wait'' from the album via
Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...
. They released the album on March 24. Eight days prior the band embarked on a 27 date tour supporting
Circa Survive
Circa Survive was an American rock music, rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 2004. Founded by singer Anthony Green (musician), Anthony Green and guitarist Colin Frangicetto, the band consisted of former members from This ...
. On December 16, 2015, Chon announced their first full US headlining tour, titled the Super Chon Bros Tour, with accompanying bands
Polyphia
Polyphia is a primarily instrumental progressive rock band based in Plano, Texas, formed in 2010. The group consists of guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, bassist Clay Gober, and drummer Clay Aeschliman. Initially rooted in a metal-focused ...
and
Strawberry Girls
Strawberry Girls is an American rock band from Salinas, California, formed in 2011. The band is currently composed of guitarist Zac Garren, drummer Ben Rosett, and bassist Ian Jennings. All three members are multi-instrumentalists and record pr ...
. They sold out every single show on the tour. Chon was also an opening band during the Sonic Unrest Tour, featuring headliner Periphery, and bands Sikth and
Toothgrinder
Toothgrinder is an American progressive metal band from Asbury Park, New Jersey.
History
Original members Wills Weller, Justin Matthews, Matt Arensdorf, Jason Goss, and Matt Mielke met during high school and informally formed the band after t ...
.
On November 8, 2015, Chon stated via their Twitter feed that they parted ways with Drew Pelisek due to 'artistic differences'. It was also confirmed by Drew on a personal account.
Anthony Crawford Anthony Crawford may refer to:
*Anthony Crawford (bass musician), American musician, producer and songwriter
*Anthony Crawford (musician), American musician
*Anthony Crawford (lynching victim), African American man who was killed by a lynch mob in ...
on bass. Since Pelisek's departure, Chon has had 3 touring bassists, including original bassist Esiah Camarena, who played bass during the ''Journey's Unplugged'' tour. Esiah returned as a full-time member of the band following his attendance on the ''Robot With Human Hair Vs. Chonzilla'' tour with
Dance Gavin Dance
Dance Gavin Dance is an American Rock music, rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. It consists of lead guitarist Will Swan (musician), Will Swan, drummer Matthew Mingus, harsh vocalist Jon Mess, and lead vocalist and rhythm gui ...
Kurt Travis
Kurt Travis (born January 16, 1984) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter from Sacramento, California. He is currently part of the post-hardcore bands Royal Coda, A Lot Like Birds, and Push Over and the math rock duo Gold Necklace, a ...
.
In April 2019, Chon performed on the Mojave Stage at
Coachella (festival)
Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...
.
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selli ...
appeared as a special guest for their set.
On June 7, 2019, Chon released their third full-length self-titled album, under
Sumerian Records
Sumerian Records is an American record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.Necrophagist
Necrophagist ( ) was a German technical death metal band founded and fronted by guitarist and vocalist Muhammed Suiçmez. The band used baroque music-influenced compositions paired with extreme metal drumming.
The name originates from the Gre ...
and post-hardcore band The Fall of Troy, but the band have also listed pianists such as
Hiromi Uehara
, often known mononymously as Hiromi, is a Grammy Award winning Japanese jazz composer and pianist. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blending of musical genres such as stride, post-bop, progressive rock ...
, Tigran Hamasyan, and Alex Argento as influences in their sound as well as jazz fusion band Return to Forever. Chon's music was noted for its use of complex harmony with heavy emphasis on extended chords, as well as the odd time signatures and
polyrhythms
Polyrhythm () is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-r ...
typical of the progressive rock genre. Chon's music often features counterpoint between two guitars with one instrument panned to the left and one to the right. Stereo panned counterpoint can be heard on tracks such as 'Story', 'Suda', 'Fluffy' and 'Spike'. Their second album, ''Homey'', saw the band incorporating elements of trip-hop and electronic music, which can be heard in tracks such as 'Nayhoo.'
Band members
Final lineup
*Erick Hansel – guitars (2008–2024), vocals (2016–2024)
*Mario Camarena – guitars (2008–2024)
*Nathan Camarena – drums (2008–2024)
*Esiah Camarena – bass (2008–2010, 2016–2024)
Former members
*Drew Pelisek – bass, vocals (2012–2016)
Touring members
*Garrick Arden - trombone (2010-2014)
* Brandon Ewing – bass (2016, Super Chon Bros Tour)
* Summer Swee-Singh – keys, string conductor, vocals (2018, Holiday Tour)
Studio members
*
Anthony Crawford Anthony Crawford may refer to:
*Anthony Crawford (bass musician), American musician, producer and songwriter
*Anthony Crawford (musician), American musician
*Anthony Crawford (lynching victim), African American man who was killed by a lynch mob in ...
– bass guitar (2017-2020)
* Brian Evans – drums (2015-2020)