Daily Inspiration: Meet Kalen Chase

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kalen Chase.

Hi Kalen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I gravitated toward music at a very early age. One of my first words was “Vivaldi”. I used to play a mix tape of his songs that my mom gave me on a little playschool tape deck (god, I’m old). This turned out to be a good choice, as I would later discover that I sucked at sports and 9-5 jobs. Starting out in classical guitar and opera, my interests rapidly shifted to rock and metal. I never lost sight of my classical roots and every genre has something worthwhile. Except for bro country.

After finishing my stint at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, I had an opportunity to try out as a background vocalist for the band, Korn. Lo and behold, I got the gig, thrusting me into a professional world that I had to pretend to be ready for. After a few years of touring the globe, I began focusing on my own musical career. In 2014, I was asked by my dear friend Joey Jordison to sing in his band, which we named “Vimic”. We all know how that ended, but it led me down a different path and now I find myself playing a style of music I’ve always loved, but never had the opportunity to explore.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Here’s a brief list:
– being albinistic (the sun is my sworn enemy)
– being legally blind (it’s not convenient, but everyone is very attractive)
– never fitting into any specific genre (too pop for metal, too metal for pop)
– losing a record deal in the 2008 recession
– losing dear friends with who I collaborated with
– losing my mind
– health issues
– and a fear of the internet

But, through all that, I am eternally grateful and would not change a thing.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What am I most proud of? I got the opportunity in 2020 to be the Musical Director of an online Livestream of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which featured many original cast members and other celebrities. I had the privilege of partnering up with Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls, Violent Femmes, NIN) and amazing multi-instrumentalist Alexander Burke, along with many others, to recreate every song from the ground up.

This involved multiple studios, countless hours, and little to no sleep to get an impossible task done in an incredibly short time. The proceeds for this production went to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which means that Joe Biden owes his presidency to me and me alone (just ask me, and I’ll tell you).

We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY ENTIRE MUSICAL STYLE AND CAREER IN THE MIDDLE OF A FRIGGIN’ PANDEMIC! Risks are inevitable. You’re going to have to make the tough decisions and put something or everything on the line to get what you want. That doesn’t mean you just swing blindly for the fences. You have to take into consideration logic, common sense, and human decency. But if you can reach those criteria, I say go bonkers.

A perfect example of this happened as the result of my singing along to one of my favorite songs while chopping cabbage. Without my knowledge, my evil manager posted it on TikTok and it went viral. After thousands of requests, I decided to do a proper cover of Christina Perri’s, “A Thousand Years”, featuring my friend, The Daily Fare. Many of my existing fans might be taken aback, and I’m willing to risk that. Sorry, metalheads!

https://kalenchase.ffm.to/athousandyears

Pricing:

• I offer professional vocal coaching for $200/hour
• I am a Vocal Producer and Studio Vocalist. Prices vary.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kalenchase.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalen_chase/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theKalenChase/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kalen_chase
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kalenchase
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kalenchase
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7ffJrTeAtFZb6KsuKLCRkD?si=AnYpWOmbQ-SDGZ3slsbFdw

Image Credits
Connor Wryn, Michael Darling, and James Glasgow