2013 is officially the year “Chasing December” began to actually find an identity. It was the year we really became a complete band with a bassist and vocalist and released our first album Set In Stone… but a lot of things had to happen to lead into this accomplishment, and it took a great deal of time and effort to accomplish.
I first met Sebastian during the spring of 2011. I was looking for a drummer to start a band because I had recently moved to the NW GA area. We met, jammed for about an hour or two, and discussed writing and practice, etc. Right at the start I could tell Sebastian was a natural. The drums were just an extension of himself, and his playing was incredibly fluent and at many times, flawless. I had played with a few different drummers in the past, but I knew right at the start that Mr. Sebastian Ayars was the best by far. As a writer and a percussionist in general, his ideas changed my way of thinking when it came to writing songs. He always has a cool idea to give each song that extra little push from being just “good” to being something “great”. Not to mention, being in a band with him is one of the coolest things I have had the pleasure of enjoying. A loyal friend, and a kickass drummer.
So, after we jammed, everything seemed great the next few days. Then I got a message from him online saying he was uninterested and wasn’t in the proper place in his life to be in a band right now. And so my search continued… Bummer...
It wasn’t until about 9 months later that Sebastian and I walked into the same room together again with our instruments. We had known each other a little more through some mutual friends, and we were interested in performing in the school Christmas show. No other plans beyond this show had yet been made. So, we naturally gravitated toward a heavier sound and chose to cover August Burns Red’s version of the song, Carol of the Bells, while putting our own spin on it. The result? A roaring crowd in a packed auditorium. The response to our performance pushed Sebastian over the edge, and he came back to me with the simple, straightforward statement, “Dan, I’m ready to start a band”.
So, since 2011 Sebastian and I had been working on music together, and we began this project with a ton of ambition from the start. We were composing music, naming, releasing, and even promoting the songs as just a two piece band. After playing some charity shows and a few open mic’s, we had just started to get our name out there for people to recognize. We also decided to create an instrumental cd for people to take with them and to show other musicians our style. We did not intend to stay a two-piece band, so we needed a means to show people what we were all about. The instrumental EP was titled “Only Moments Away,” and it included the demo versions of Carnival, Falling Faster (Fast Five), 18 Miles Out, North-Side, Empire, and Words Left Unsaid. Then, we went through the painful search of finding a bassist and a vocalist… As it turns out, none of the musicians I had found were a good fit. It was frustrating… But, it taught me the important value of patience, and the correct people came to us.
In February of 2013, I received a message on the band Facebook page from a musician out of Rome, Georgia named Joseph Bullard. Joe had heard of our music from a music sharing website and showed interest in filling the bassist position. After the first few messages and listening to music off his personal SoundCloud, I knew that he would be the perfect 3rd member to our group. His music tastes travel to so many good genres, and he has a keen ear for using his bass to take each song one step further. Beyond that, Joe has vision and ideas, not just for songs, but also for artwork everything else that goes into this band. He is an all-around solid person, a multi-instrumentalist, talented, determined, smart, and a great member in the band. Joe really brings this project to a whole new dynamic level, and his writing is simply inspiring. Having Joe around brings a true balance to this band, and I love it. Moving forward, his influence will ring through with more bold melodies and hard rocking riffs.
Lastly.. there’s Dalton... and to put it simply: Dalton has rock and roll in his blood. It runs through his veins, and I see the passion in his eyes when we perform…
The first time we met him, he walked into my parent’s garage and was very quiet. Sebastian and Joe were quiet as well, and I had begun some small talk with Dalton after initially shaking his hand. We were all hesitant at first, I think – just feeling each other out. So, he set up his PA, and we went right into 18 Miles Out. (Dalton had shown up with lyrics). Prior to this point, I had only dreamed about how a vocalist would sound with our music. But when Dalton first got to that chorus of 18 Miles Out, Sebastian, Joe, and I could not contain our childish excitement, and we had to stop playing. It was better than I had ever thought it could be. Dalton has an ear for vocal patterns, and he is great at using his voice in a unique way to compliment the music. Not to mention… his chorus melodies are spot on. Sebastian, Joe, and I were just extremely excited to have a singer. But not only that, we were blessed with a good person who is also extremely talented and a gifted lyricist. As some of you may know, a singer is not easy to come by. Dalton completes Chasing December, and I believe that moving forward, Chasing December will delineate and define him and his style as we continue to write together.
When all four of us are in the same room, good things seem to follow, so we are going to keep at it. We all share a dream and a passion, and we plan to seek it out. In this life, people normally have only one chance to do what they love, and above all, we love creating and sharing our music, and we hope people will really like joining us on this journey. We do this for us, and for everyone who supports us. Our vision is set, and our plans, “Set in Stone”. This album has been a long time in the making, and we hope you all enjoy it! We have big plans for the future, and we hope you will join us.
Best wishes and happy holidays,
Daniel Koutavas and Chasing December
I first met Sebastian during the spring of 2011. I was looking for a drummer to start a band because I had recently moved to the NW GA area. We met, jammed for about an hour or two, and discussed writing and practice, etc. Right at the start I could tell Sebastian was a natural. The drums were just an extension of himself, and his playing was incredibly fluent and at many times, flawless. I had played with a few different drummers in the past, but I knew right at the start that Mr. Sebastian Ayars was the best by far. As a writer and a percussionist in general, his ideas changed my way of thinking when it came to writing songs. He always has a cool idea to give each song that extra little push from being just “good” to being something “great”. Not to mention, being in a band with him is one of the coolest things I have had the pleasure of enjoying. A loyal friend, and a kickass drummer.
So, after we jammed, everything seemed great the next few days. Then I got a message from him online saying he was uninterested and wasn’t in the proper place in his life to be in a band right now. And so my search continued… Bummer...
It wasn’t until about 9 months later that Sebastian and I walked into the same room together again with our instruments. We had known each other a little more through some mutual friends, and we were interested in performing in the school Christmas show. No other plans beyond this show had yet been made. So, we naturally gravitated toward a heavier sound and chose to cover August Burns Red’s version of the song, Carol of the Bells, while putting our own spin on it. The result? A roaring crowd in a packed auditorium. The response to our performance pushed Sebastian over the edge, and he came back to me with the simple, straightforward statement, “Dan, I’m ready to start a band”.
So, since 2011 Sebastian and I had been working on music together, and we began this project with a ton of ambition from the start. We were composing music, naming, releasing, and even promoting the songs as just a two piece band. After playing some charity shows and a few open mic’s, we had just started to get our name out there for people to recognize. We also decided to create an instrumental cd for people to take with them and to show other musicians our style. We did not intend to stay a two-piece band, so we needed a means to show people what we were all about. The instrumental EP was titled “Only Moments Away,” and it included the demo versions of Carnival, Falling Faster (Fast Five), 18 Miles Out, North-Side, Empire, and Words Left Unsaid. Then, we went through the painful search of finding a bassist and a vocalist… As it turns out, none of the musicians I had found were a good fit. It was frustrating… But, it taught me the important value of patience, and the correct people came to us.
In February of 2013, I received a message on the band Facebook page from a musician out of Rome, Georgia named Joseph Bullard. Joe had heard of our music from a music sharing website and showed interest in filling the bassist position. After the first few messages and listening to music off his personal SoundCloud, I knew that he would be the perfect 3rd member to our group. His music tastes travel to so many good genres, and he has a keen ear for using his bass to take each song one step further. Beyond that, Joe has vision and ideas, not just for songs, but also for artwork everything else that goes into this band. He is an all-around solid person, a multi-instrumentalist, talented, determined, smart, and a great member in the band. Joe really brings this project to a whole new dynamic level, and his writing is simply inspiring. Having Joe around brings a true balance to this band, and I love it. Moving forward, his influence will ring through with more bold melodies and hard rocking riffs.
Lastly.. there’s Dalton... and to put it simply: Dalton has rock and roll in his blood. It runs through his veins, and I see the passion in his eyes when we perform…
The first time we met him, he walked into my parent’s garage and was very quiet. Sebastian and Joe were quiet as well, and I had begun some small talk with Dalton after initially shaking his hand. We were all hesitant at first, I think – just feeling each other out. So, he set up his PA, and we went right into 18 Miles Out. (Dalton had shown up with lyrics). Prior to this point, I had only dreamed about how a vocalist would sound with our music. But when Dalton first got to that chorus of 18 Miles Out, Sebastian, Joe, and I could not contain our childish excitement, and we had to stop playing. It was better than I had ever thought it could be. Dalton has an ear for vocal patterns, and he is great at using his voice in a unique way to compliment the music. Not to mention… his chorus melodies are spot on. Sebastian, Joe, and I were just extremely excited to have a singer. But not only that, we were blessed with a good person who is also extremely talented and a gifted lyricist. As some of you may know, a singer is not easy to come by. Dalton completes Chasing December, and I believe that moving forward, Chasing December will delineate and define him and his style as we continue to write together.
When all four of us are in the same room, good things seem to follow, so we are going to keep at it. We all share a dream and a passion, and we plan to seek it out. In this life, people normally have only one chance to do what they love, and above all, we love creating and sharing our music, and we hope people will really like joining us on this journey. We do this for us, and for everyone who supports us. Our vision is set, and our plans, “Set in Stone”. This album has been a long time in the making, and we hope you all enjoy it! We have big plans for the future, and we hope you will join us.
Best wishes and happy holidays,
Daniel Koutavas and Chasing December
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