Sam Chase is a complete phony. From his gruff-voiced affectation to his “man in black” wannabe style, you might get the impression that this man may know a thing or two about a life lived on the outskirts of civil society. You’d be wrong, but you wouldn’t be the first sucker that Samuel has fooled. It’s his ability to rip off so many artists that keeps him from being found out, hiding in plain sight while mixing the intellectual properties of better and more successful artists into his own signature (albeit unoriginal) songwriting style.
A fraud in the highest order, Samuel has traveled from town to town across the world like a door to door salesman, peddling plastic smile snake oil songs and insincere stories that pretend to delve deep into the human experience. Like any good con man, he has the ability, perhaps through his devilish charm, sharp wit, or deep sociopathic need for power and control, to lull his listeners into a trance like submission. They hang onto every word as if it were the midnight gospel of a messianic troubadour, here on earth for only a short while to bring depth and vibrance to a near-sighted and monochromatic world.
It’s hard to fathom how he has managed to maintain a career for so long, having played music consistently since his teens. You’d think the stress of being “found out” as a charlatan would eventually push him into a career more fitting of his skill set and intellect, like a parking lot attendant, or bowling alley shoe disinfecter. However, it’s his rabid fan base that won’t let him be an honest member of society. The fact that good people, honest, hard working, god fearing red blooded Americans could be duped by such a blatantly unoriginal and inauthentic “songwriter” is one of the great mysteries that will perhaps someday be solved by some other songwriter who is actually worth a damn.
– Hunter S Thompson

Veteran bassist & vocalist Dave Rapa has been rumbling stages across Northern California & beyond for nearly 3 decades. In that time, Dave’s laid down the low frequencies with a wide-ranging roster of artists across many genres, including famed vocalist Eric Martin, hard rock founding father Ronnie Montrose, guitarist extraordinaire Michael Lee Firkins, 80’s Pop Idol Tiffany, comedians Reggie Watts & Awkwafina, actor Wil Wheaton and many more. A SAMMIE*- award winning bassist & multi-instrumentalist, Dave’s deep musical talents, passionately diverse performance style, and energetically-engaging stage presence have earned him an unshakeable reputation as a force-to-be-reckoned-with, both in the studio and live onstage.
*Sacramento Area Music Award, Best Bassist 2003

It was the year 2017. It was a simpler time. Or maybe it wasn’t, we don’t know your life. Zachary Thorne heard a little rumor that The Sam Chase was missing a horn section. Being a one-person horn section themself, Zachary began to scheme. The fruit of this scheme? An elaborate two year plot to become… Untraditional. After a year of strategically placing themselves in bands that shared shows with Sam, and another year of being an infrequent guest Untraditional, Sam invited Zachary to bring their extensive classical training to bear recording The Last Rites of Dallas Pistol. The rest, as they say, is history.

Devon McClive was trained by a cello guru in the Appalachian mountains. She has been a member of this band since its inception back in 2011 and has earned more tour nicknames than any other member of The Untraditional. When she isn’t playing stages around the world with Sam, you will find her performing and publishing music with her own band or making up nonsense songs for her son.

“One midwinter, far north, at midnight, on a cliff above a raging sea, two unsuspecting fish biologists welcomed their new daughter to the world.
They had no idea their brown-eyed bundle would go onto break hearts and melt faces.
Raised in rugged rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula, Chandra Johnson was drawn by fate to the violin at age 9. Her nonmusical family watched with fascination as she poured hours and hours into her chosen instrument. At 18, Chandra bade a tearful farewell to her wilderness home and left for the big city of Bellingham, WA to with big dreams of becoming a professional classical violinist.
Chandra went on to establish herself in the PNW music scene, performing and recording internationally with artists including Courtney Marie Andrews, Mary Lambert, Macklemore, The Clumsy Lovers, Allen Stone, Kuinka, and many others. She met and won over Sam Chase in 2016 and has been a dedicated member of the Untraditional ever since, following Sam from coast to coast and across the ocean, onwards towards glory. “

Meet Nate, the keyboard player in the Untraditional. Nate grew up in a small town in Illinois. There he fell in love with music playing drums in local punk bands.
Nate moved to Cotati to study Jazz at Sonoma State University. Nate can be found in the wild playing with a multitude of bay area bands. Offstage, Nate likes doing kickflips, welding and playing pool.
ChatGPT: Write a bio for Nate, a keyboard player in Sam Chase’s band in the style of Shakespeare.
Result:
Oh, let me tell thee of a fellow named Nate,
Whose fingers dance on keys with graceful gait.
A musician bold, in Sam Chase’s band,
He doth with melody enchant the land.
His skill upon the ivories is rare,
And none can match the beauty of his flair.
Forsooth, his touch doth bring the sound to life,
And fills the air with music free from strife.
In every tune that Sam doth sing,
Nate’s playing adds a lovely ring.
Together, they do weave a tapestry of sound,
That lifts the hearts of all who are around.
But Nate is not content to rest on skill alone,
He strives to master his craft and make it known.
With diligence and passion, he doth pursue,
The perfect notes that will enchant anew.
Thus doth Nate, the keyboardist of Sam Chase’s band,
Bring forth the music of a most delightful brand.
May his fingers continue to dance upon the keys,
And fill the world with joyous harmonies.