PHAT CHANTS is a retro British sounding Santa Cruz rock and roll dance band. Comprised of guitars, bass and drums, this four-piece band takes pride in their intricate arrangements and intense interpretations. PHAT CHANTS' first CD "Between the Lines" showcases the group's hot original tunes. Live, PHAT CHANTS also includes crowd-pleasing standards and classic rock.
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”.
Fernando is local to Santa Cruz having been born in Felton, California and then raised in Santa Cruz, California. Soon after his birth, his parents noticed that the boy had rhythm just by the way he shook his rattle. Finally at the age of 5, Fernando got his first drum and then his first drum set at age 10.
Fernando played with several local bands until he joined “Sam Sara” in 1997. This band took him touring and re-located Fernando to the city of San Fernando in Los Angeles. After gigging all over Southern California, “Sam Sara” broke up and Fernando returned to the shores of Santa Cruz in 1999. Back in Santa Cruz, he soon joined a punk-rock band named “Fux”. They stayed together for 2 years. Then Fernando met the band “PHAT CHANTS” and the fit was perfect.
Fernando’s drumming has many styles intertwined in the complicated beats he creates giving “PHAT CHANTS” a more diverse and challenging sound. He has been influenced by many artists such as Steve Smith from “Journey” along with the Latin sounds of performers such as “Santana”.
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”.
As a wee lad growing up in New York, Chris Stine was not sure what the future held for him until February 9, 1964. That fateful Sunday night he and his family sat on the living room couch to watch the television variety show, “The Ed Sullivan Show”. Ed Sullivan introduced a new band from Liverpool, England; “THE BEATLES” and Chris was hooked.
He wanted to play guitar and be a BEATLE! Ironically, although listening to “THE BEATLES” for years, Chris never played any songs by that band…until he joined “PHAT CHANTS”. Chris’ early guitar influences went far beyond George Harrison and included such guitar virtuosos as Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix.
As a member of “PHAT CHANTS”, Chris Stine brings years of professional experience. He has played in rock n’ roll bands, blues bands and even church groups. His different styles of guitar add an undeniable flavor to the originals and cover tunes that “PHAT CHANTS” performs.