Smoke Chaser is a new Santa Cruz band that features vocalist Malinda DeRouen, guitarist Jon Spivak and singer/songwriter and guitarist Ryan Masters. The group is playing their new album "Alazapul" live for the first time at the West End Celebration in Sand City this weekend. KAZU's Dylan Music recently invited Smoke Chaser to talk and perform in the KAZU studio.
The conversation began with member Ryan Masters explaining how they got the name Smoke Chaser in the first place.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ryan Masters: So, I'm a volunteer firefighter for Zayante, and I went through fire academy with a guy named Craig Waltz, who's now with San Francisco Fire Department, and he named the band. So it's literal and its also got some rock and roll innuendo in there as well.
Dylan Music: So, you have a debut album out, and I hope I don't butcher it, so correct me if I'm wrong. It's called "Alazapul?"
RM: Well I made up the word, so you can't butcher it. [followed by group laughter]
DM: Oh, okay. [more laughter]
RM: It's a lyric from a song called "Possum Belly Queen." that's on the album. And I think it's a place, a state of mind, it's "Ah-la-za-PULL."
DM: ok.
RM: "Ah-LA-za-pull," I don't know. I'm not sure. That's the beauty of it.
Jon Spivak: It just has to rhyme with "paid in full."
DM: Oh.
RM: Exactly. It just rhymes with "paid in full."
DM: Paid in full. I would say Ah-LA-ZA-pull.
RM: There you go. Wow. Nicely done!
DM: So, you're doing your first live gig together as a group at the West End Celebration in Sand City...
RM: That's correct. Saturday, August 26th. We'll be on at 12:30pm on the Redwood Stage. After us is Cement Ship, Anthony Arya and Forrest Day. So it'll be a good day on our stage. We're looking forward to it.
DM: Okay, so should we play a couple of tunes from "Alazapul?"
RM: The first song we'll do is called "Big Moody Curve." It's about Highway 17. A lot of people don't realize that when they were creating Highway 17, it was first a train tunnel through the middle of the mountain. As they were drilling that, thirty-two Chinese miners were killed. So it's about—-that's why people think Highway 17 is cursed, right? It's cursed because it's a dangerous road! That's why it's cursed. But that's what this song is about. It's called "Big Moody Curve."
[Band Performs "Big Moody Curve."
DM: Alright! That was great!
RM: Thank you.
DM: Big Moody Curve! Okay. And... can we hear another tune?
RM: Yeah, this one's called "Highway One." It's a single we released last year in May, in 2022, but we reworked it for the album. So, if you're familiar with this song, go check it out on the album. It's called "Highway One."
[Band performs "Highway One."]
Smoke Chaser performs live at the West End Celebration in Sand City on Saturday, August 26th at 12:30pm on the Redwood Stage. The Band will also be performing at a benefit concert for the Zayante Fire Protection District at the Felton Music Hallon Friday, September 22nd.