PHAT CHANTS is the best Classic Rock Dance Band on the central coast of California, bar none. They are a five piece band made up of two guitarists, bass player, keyboards and drummer. Not only does PHAT CHANTS perform the hottest songs from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's, they also incorporate wit and humor with audience participation in their stage show.
PHAT CHANTS has played corporate events, private parties, restaurants, and dance clubs/bars throughout the central coast. Based in beautiful Santa Cruz, PHAT CHANTS is a musical mainstay in Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Mateo, and San Franicisco counties. Being called back for an encore or two is not unusual for this great band.
PHAT CHANTS: Bio
Jim Davis - Bass Guitar/Vocals
Growing up in Los Angeles, Jim Davis was raised in a musician’s household. His father played for such greats as Benny Goodman and The Dorsey Brothers. His mother is still playing bass at 87 years of age. Jim began playing the clarinet at age 8. Then he saw “THE BEATLES” and fell in love with guitar.
The first band Jim played in was the first version of Van Halen in high school. Having had an argument with the leader, Eddie Van Halen, Jim quit the band and formed the band Rain and performed with Buddy Miles. They had one record entitled “Benita Road” and appeared on several local Los Angeles Rock TV shows.
Jim went on to join Scarlet Jack and was busy in Hollywood doing studio session work for different songwriters’ demos. Life took a turn and Jim moved north to Santa Cruz where, in the 1980’s, he founded the band Undercover Blonde. Ten years later that band ended and Jim formed “PHAT CHANTS”. He presided over several personnel changes until he finally had the perfect group of musicians and friends, “PHAT CHANTS”.
Glenn Morse - Drums/Percussion/Vocals
Glenn first picked up a pair of drumsticks at age eight. He honed his chops playing in garage bands during high school in Modesto, CA. After graduating, he joined a popular Top 40 band called New York Connection. Their many gigs throughout the San Joaquin Valley in the early 80's included an opening slot for Elvin Bishop. Glenn then spent a couple of years in L.A., playing mainly with an original power trio known as the Karey Doolin Band. After moving to the Bay Area in the mid-80's he anchored the rhythm section for The Crybaby Band, an oldies cover group. Glenn relocated to Washington State in the late 80's, where he played drums for the Olympia-based original band Brave New World. Since moving to Santa Cruz in 1995 he has played in numerous cover and original groups, including Dueling Julies, Torpedo Café, the Juvenators, and Roots 66. Whatever the style of music, Glenn always brings versatility and a solid back beat to the table and now he is rocking the beat of PHAT CHANTS.
Cliff Feldman - Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
Cliff Feldman got his musical start as a teenager in Tucson, Arizona where he was a classmate of Linda Ronstadt’s. Starting out as a drummer, his early band The Syndicate was well known in Tucson, even being featured on local radio shows. Switching to guitar and vocals, Cliff formed a new band, Central Heating with fellow University of Arizona schoolmates and a cool Hippie who had recently transplanted himself from San Francisco. Central Heating prided itself in doing the newest and most difficult material possible such as Led Zeppelin and “THE BEATLES”. They regularly opened for another struggling band; The Spiders…that band changed its name and became Alice Cooper.
After moving to northern California, Cliff formed the group, Occasional Rain with co-DJ’s from San Jose’s KOME Radio. This band performed an eclectic mix of Cliff’s original tunes and covers of obscure English progressive groups.
Cliff moved to Santa Cruz, California in 1984 and traded his guitar for a computer and completed 2 novels (sadly, unpublished). After teaching his son guitar for 2 years, he got the fire back and started playing ROCK again…and found himself in “PHAT CHANTS”.
Seth Wax - Lead Guitar/Vocals
As a lad growing up in Philadelphia, PA., Seth started playing guitar at age 13. He formed his first band, “MOJO” in 10th grade and played many of their high school dances and parties. After high school, Seth started experimenting with jam oriented bands. He was heavily influenced by groups such as the Grateful Dead, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Band, and many more.
Throughout college and well into his 20’s, Seth continued to hone his guitar playing in many avant garde groups. By the mid 1980’s he was well-regarded on the improvisational jazz circuit and was playing frequently throughout the Philadelphia and New York areas until 1994. In late 1994 Seth moved to sunny California and settled in beautiful Santa Cruz. At that time Seth withdrew from the music scene and focussed on raising his two children and working a “day job”.
Over the years, though, he still got together with local musicians and jammed. He also put together temporary bands to play at parties. Now that his children have grown and moved on to bigger and better things, Seth has returned to his burning passion for music and is the newest addition to PHAT CHANTS.
Stephen Mahoney - Keyboard/Vocals
Stephen J. Mahoney, (a native Bostonian) is a multi-faceted artist composer, arranger, keyboardist and vocalist. His original compositions incorporate styles from a variety of genres. Santa Cruz Phat Heads may recognize Mahoney from his street playing days in Santa Cruz with the experimental Pyrocussion band a few years ago.
Stephen has also performed in much larger venues such as a Summer Fair in Rhode Island or the Nashville Now T.V. show on a Friday night that reached millions of people. He’s performed at John Ascuaga’s Celebrity show room in Reno and on the flight deck of the USS Ranger in the Indian Ocean. Stephen has played with Grammy Award winning artist Donna Fargo and he sat in with the Drifters on their Northern California tour. He’s played in Kodiak Alaska, for the summer and Fairbanks, Alaska, in the winter. He’s played on the North Korean side of the DMZ and performed for the U.S. Armed Forces in the European and Asian Theatres.
Today he brings his talents and experience to PHAT CHANTS.