In 2005, after having finished an intense actor training program from the University of Evansville, I found myself moving towards music and songwriting. Performing for audiences was always thrilling for me, but my passion and creative interests moved to songs. I got my creative start in NYC as a a singer/songwriter and performer. After many manifestations as a solo act, I formed the psychedelic rock band CHAPPO in a small East Village apartment in 2009 with my friend Chris Olson. The duo quickly became a foursome with Zac Colwell and David Feddock. CHAPPO first caught national attention when our song “Come Home” from our self released EP (recorded in our living room), inexplicably landed in an Apple iPod commercial. It was called "an excellently overstuffed garage-psych sound" by Pitchfork, posted by many music blogs and has since amassed over 25 millions plays on Spotify and other streaming sites. Over the years, my band toured extensively around the US, as well as the UK and Canada, headlining tours, opening for The Flaming Lips, Mac DeMarco, of Montreal, Lucius, Imagine Dragons, Bear Hands and many more. We played at renowned festivals like Bonnaroo, Osheaga, Summerfest, SXSW, CMJ, and Dot to Dot (UK) . Putting on a wild show has always been apart of our live shows and were a central part of understanding who and what we were.
To date we’ve put out three full length albums and a handful of EPs. Our first full-length, Moonwater (Majordomo Records), was likened to the Pixies with a dash of Grandaddy and “with just enough psych-swirls to stay groovy,” by Spin magazine. CHAPPO’s 2015 release Future Former Self on Votiv Music was a genre-bending concept album about a black-hole bound space traveler named Rene. It delved deeper into the world of synth-orchestrated space-rock. Our most recent release Do It was recorded at the famous Tiny Telephone studio in San Francisco all in an analogue process recorded to tape and produced by John Vanderslice and David Feddock.
Over the years, we’ve been lucky enough to get our songs on TV shows like the Big Bang Theory, HBO’s Crashing and Hung, and a bunch of indie movies.
ALBUMS
CHAPPO - Do It
Most recent CHAPPO record released by Votiv Music February 2018 and produced by John Vanderslice and David Feddock.
CHAPPO - Future Former Self
A psychedelic concept album and odyssey through dimensions. Follow Rene Cogito as he travels to a black hole hoping to save mankind.
Chappo - Moonwater
CHAPPO’s debut record. Track 4, Come Home, is a stand out track that charts on Alternative radio and lands an iPod commercial.