The Parlor Chase
The founding members of Parlor Chase, Patrick Coleman and Trygve Has-Elison, have at various times found themselves alone in Brazil or Mexico or California, and often on hallowed ground in the American South.
Other places along the way, but they’ve always reunited with the one
thing that matters most – fresh fuel for another set of bloodthirsty rock and roll songs wrested from personal observation, pain, separation and gritty stories of those lost souls along the road.
It wasn’t easy. Pre-Chase, while exploring the profundities of goth, pop, blues and all things hard-wired rock and roll, Patrick and Trygve never tired of wrestling with the how and why of
their musical output.
​
Patrick has taken life’s lumps and fortunate twists and grafted them into words, lyrics and poetry sung with an instantly appealing voice, and range to match. In the service of his heart’s rhythm and rhyme, he can growl it out, too; a velvet hammer easily befitting authentic country, gothic blues or a classic 70’s thumping.
When you hear Trygve play guitar, you won’t likely forget it. It’s impressive, with a crunch and
underpinning of the blues-bones that instantly commands respect. Listen to any song where he puts slide to finger and you’ll hear his instinctive love of pop music traditions, delivered with melodic precision. That ain’t no small thing. Strumming easily within different genres, Trygve meets the challenge of playing in the graveyard amongst the greats with a true musical authority. He knows what he’s doing (you can hear it in every song) but – most exciting of all – he’s constantly in search of higher musical ground, a deeper tone, a more magical phrase; a thrashing not yet heard.
​​
Parlor Chase are special. Within their ever-growing repertoire are stories deftly woven into a carefully crafted music that is sometimes subtle, sometimes gut-punched, but always instantly appealing to the ear bones. And let’s forget about the funny side of life. There are no good bands that don’t give their fans musical pause to laugh, or at least enjoy a grin on the side of the road or under the shade of a thick growth of kudzu, as it were. From Johnny Cash and early Elvis to Gun Club and Birthday Party, Parlor Chase have been there, heard it; all that (and more) reconfigured in their own original splendor is in the grooves of every song they’ve recorded. Go listen to Buffalo Jack and the Parlor Snakes, their first. Wild and wonderful punk-blues-country, it surely is. A great album. Stepping Off The Spaceship, their second, is lean, mean, classic-rock slam. All the elements of the first with its own unique focus. Both recordings explore the innards of all things rock and rhythm, but make obvious a continual evolution within the inspirited creativity of Patrick and Trygve.
As of 1/1/21, Patrick and Trygve are in great shape. They met Miguel Arrona Cruz, anelectrifying drummer, who played with them during a two-night, sold out gig in Monterrey, Mexico. That same night an old friend, Neil Brincks, sat in on bass guitar, and good thing he did. By the end of the second night, Parlor Chase had a new rhythm section. A bit of kismet on the road in Monterrey. The plan now is to make another record – hell, yeah! 2021 promises healing, and Parlor Chase wants to do their part with a new record, a reinvigorated lineup, and a heap of musical magic to unleash on the world. Take it from me, they’ve got what it takes to do just that. --Terry James Graham