More Chase Wigmore Updates!!

News has been relatively slow as of late, so let's cover the rest of prolific local alternative/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore's recent updates and postings today! No, he hasn't continued his "12 EPs of Christmas" series since we covered the first 7 EPs on Saturday, but we will touch on the eighth and final EP release through it (so far?) later in this post. We'll start with a pair of cover videos that Chase posted to his Facebook page one month ago today, both of which overlaid with translucent alternate video and colour tints, The first video is a cover of Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Still The Same" featuring what appears to be a carnival employee (Chase himself?) working one of the games. Chase makes this song his own, spinning it into an aggressive alt-folk number, and his requisite intense yet satisfied stage presence comes through nicely! Embedded below is the second cover video from December 8th, where Chase tackled "Beyond the Sun" by British crust punk pioneers Amebix, so how does this turn out?

As set to four tilings of the same solo performance at various sizes and opacities, this song shows Chase letting his vocals go to ferocious levels you don't see often in his non-death metal work, and while still very intense, he's taking things more seriously and dramatically. This cover would be really neat to hear with a full band, but I like how this one sounds already, so give it a look below! Full disclosure, "Beyond The Sun" is much louder than "Still The Same", so keep note of your volume dial if listening to both back to back.

 
Next up, and after a prior cover art teaser, Chase unveiled plans for yet another album-length release on his Facebook page, albeit not attached to the "12 EPs of Christmas" series. Entitled "Solving the Human Condition", this will definitely appeal to fans of Chase's extreme and death metal sides, if the first song "The Hunter & The Prey" is any indication! Lyrically about a "chainsaw wielding maniac... chasing some poor girl around an old house", this song has a chaotic brutality with nicely used police siren samples, and Chase's black metal-inspired shrieking fits the nature very well! If you like Chase's more brutal music output, be sure to give this a listen!

Chase last updated his Facebook page last week, where he revealed that his rock opera album "A Kid Named Todd" is finished writing, and pre-production is underway, while "Solving The Human Condition" will likely be done "in the next month or two." Even if these never see paid single releases, Chase's prolific output is welcomed, and he has a little something for everyone in the works! He also ran a poll on Friday asking fans if they'd be interested in attending a prospective free Rednecks Saloon show this month with him and "a few other acts" later this month. As of this writing, 9 of the 11 voters responded in favour of the concert, and with voting for the poll ending in three days, will this be enough to get the concert booked? Cast your votes A.S.A.P. at this link! We will close this Chase-heavy post with the final installment (to date) of the "12 EPs of Christmas", so what should you know on this release?

As posted on November 29th, this is entitled "A Night of Dick Jerkins at the Opera", with Chase recycling his Awokest alias in the title. Despite that, the music on offer here is not similar to Awokest's in any major way, but does it resemble opera? Honestly, this sounds like the score to a dark suspense thriller, and even with that, the album art showcases a movie theater with a film noir movie on screen, so I don't blame you if you get mixed messages. Regardless of your interpretation, this showcases Chase's musical diversity and maturity, and there is an epic nighttime driving feel to parts of this 16 minute EP, so give it a listen below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!