Chubby

"Elvis Costello on Steriods," that's what frontman and guitarist Dennis Brockenborough has heard his band, Chubby, described as. With a forceful, guitar driven sound somewhere between Foo Fighters and Sunny Day Real Estate, Dennis brings a soulful edge to his big rock voice and chugging rhythm guitar.

Comparisons aside, Chubby, based out of Boston, where Dennis earned his stripes as trombone player and singer for nearly a decade with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, plan to take things over the top with relentless punkish energy and diverse musical interests beyond those of his former group.

Drummer Jason Nute, who was previously performing with another Boston area band, got together with Dennis in 2000, through a reference from a mutual friend. The two jammed one night and have been playing together ever since. Jason, born and raised in Boston, brings the huge rock drumming standards of ’70s bands like Led Zeppelin to Chubby’s musical stylings. Never having a lesson in his life, Nute taught himself how to play the drums by banging around on his father’s drum-set as a kid and paying slavish attention to all the records of those bands who influenced him growing up. As Nute declares, "It’s one thing to emulate, it’s another to imitate,"

Lead guitarist, backing vocalist and sometimes keyboardist, Mike Beck, the "funny man" of the group, is a classically trained pianist from Canada. The newest member of the band, he puts his stamp of jazz know-how and wide ranging musical chops into the Chubby formula. With his in-exhaustible talents, Mike took the lead on guitars and brought the "pretty" into Chubby’s gritty rock sound, backing up Dennis with his enchanting vocal harmonies. He also keeps his cohorts in stitches with a spot-on Chris Farley imitation, among many others.

Then we have the quiet one, bassist Andreas Holmstrom. Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Andreas moved to the good ol’ USA to attend Berkelee College of music, which is where he originally met Mike Beck through various live performances around the Boston area. Being a well-schooled and classically trained bass player, Holmstrom brings a jazz and R&B background to the plate when writing songs with Chubby. His gritty bass sounds and intricate chord progressions, along with Nute’s drumming, make for a threatening rhythm section.

Meeting up with New York based producer Chris Zane (Calla, The Boggs) in late 2001, the producer dragged local independent record label and music studio owner Brian Devine out to see the band play live. Immediately seeing the talent before him, Mr. Devine asked Chubby to be the first band signed to his new label, Gigantic Music, in early 2002.

Entering the label's in-house recording studio, Gigantic Studios, in the Fall of that same year, with Chris Zane aboard to produce, Chubby dusted off some of their old favorites from their previous EP Horseshoes and Handgranades, and wrote several powerful new songs, which comprise their first full-length record, entitled Is It Time, due to be released by Gigantic Music in April, 2003.