What are your names?
Ryan Holsman & Bradley Jensen
What is the band’s name?
Chasing Chimera
How did you come up with the band’s name?
We’re poking fun at ourselves! We chose the name because it’s another way of saying “wild goose chase”. To chase a chimera is to go after something you can’t achieve.
What is your genre of music?
We started off blatantly pop-punk and have drifted toward a more blanket alt-rock sound.
Give us a little bio about you.
We met back in middle school almost 13 years ago, and shared a love of music. We’d stand around in gym class and fantasize about being the next Beatles or something. At the time, Brad was already playing drums. We played in different bands throughout high school, and about a year after graduation, we joined up and have been going at it ever since.
What made you go into music?
Brad: I started playing drums because my friends were all musicians; I even started off using my neighbour’s drum kit.
Ryan: My great-grandpa, grandpa, and uncle were all in bands. That’s a long line of musicians, so it runs in the family, I guess! Oh yeah, and girls…
Who are your influences?
The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Incubus, Arctic Monkeys, and the Chicago punk rock scene as a whole, specifically the Alkaline Trio, The Lawrence Arms, and The Menzingers, to name a few.
Are you signed?
Nope!
You recently released your new single ‘No One’s Got Your Back’ and it is out now, tell us more about the single.
The song is about an ex-girlfriend, and how she got started smoking cigarettes. It was oddly tragic.
What is the meaning behind the single?
The song is about how easy it is to make mistakes, even ones you’re sure you’d never make. Being in a bad place tends to make people more at risk of self-harming behaviour.
Who did you work with on the single?
We worked with Matt Allison of Atlas Studios. He’s produced some of our favorite records, so we’re stoked to be working with him.
Describe the track in two words.
Happiest Emo
Will we see a Music Video for the tracks and if so what can we expect?
Not likely, but our near-future singles will have videos.
Will we see any live shows and if so where will you be heading?
Once we finish up our next few releases, we’ll hit the Chicago and Milwaukee areas as hard as we can!
What else can we expect in 2021?
We’re aiming to release a new song or two by the end of year.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Either playing festival-runs, or dumpster diving for dinner. Hard to say. No in-between.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Just don’t stop.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Water, water, water, water, and… water. (We still forget the water)
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Go to www.chasingchimera.com for a FREE t-shirt and follow us on Instagram!
