Chronic Future

Chronic Future was formed by four teenaged musicians in Phoenix in the mid-'90s. After building up a strong local following, the group released their independent eponymous debut in 1996 and had a local radio hit with their odd homage to the valley of the sun, "Scottsdale." Averaging 13 years of age, the members of Chronic Future (vocalist Mike Busse, drummer Barry Collins, guitarist/vocalist Ben Collins, and bassist Brandon Lee) produced a very timely brand of pop-inflected rap-rock that echoed 311, Rage Against the Machine, and other alternative radio hit makers. This timeliness and the group's energetic live performances made them hometown heroes with the Phoenix-area rock set, establishing an unheard of momentum for such a young group of musicians. Chronic Future, while lyrically amateur and slightly derivative overall, still demonstrated that these youngsters had a grip on the craft of songwriting and controlled their instruments with the deftness of players twice their age. Things were heating up business-wise after the success of the band's debut, but the quartet wisely took its time, went to school, and focused on growing up and perfecting their musical skills before eventually signing with Beyond Music at the end of the decade. The brand new label (started as an offshoot from the huge Left Bank music management company) actually chose Chronic Future as their first signing. Chronic Future now had the means to record a much more professionally produced follow-up to their spirited but somewhat messy debut. The dynamically superior 4 Elements was released exactly four years after the homegrown Chronic Future, and the band got to support the effort with several tours opening for the likes of Face to Face and other big national draws. With a tighter sound, 4 Elements...