Chon Band Review

Chon Band Review

Eliot Goedeken

 

There’s nothing like the feeling you get when you discover a great new band–the sense of excitement is like no other, and cannot be fully understood until it has been experienced.  I could not begin to guess how many hours I’ve spent at record stores, online, and talking to friends in hopes of finding talented bands that I have never heard of.  A few weeks ago I went to a concert at the Skyway Theater in Minneapolis, Animals as Leaders was the headlining act, so I expected the show to be a combination of hard-hitting progressive metal and metalcore bands.  I could not have been more mistaken.  Not even half way through the night, Chon–a San Diego based progressive rock band–took the stage.  I was surprised when they walked on stage holding practically bottom of the line instruments, since all the other bands that were playing that night used incredibly expensive gear.  The surprises continued when they began their set.

In stark contrast to the minor key assault presented by the metal bands on the bill, Chon play a relaxed style of jazz rock.  Their music evokes a sense of tranquility that is nothing short of sublime, but Chon’s music still develops in such an interesting way that it never becomes tedious or boring.  The band also maintains a breathtaking level of technicality.  Their work features plenty of sweeping and strange chords; normally pedestrian displays of virtuosity–however, the way Chon uses these techniques is entirely original.  Rather than sweep pick through scales, Chon often sweep pick across pinch harmonic arpeggios, an amazingly difficult technique that I have never heard used by any other band.  In addition, when Chon’s two guitarists do sweep pick across standard scales they do so in harmony with each other, creating melody in place of meaningless soloing.

Some may wonder why I bothered to mention that Chon play with relatively low quality instruments.  Well here’s why: many musicians wrongly think that high end gear is necessary to achieve a strong, clean sound–the fact that Chon play with cheap gear is evidence that this is completely untrue.  Chon is proof that great music comes from musicians, not great instruments.  Chon stands as a testament to the continued survival of great music in a society dominated by Justin Bieber, they are a small unique act that need and deserve all the support they can get from fans like us.