A they, not a he, consisting of young friends D.A. Wallach and Max Drummey, Chester French seeks to prove that pop music can be at once challenging and accessible. And with the bracing, involving and always-surprising set of pop-art songs on their debut album Love the Future, the duo has made a bold statement that’s as delightful as it is ambitious, an album informed by a great wealth of music that is poised to break barriers and set new standards.<br /><br />Chester French’s world is a musical universe in which everything’s in play. The glorious “She Loves Everybody” mixes sensibilities equally drawing on Motown and power-pop. “Beneath the Veil” throws country twists into hip-hop aesthetics. “Neal” has echoes of swing, hip-hop and rock – with a guitar break paying tribute to the genius and magic fingers of Les Paul. And “Fingers” is just your basic orchestral-pop with, you know, a lap steel solo. There’s a curtain-raising “Introduction,” and a couple transition pieces (“The String Interlude” and “Country Interlude”) to help tie it all together and stress that this is, overall, far more than just a collection of songs, but a whole statement.<br /><br />“We were trying to make the album an album,” Drummey says. “What we tried to do is make something musically diverse but also unified. And we did the best job of that ever in the history of music.”<br /><br />Don’t just take it from him. The band has already been lauded by the press with features such as Spin’s Who’s Next ‘08 and Rolling Stone’s Artists To Watch. And take it from no less than Pharrell Williams, who signed the unclassifiable duo to his Star Trak/Interscope label after an early copy of the album, recorded by the two largely in a dorm basement studio while they were students at Harvard, was passed from them to his engineer, Drew Coleman.<br />“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a project teeming with this sort of musicality and originality,” says Williams, the phenomenal artist/producer/trailblazer of Neptunes, N.E.R.D. and so-much-else fame. “You’re going to watch history unfold with these guys. I feel it in my gut.”<br /><br />That works for Wallach and Drummey, who trace an aesthetic lineage from Beethoven to Brian Wilson, from Les Paul to Prince to, well, Pharrell Williams. They see walls coming down with a new generation inspired by innovative artists like Gnarls Barkley and OutKast. <br /><br />Chester French – subject of a signing battle that also included Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri and Jimmy Iovine before Williams closed the deal - wants to be at the front of that movement.<br />“Hopefully our role in culture can be to stand for this moment in history where meaningless social and musical categories are finally dissolving,” Wallach says. <br /><br />The music backs that up. In discussion the two freely reference a sky-full of musical stars and constellations. “A lot of people make experimental music. We look at our music as not being experimental, but being the result of a variety of experiments – what we distilled from doing outlandish things, what are the best ideas,” Drummey says. <br /><br />It’s a concept that coalesced over the course of the three-plus years in which the music was initially made, a process that began with a simple encounter of the two then-freshmen at a Harvard commissary.<br /><br />Milwaukee-raised Wallach and Boston native Drummey quickly found a lot of shared ground in musical tastes and philosophies and before long had recruited three other musicians into a band playing various campus functions, eventually moving in a direction heavily influenced by classic British Northern Soul. Over the summer both stayed in Cambridge, working hard at songwriting. But when school resumed, they realized that the material went way beyond the basic guitar-bass-drums-piano format of the band, and the duo continued the work themselves, Wallach handling most of the vocals, Drummey performing much of the music on an orchestra’s-worth of instruments, supplemented with the occasional specialist guest – and both taking production and engineering duties for recordings that melded both of their sensibilities and visions.<br />“Being just two people in the studio we could layer anything we wanted,” Drummey says. “It liberated us to arrange the album in interesting ways.”<br /><br />Interesting hardly captures it. Working along the way in a campus studio arranging, engineering and producing all sorts of sessions expanded the pair’s musical vocabulary and sense of recording innovation. With that wealth of resources at their command, they set out to craft something at once all-encompassing and focused. http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench Delta 0 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <img title="calle_small" height="141" alt="calle_small" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/calle_small.jpg" width="500"><br /><p>What the?! The long awaited sequel to our She Wolf Remix... we proudly present our remix of Pitbull's "Calle Ocho" BOOM: <br><br>[Click <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24njJc4Iu_" title="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/2009/11/05/chester-french-calle-ocho-remix/">HERE</a> to watch the video] <br><br><a href="http://links.imeem.com/24p-8d4Iu_" title="http://drop.io/calle_chester"><strong>Download the MP3 version HERE!!</strong></a> <br><br>We'll have a poll for our next remix soon! Stay tuned.... </p> Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/11/05/8y2eQu0n/115-chester-french-calle-ocho-remix Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:16:43 -0000 Pty9vC2ljK <img height="340" alt="cf1" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/cf1.jpg" width="500"> <br />We're in the new issue of Paper Magazine! It's a really dope article, which you can read below. <br /><br />But pick up the issue! <br /><br /><em>(also, our Pitbull cover is coming soon! Thanks for your patience everyone!!)</em> <br /><br /><img height="904" alt="picture-12" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/picture-12.png" width="561"><img title="full" height="564" alt="full" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/full.jpg" width="500"> Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/10/06/sFTNu__i/106-were-in-paper-magazine Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:46:49 -0000 S02GHud1f0 We love Seattle. And Seattle, we love your radio station 107.7 The End even more. You guys rule. You're one of our biggest supporters and when you show us the kind of love you show us (where you invite us to really cool meet-n-greets and have us play in your AWESOME Endfest), we get really big smiles on our faces and, sometimes, treat ourselves to huge hot fudge sundaes. With three spoons... one for Max, one for DA and one for you, 107.7 The End. <br><br>Here's a really cool photo of us at the meet-n-greet from yesterday (click the image to enlarge) <br /><p><a href="http://links.imeem.com/24njJptBr_" title="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/the_end.jpg"><img title="the_end" height="150" alt="the_end" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/the_end-150x150.jpg" width="150"></a></p><br /><p>Love;</p><br /><p></p> Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/09/11/xrplcdWP/911-big-thank-you-to-seattles-1077-the-end Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:55:51 -0000 VZHek3WNI8 Have you seen our interview at Karmaloop TV yet? NO?! Watch it now: <br><br>[Click <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24njJOIBr_" title="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/2009/09/11/our-weird-and-awesome-karmaloop-interview/">HERE</a> to watch the interview] Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/09/11/BgxBzBMn/911-our-weird-and-awesome-karmaloop-interview Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:10:07 -0000 it0M9nsHgz <img title="sacramento" height="364" alt="sacramento" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/sacramento.jpg" width="500"> <br><br>Sacramento, see you there. BOOM. <br><br>-Chester French Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/09/11/IyXhzmva/911-sacramento-in-store-tomorrow Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:07:24 -0000 KA1FYR3tTY <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24ubQMzAr_" title="http://loudcrowd.com/"><img title="loud_crowd" height="192" alt="loud_crowd" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/loud_crowd.jpg" width="400"></a> <br><br>There's a cool online music community called <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24ubQMzAr_" title="http://loudcrowd.com/">LoudCrowd</a> where you get to play games and interact with other people who like the same kind of music you do. And every Thursday in September, we're partnering with LoudCrowd to help pick the site's playlist! <br><br><a href="http://links.imeem.com/24ubQMzAr_" title="http://loudcrowd.com/">Head over to LoudCrowd now to check it all out!</a> <br><br>And watch this video we shot at the LoudCrowd offices: <br><br>[Click <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24njJ3zAr_" title="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/2009/09/10/chester-french-on-loudcrowdcom/">HERE</a> to watch the video] Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/09/11/QvOrJVtA/910-chester-french-on-loudcrowdcom Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:56:46 -0000 gWOSBUqmlw <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24Lf_PAoq_" title="http://www.interscope.com/tourgiftbag/default.html"><img title="gift_bag" height="88" alt="gift_bag" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/gift_bag.jpg" width="450"></a>EVERYONE! Enter this contest for a chance to win a Chester French/Blink 182/Weezer/All-American Rejects tour gift bag AND you'll get a free mp3 from us! Check out what's inside the gift bag: <br /><br />signed Blink 182 poster<br />signed Blink 182 “Greatest Hits” CD<br />signed Rivers Cuomo lithograph<br />a “Pork and Beans” 7”<br />signed The All-American Rejects picture<br />The All-American Rejects “AAR” necklace<br />signed Chester French “Love The Future” VinylWHOA! <br><br>Click <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24Lf_PAoq_" title="http://www.interscope.com/tourgiftbag/default.html">HERE</a> to enter the contest. And check out the official rules <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24Lf_QAoq_" title="http://www.interscope.com/tourgiftbag/rules.html">HERE</a>. Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/09/04/GT9hdTXR/94-chester-french-tour-gift-bag-contest Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:43:58 -0000 kSsixMMedT Eduardo, the uber uber Chester French supporter who you might remember from his <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24njJsyMq_" title="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/2009/06/02/62-chester-french-inspired-tattoo/">Chester French-inspired tattoo</a> sent us this awesome image he created using the iPhone app Brushes: <br><br><img title="fan-art" alt="fan-art" src="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/fan-art.jpg" width="500"> <br><br>Eduardo is the man and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow him <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24ml_tyMq_" title="http://twitter.com/eduardo11">@eduardo11</a>. Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/08/27/6RQkeQMC/827-more-awesome-chester-french-supporter-artwork Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:58:58 -0000 qoHetzoUvn A few months back, I attended a Tom Jones concert. If you don't know who Tom Jones is, you should check out <a href="http://links.imeem.com/1490mwMq_" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Jones_(singer)">his Wiki</a> and listen to his 1965 song <a href="http://links.imeem.com/14u_nwMq_" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBdSqk78nHw">"What's New, Pussycat?"</a> And then you should be aware of the fact that when women go to his concerts (especially women over 40), they throw their underwear at Tom while he's performing on stage. <br><br>[Click <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24njJowMq_" title="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/2009/08/27/da-goes-to-a-tom-jones-concert-video-chronicle/">HERE</a> to watch the videos] Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/08/27/QQGwTUkc/827-da-goes-to-a-tom-jones-concert-video-chronicle Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:51:50 -0000 c8IjmFpuLn We shot this video backstage at the <em>Jimmy Kimmel Live</em> show (<a href="http://links.imeem.com/24njJrwIq_" title="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/2009/07/13/were-on-jimmy-kimmel-this-wednesday/">when we performed there a few months ago</a>). Max in geisha make-up. Can't go wrong with that, right?! <br><br>[Click <a href="http://links.imeem.com/24njJswIq_" title="http://chesterfrench.com/blog/2009/08/26/behind-the-scenes-max-in-geisha-makeup/">HERE</a> to watch the video] <br><br>Best Max quote ever? <br><br><strong>"It's so reassuring to me to know that I would be such a busted chick." </strong><br><br>-Chester French </strong> Chester French Album Release http://www.imeem.com/chesterfrench/blogs/2009/08/26/kX5hdRvv/826-behind-the-scenes-max-in-geisha-makeup Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:55:15 -0000 bPJIDmICD4