Hello Rockstars! Today’s Artist of the Week is Alt-Rock Band Chasing Light!
Here is their own story in their own words, enjoy! 🙂
VMS:
“What’s your backstory and current lineup.”
Chasing Light:
“Started off as a solo artist. Been singing since I could talk. In middle school I was getting bullied a lot because I was singing songs that weren’t the “in-thing “ to listen to in middle school. I stopped singing for a while and picked up guitar because I love music but didn’t want to be bullied. As I started writing songs, I realized I wanted to sing again. I released my first two songs as a solo artist and had some legends play on it like Les Warner of the Cult, Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot and Ozzy, and my mentor, Rick Steier of Kingdom Come and Warrant.
I started getting label interest very quickly and I was advised to put a band together of my peers. Being in Los Angeles, most teens just wanted to be social media influencers and not in bands. When I moved to Las Vegas this year, I quickly found teens who wanted to be in a band. We currently have Nico Hayek on guitar. He has been with the band the longest and I can’t imagine this band without him, he is like my brother now. Nico has been an incredible teen guitarist since he was 7 years old. We found Nico playing around town in bands with members more than twice his age because he is so good.
We recently parted ways with our bassist and his little brother who was on drums. We have Geronimo sitting in on bass which we really hope becomes a permanent part of our band. Coolest cat on bass in this town. The drummer position is being filled in as needed while we search for the perfect drummer to become a member of our rock n roll family.”
VMS:
“What artist or bands inspire you and your sound.”
Chasing Light:
“Our sound is heavily influenced by classic and 80s rock, yes I am going to say it…hair bands of the 80s! Love Motley Crue, Queen, Guns n Roses, Iron Maiden, Lita Ford, Led Zeppelin…I can go one forever. We’re also influenced by more modern bands like Halestorm. Lzzy of Halestorm is a God!
Our co-manager and mentor is Rick Steier of Kingdom Come and Warrant. Rick plays a huge influence on our sound. We are so lucky to work with someone like Rick who has so much knowledge of the industry and has done it all.”
VMS:
“Helena, Tell me about your original song “Dead Inside.” What was the Inspiration behind that song.”
Chasing Light / Helena:
“Everyone always asks me what guy did me so wrong when they hear that song. I have severe ADHD along with other learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dysgraphia. The public school system didn’t really want to supply the support I needed so they pressured my family to put me on ADHD medications. It was a wild ride of different medications that sent me on a downward spiral.
First, they had to find the right pill for ADHD which meant experimenting with one pill after another. Then those pills made it hard to sleep so they had to put me on a pill for a sleep aid. The sleep aid caused depression so needed a pill for depression. That caused bi-polar effects which needed a pill for that.
It just sent me down a very dark hole until I stopped taking all medications to clear my head up. “Dead Inside” is about this journey into this world of medications. The “You” I refer to in the song is the bottle of pills.”
Listen to “Dead Inside” On YouTube:
VMS:
“Which local artist would you like to work with and why.”
Chasing Light:
“That is a tough one. There are so many great artists in this town. Las Vegas is really an entertainer’s town with so many musicians that I didn’t find back in Los Angeles. Everyone thinks Los Angeles is it but I think Las Vegas is the hot spot.
There is one artist that really comes to mind because everyone has mentioned her name to me since I moved to this town and that is Bree of The Far Worst. I think she and I have a very similar style, and she has really made a name for herself in this town. I follow her on social media, and I just keep rooting for her because we seem to like all the same bands.”
VMS:
“What’s your overall theme or message of your music and sound.”
Chasing Light:
“My music tends to be very dark. I sing a lot about the place that I came from. Being bullied, I was diagnosed with PTSD along with my struggles with the ADHD medications, depression played a huge part of my life.
It was so bad I had music schools contacting my parents when I write lyrics like “Jump off a building, just to feel the high, drinking the poison, to clear my mind.” With the band, the music is changing and becoming more fun. The band really is my happy place!”
VMS:
“Do you have a favorite song that you like to perform.”
Chasing Light:
“That is an easy one and it isn’t an original song by us. I get compared to Alanis Morissette a lot and I mean a lot! I love the comparison; it is an honor to be compared to such an amazing artist. I love to cover “You Oughta Know” by Alanis. It is a very complex song with the constant changing dynamics in the song showing off the musicianship of the band and really allows me to put on a strong performance vocally and emotionally.”
Watch My Live Stream of Chasing Light at Brew It Coffee House:
VMS:
“Do you have any crazy or interesting stories from working in the music scene.”
Chasing Light:
“My favorite story is how my first single came together. I was writing the song with Rick’s help. We needed a drum track, so we asked our buddy Les Warner of the Cult to lay down some drums for us. The demo was coming along, and my vocal teacher was telling me how good the song is, and we should get it produced. I told her my dream producer would be the one who did the Halestorm albums. Turns out my vocal coach knew the producer and sent my demo to him.
We go to dinner after my vocal lesson and my dad’s phone rings and he looks at the number trying to figure out who it is. I told him to answer it, it is probably the producer, and he told me to keep dreaming. He answers the phone, and it is the producer. He told my dad he would like to produce the song next week. Rick played bass on the demo so since we were going into the studio to record professionally now, it was suggested we find a bass player. I tell everyone that I would love for Rudy Sarzo to play bass. My dad comes back with that line again of keep dreaming!
A friend of ours who knows Rudy reached out to him and a couple of hours later we got a message that Rudy is in. This all came together so fast! We went into the studio with all these amazing musicians and while we were driving to the studio, I started crying. I kept telling my dad I don’t belong in the same studio as these musicians. My dad had me wipe the tears away and go into that studio and I must admit that was the most incredible experience of my life. I guess dreams do come true!”
VMS:
“What does the future hold for Chasing Light.”
Chasing Light:
“Chasing Light is a continuation of our dreams. Everyone says don’t put your eggs all in one basket or always have a plan B. We don’t have a plan B. This is what we want to do with our lives is make music and play out live. The plan is to go into the studio early in 2025 and start recording the songs we have been writing. We can’t wait to share our new music with all our fans.”
VMS:
“What do you want your audience to feel and experience at one of your live shows.”
Chasing Light:
“I love it when people can relate to the music. When I know people have gone through similar situations and have found a way to a better life like I did. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel which is why we came up with the name Chasing Light. We also just want people to enjoy the music and most of all, we love all the new friends we are building through our music.”
Vegas Music Scene Thoughts:
What I like about Chasing Light is a whole lot of shit, so where to start really… (lmao)
Okay, first of all, I love their throwback sound and how they get their inspirations from some of the greatest 70’s and 80’s bands out there, but yet have still created a sound that is very unique and their own. I love how what you see is what you get with them, they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and also some of the most crazy talented ones as well. The testament to that is when I saw them for the first time a couple of months back at Brew It Coffee House. I was instantly blown away by their strong musicianship, those killer vocals, wonderful songs about love, pain and anger, and awesome stage presence, I can definitely see that magic in their stage performances. I could honestly have a whole album similar to Helena’s song “Dead Inside”; it’s a beautiful tragic yet definitely Rock heavy vibe that I really resonated with, so it will be interesting to see the evolution of this sound sometime this year.
Now, can I talk a second about those killer vocals?! I just have to say that I’ve been a singer literally my whole life (that’s not to gloat, I promise I have a point to this. lol) and so I understand how fucking hard some of those songs that I have seen Chasing Light perform live, and I just wanted to say how truly blown away I was by Singer Helena’s vocal range. She was able to take me on a roller coaster musically all while making it look so damn easy, when I know as a singer it definitely is not, so keep doing what your doing vocally, cause your absolutely killing it! 🙂
Adding to the dynamic of those killer vocals, they are all amazing musicians as well, which all beautifully compliment each other, and honestly, If you get a chance to see them live guys, you better fucking go, it’s going to be an absolutely one of a kind experience and I can guarantee you will have a good time. I’m excited to see what the future holds for Chasing Light, I feel they truly have something special and I can’t wait for their new music this year, so stay tuned for that! I’m proud to call them my Artist of the Week, and I’m excited to see the wild ride they will take us on.
—VMS
For More Information about Chasing Light, Check out their Instagram. 🙂