Enter The Chrome Rhino

Chrome Rhino - Jared Michael, Jay Ryan, Travis Prillaman, & James Taylor (from left to right)

In February of 2019, I started running an Open Mic at Irene’s Tap Room (Now The 1227 Tap Room) in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the third such evening that I had hosted & there was something special about it from day one. Hologram’s Open Mic Nights in general, attracted self-expressionists of all kinds. Jared Michael was one of my first regulars. Jared is an impressive individual & I was instantly a fan of his music. He is polite, musically knowledgeable & has a level of depth to him that is a rare find these days.

Sometimes he would perform solo, other times he would bring his bandmates from Foxadillo. They would have some pretty epic jams, consistently pushing the limits of their allotted time. If you’re vibing with the crowd though, I’m not going to be the one to pull the plug. We jammed together once or twice. I think I also used his piano one night for a drunken version of Derelict Starchild (with my fingers, not with my toes).

When he asked if his “new band” could be the featured artist one night, of course I said “of course”. I didn’t know what to expect & I didn’t need to, I trusted Jared’s vision. What happened that Tuesday, was nothing short of amazing. There was a funky, theatrical energy to it with four-part harmonies & organ solos. The reception from the crowd was the kind of reaction you want when you’re trying something new.

Fast forward almost a year later, they are unveiling the video for their debut single, Zombie Vision. I actually shaved my chest for this interview for no real reason. I felt it necessary to be smooth skinned, whilst braving the ingress of the Chrome Rhino.

Chrome Rhino is Travis Prillaman (bass/vocals), James Taylor (guitar/vocals), Jared Michael (keys/vocals), and as of September 2020, Jay Ryan (drums). Travis and James have been playing in bands together for years. The three original members met at The Rogue Bar Wednesday open mic - Jay came along a little more recently at Jared’s Open Mic at the Chopshop in Tempe, Arizona.

Jared Michael - Keys & Vocals

Jared is a published mathematician! Back in college he co-authored a paper on probability published in the Journal of Statistical Physics. He can lick his own elbow. (I literally just tried to lick my own elbow when I read this. Nope!)

James Taylor - Guitar & Vocals

James moved to the USA from England at the age of 14 and kept his accent through sheer stubborn will. He also makes focaccia bread that’s so good, it’s a wonder that the band isn’t all hopelessly overweight.

Travis Prillaman - Bass & Vocals

Travis is a librarian and hosts Rock N’ Roll Storytimes that have a wide and passionate fanbase! (even before COVID they had to turn people away) He also loves hair dryers.

(This is how I picture Travis at work)

Jay Ryan - Drums

Jay is a software developer, and he works on a global capacity simulation system for General Motors. He has a penchant for all you can eat sushi.

Right From The Rhino’s (Jared’s) Mouth…

“The name Chrome Rhino, actually preceded the formation of the band - Travis & James had used the name for some experimental electronic music they had written together. When I became part of the mix, “Chrome Rhino” seemed the best name for the music we ended up playing together. Our sound is big, shiny, and a bit goofy. The more we play, the more the name just feels right.”

“It all began with a handful of songs that Travis & James had written - and they reached out to me to add some keys. However, when we all sat down to work on these songs, they started turning some new corners that we all really enjoyed. One rehearsal when we were working on our tune I Love You But I Know You’re A Robot, an outro jam turned into our first brand new song Swamp Daddy and we knew we had to keep writing as a unit. Half of the album (including Zombie Vision) comes from those initial songs, while the other half were written together.”

“Travis & James have been playing together since way too long ago, and I’ve been jamming with both of them for a couple of years now. But Chrome Rhino as a project has only been around for about a year, and we’ve only had our current lineup for about a month. Jay came on board for our recent livestream at Rebel Lounge and we’re excited to have him as a full member of the band. James, Travis & I have known each other for a little while and have played music together in different settings before the band officially started in August 2019. We worked at the songs and arranged our debut on Pho Cao on Friday, November 22. Then we did a short set at Irene’s Tap Room the Tuesday prior, which I suppose would make that our actual first gig. So thanks for the first show!”

(You are more than welcome, my friends!)

“The song Zombie Vision, came about during a phase when Travis & James were consuming every zombie movie they could find. A particular favorite was the 1988 John Carpenter movie They Live featuring Rowdy Roddy Piper and his miraculous zombie glasses. It was such a unique story of alienation and paranoia that we wanted to capture that feeling. The song was written as a slow burner - but for the album we revved the engines a bit to give it more of a threatening mood.”

“For the video we reached out to Garrett Johnson, a Los Angeles videographer who has worked with Travis & James on other projects in the past. He knows his movies, especially horror, and has recently been working on some great horror shorts called Quaranscream. We immediately recognized we wanted our video for Zombie Vision to be on the same wavelength! We all knew that working within the confines of the pandemic was going to be a challenge, but Garrett and his team, Ben Nicholson and Amy Vorpahl, are a super creative and talented group of people. We came up with some great ways to make it all work given the difficulties. In fact our teams have never met! All shots of the band were done with green screens here in the valley, while the main video was filmed in LA. But the pandemic ended up working as an ideal backdrop to create the paranoid mind trip of the video, and we couldn’t be more excited about it!”

Available on Beta & VHS

“As a band we are greatly influenced by the more theatrical side of classic rock, like Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, and Alice Cooper. But as we’ve written songs, we’ve found that they’re often quite different from one another. Zombie Vision is heavily inspired by 80’s pop, new wave, and horror movie soundtracks. But deeper in the album, you’ll hear echoes of Led Zeppelin, The Cars, Elton John, and even a little bit of Disney.  We all listen to such a wide range of music, it’s kind of inevitable.”

“One of the reasons we all went into music was the idea of transporting our listeners into another world. When we recorded with Bob Hoag at Flying Blanket Recording, he really helped us dial into each song’s vision and give each its own identity and depth. We finished recording everything right before the pandemic struck. The isolation and fear around that time really showed us all how music is a way to escape and be somewhere else for a time. We wanted to provide that with this album and with each song we release.”

When can we expect the rest of the album?

“COVID definitely threw a wrench in our plans, but we’re looking at an early 2021 release. There will be a few more singles and music videos we’ll be releasing in the next few months as well.”

“Sadly, we aren’t able to do anything in person given the difficulty of having such events safely right now. However at 6pm on Monday, October 19th, we’re going to be doing a virtual release party over Zoom for the video. Our Zoom account only lets us have 100 people in at a time, so sign up now if you want to be a part of this *exclusive* event!”

- Watch the trailer here -

Want to be part of this exclusive event?

At 6pm tonight, Arizona time, there is an exclusive watch party scheduled on Zoom. For more info, go to the Facebook Event & use this Signup Link to get the Zoom link/password. They are giving away a T-shirt (pictured above) to one lucky participant. You must sign up for a chance to win.

In case I haven’t mentioned it yet, I am a fan of this song. It’s catchy & instantly recognizable. The song makes you think you’re running from zombies, in a fun, not going to get my face bitten off kind of way. I have not yet seen the video, I am looking forward to it though. When the album comes out, I’d say it’s certainly worth the price of admission.

Chrome Rhino is unique. They remind me a little of a band I am a fan of, The Klaxons.

You can also follow Chrome Rhino on Instagram & Facebook

The band pics are wonderfully taken by Neil Schwartz Photography Neil Schwartz Facebook

Read their album review on Keep The Greasy Side Down

KWSS has also been playing Zombie Vision this past week

If you would like to support The Rebel Lounge & their fight to secure COVID funding for America’s music venues, you can get more information here

I also want to shout out Jared’s other project, A Casual Divorce. Jared met Rachel Bachman, the other half of ACD, at the Hologram Open Mic Night. Rachel had just transplanted from the Mid-West to Phoenix, they hit it off, started a band together. You can follow them on Instagram

- Update -

The video is now live on YouTube, BandCamp, Spotify & SoundCloud

I also found this old article that features an old version of Zombie Vision

They should be coming to Spotify soon, so keep an ear/eye out

Chrome Rhino outside Irene’s Tap Room

the night of their first set at the Hologram Open Mic Night

The poster for our 2019 show at Grandma’s Living Room in Mesa, Arizona.

Also check out some friends of ours The Psychedelephants who are currently recording a new album.