On The Verge

Chief

Los Angeles, Calif./New York, N.Y.
Bi-Coastal Rockers
www.chieftheband.com

Four-piece rock outfit Chief stands with one foot on each side of the country. Vocalist/guitarist Evan Koga started playing music with fellow Californians Danny Fujikawa (guitar, vocals) and Michael Fujikawa (drums) when they all attended NYU in 2006. The brothers stayed in New York after graduation while Koga took a brief breather in LA. The band cycled through a handful of bass players until another LA native, Mike Moonves, enrolled in NYU. “We called him up to see if he could come play,” says Michael Fujikawa, who sports an unkempt beard. “He came in two days, knew all the bass lines by heart.” The band’s debut full-length was produced by Emery Dobyns and released on Domino Records in late August. Of Chief’s music, Danny says, “It’s two guitars, bass and drums—so automatically, it’s rock. But all four of us sing too, so it adds a folk element.” His brother adds, “We all listen to a bunch of different music, but we all come together. Our common ground is late ‘60s and ‘70s rock and roll music.”