Bio

Hidden among the unending tangles of kudzu, tucked back among the towering Georgia pines and buzzing power lines, sits a haggard little shack that seems to lean comfortably to one side. A dog lumbers by, chasing away a flock of stubborn geese before resigning himself back to the shade. It’s hot out, southern hot, where movements become as slow as the speech and the rare breeze is wet as waves.

From the leaning shack comes the smell of open fire, of meat cooking on open fire, of sweat, stale beer and last night’s whiskey. Then come the sounds. A snare drum smacks like a fastball to a well-oiled mitt, a crisp acoustic guitar begs for company in misery and a pedal steel melts the kudzu into retreat. There’s a band of musicians tucked away in that shack, and they’re hard at work.

This is the musical home of Georgia rock band Chase Fifty-Six. This is where twanged insta-classics like “Mary Jane” and “Let it Go” were first penned and performed, where rock rumpuses like “Hundred Roses” and “Goodbye Princess” got their first sweaty kick in the ass. This dilapidated shack, in all its mosquito-bit sweltering glory, is where their newest record, Allatoona Rising, was born.

While the album – eleven tracks of blistering alt-country/Americana/rock music that will now simply be branded Georgia rock – was born here, it was reared throughout the state of Georgia, from the slick studios of downtown Atlanta to the fly-infested bluegrass trailers of Lavonia. It came to be during the drought of 2009 when the entire Southeast was cracked, chapped and thirsty and the lakes’ exposed underbellies strained water supplies and choked tense politicians. The process was quenching.

“I’m so proud of this record,” says Chase Fifty-Six vocalist and guitar player Chris Stalcup. “The whole thing, from start to finish, really feels like us. As a band, we’ve settled into a sound – a feel, really – that just encapsulates what we’re all about as musicians and as friends and band mates.”

Previous Chase Fifty-Six efforts, including 2003’s The Nature of Alchemy and 2007’s CHASE56 EP, were more muscular, testosterone-driven works and the band – and its fans – are extremely excited about their natural evolution to more personal, roots-based music.

“We’re a pretty energetic live band, so with our early material we felt like it always had to be kind of ass-kicking rock that never let up,” explains drummer Jared Cobb. “But eventually we found ourselves growing beyond that and letting the music come more naturally. Why not play the kind of stuff that we all like to listen to and go see live? So it took a few years to come around to that idea and to develop the level of maturity and confidence to play this kind of music. Our live shows still kick ass, but now they’re also bridled and dynamic.”

There’s no doubt Allatoona Rising has the strength to stand on its own, but anyone who has ever seen Chase Fifty-Six perform on stage – whether in a crowded, piss-stained bar or at a crowded, piss-stained outdoor biker fest – can tell you: It’s the live show that sets the hook.

“I played in numerous rock bands around the South,” reflects bassist Jimi Vollrath, “and it seemed like our shows would always cross paths with Chase Fifty-Six. They would usually pretty much steal the show, regardless of where they sat on the billing, so I always kind of secretly wanted to join them. Then the opportunity came up and I jumped at it.”

And now it’s your turn to jump at an opportunity. Join Chase Fifty-Six in their quest to blanket the South. Review the album, book the gig, see the show, do the interview … and shout it from the top of the pines.

The drought is over. The lakes are rising. The shack is hot, sweaty, cramped and loud. But there’s always room for one more.

Come on in.

www.chasefiftysix.com