Draft:Chaser (band)

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  • Comment: Interviews do not indicate notability. Please clean up the extensive puffery in the "History" section before resubmitting. Somepinkdude (talk) 23:11, 20 December 2025 (UTC)


CHASER
OriginOrange County, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active2000-2012, 2017–present
Labels
  • Felony Records
  • Drop Anchor! Entertainment
  • Effervescence Records
  • Thousand Islands Records
  • Pee Records
  • Sound Speed Records
  • SBÄM Records
Members
  • Mike LeDonne
  • Jesse Stopnitzky
  • Davey Guy
  • Bill Hockmuth
Past members
  • Mike Denning
  • Josh Millican
  • Nate Warner
  • AJ Latteri
  • Cameron Denning
Websitechaserpunkrock.com

Chaser (stylized as CHASER) is an American punk band from Orange County, California who have released six studio albums since their formation in 2000 and have played numerous punk festivals in Europe and North America. Shortly after the well-known frontman for No Use For A Name passed away in 2012, The Bearded Gentleman declared Chaser "...the new heir to Tony Sly's throne",[1] a reference to one of Chaser's influences.

The name "Chaser" was suggested to them by a friend, during a conversation at a house party, and it stuck. The band has clarified that the name isn't necessarily a reference to drinking.[2] Members of the band have been explicit about their overt intent to produce music with a positive message and to be an uplifting force in the world.[3]

History

[edit]

2000-2005: Formative Years, In Control
Mike LaDonne recruited the founding band members from the high school they mutually attended.[4] This initial lineup consisted of LaDonne (vocals), Mike Denning (guitar), AJ Latteri (bass), and Josh Millican (drums).

By 2002 Denning had left and was replaced by Nate Warner on guitar.[5] Chaser recorded a demo album with 14 songs which was produced in very limited quantities and distributed among family and friends.[6]

In Control, Chaser's first studio album, was self-released in 2003 and it also had very limited distribution. Gaining some exposure, the band landed side stage performances on the Vans Warped Tour between 2002-2004.[2] In 2005 they shared an untitled split 7" with False Alliance on independent record label, Felony Records.[7] During this period Chaser was opening for bands like D.I., Guttermouth, and Authority Zero.[2]

2006: Lineup Changes, Numb America, & First European Tour
In 2006, LeDonne, Warner, Latteri, and Millican welcomed the addition of Cameron Denning (guitar) and they recorded their second studio album, Numb America, on Felony Records (later re-released on vinyl by Sound Speed Records).[6] Before the album's recorded audio was finalized, they made a limited number of copies and distributed them while touring Europe for several weeks with Good Riddance. Upon returning, they finalized the album's audio for its release in the US. Because of this, the records sold in Europe have a slightly different sound than the US version.[8]

Shortly after returning home from the European tour, Jesse Stopnitzky replaced Latteri on bass.[8]

2007-2012: The Big Picture, ¡Acción!
Chaser performed on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour[8] which LaDonne described as a "defining moment"[9] for the band.

In February 2010 Chaser released their third album, The Big Picture, on Drop Anchor! Entertainment. Though some critics were impressed[10] or neutral[2], this album was seen as a departure from the band's pure punk roots and members of the band have expressed some disappointment with the sonic quality of the album, despite it having well written songs.[11] [2][8][12][13]

Back on Felony Records, Chaser released a five song EP titled ¡Acción! in 2011 consisting of B-sides and acoustic songs.

2012-2017: Indefinite Hiatus
Members of the band wanted to prioritize their families and livelihoods, so they decided it was time to end the band.[14] In an interview, Jesse Stopnitzky said that at the time of this dissolution the band understood it to be permanent, that there was no plan to get back together.[8] Posters and online graphics for their free March 22, 2012 show at the Slidebar in Fullerton as their "final show".

2017-present: Renaissance; Sound The Sirens, Dreamers, Small Victories
In 2017 LeDonne and Stopnitzky reconstituted Chaser by recruiting Davey Guy to play drums and Bill Hockmuth for guitar. The new lineup resulted in new songwriting and in 2018 they released another full length studio album, Sound The Sirens, on Effervescence Records.[6][15] This album was seen as a return to the band's original identity playing high energy, melodic, skate punk.[16]

The band sought better international reach and so they established working relationships with multiple new record labels: Thousand Islands Records, Sound Speed Records, SBÄM Records, and Pee Records. They released Dreamers[1] in 2021. In their album review, the UK's Deal Radio referred to it as a "masterpiece".[17]

In 2024, Small Victories was released. In an album review, Thoughts Words Action referred to it as "a masterpiece delivered by one of the finest longstanding skatepunk bands."[18] This album was produced by Cameron Webb who has also worked with such bands as Alkaline Trio, Motörhead, and Pennywise.[19]

Chaser has supported these recent albums by playing extensively in local and large international festivals. In 2022, Chaser was chosen to play in a special series of Pennywise shows revisiting their first five albums, as reported by Loudwire.[20] During this era they played in the following prominent festivals:

Members

[edit]

Current Members

[edit]
  • Mike LeDonne – vocals
  • Jesse Stopnitzky – bass, vocals
  • Bill Hockmuth – guitar
  • Davey Guy – drums

Past Members

[edit]
  • Mike Denning - guitar
  • Josh Millican - drums
  • Nate Warner - guitar
  • AJ Latteri - bass
  • Cameron Denning - guitar

Discography

[edit]

Studio Albums and EPs

[edit]
  • In Control (2003)
  • Numb America (2006)
  • The Big Picture (2010)
  • ¡Acción! EP (2011)
  • Sound The Sirens (2018)
  • Dreamers (2021)
  • Small Victories (2024)

Singles

[edit]
List of singles, showing year released and album
Title Year Album
"Found Myself Again" 2020 Non-album singles
"Look Alive"
"Skyscraper"
"A New Direction" 2021 Dreamers
"2020"
"Stay Gold" 2024 Small Victories
"Fault Lines"
"The Breaks"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Jackson, Dane (14 April 2021). "Chaser – Dreamers Review". Bearded Gentlemen Music. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Fadroski, Kelli (3 February 2010). "Orange Pop: Chaser Peers Into a Bigger Picture". Orange County Register. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  3. ^ Contreras, Rachael (21 July 2021). "Rachael-O-Rama #23 Chaser". ocmusicnews.com. OC Music News. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  4. ^ "Chaser (interview w/Mike!) Punk Lives!!". PunkWorldViews. Interviewed by Borders, Denise. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  5. ^ "Chaser Biography". Metalorgie.com. Metalorgie. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Chaser Music". chaserpunkrock.com. CHASER. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  7. ^ Chaser; False Alliance (2005). untitled split 7" (album liner notes). Felony Records.
  8. ^ a b c d e American Songwriter (22 September 2020). "Bringin' it Backwards: Interview with Chaser" (Podcast). Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  9. ^ "Chaser Interview". Metalorgie.com. Interviewed by Euka. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  10. ^ Cole, Faulkner (7 January 2013). "Chaser - The Big Picture". thepunksite.com. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  11. ^ Jolicoeur, Todd (27 August 2020). "A Dirty Dozen with Jesse Stopnitzky from Chaser". 100% Rock Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  12. ^ Harp, Cameron. "Chaser New Album Paints Personal 'Picture'". The Daily Titan. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  13. ^ Daley, Sloane (19 February 2010). "Chaser, The Big Picture Staff Review". punknews.org. ISSN 1710-5366. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  14. ^ Sounds Like Nonsense (21 February 2021). "Episode 37" (Podcast). Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  15. ^ Vincelli, Pete (19 January 2019). "Chaser, Sound The Sirens Staff Review". punknews.org. ISSN 1710-5366. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  16. ^ "Artist: Chaser". Rock La Cauze. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  17. ^ Dickson, Michael (17 November 2021). "Dreamers by Chaser Review". Deal Radio. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  18. ^ Miladinović, Djordje (14 October 2024). "Chaser – Small Victories LP (SBAM Records)". Thoughts Words Action. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  19. ^ Lowry, Sam (22 May 2024). "Chaser Ignites the Punk Scene with Raw Energy in "Fault Lines" Previewing "Small Victories" Album!". Rebel Noise. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  20. ^ Childers, Chad (13 January 2022). "Pennywise Book March 2022 Dates to Revisit Five Albums in Full". Loudwire. Retrieved 21 December 2025.

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