By Julie Slama|[email protected]

During COVID-19, many people had bucket lists: mastering another language, learning to juggle, reading the classics. Chase Love made the most of those months as well.

A teacher at American Academy of Innovation, he recorded his first album, “Statements,” with producer Gavin McMahan. During the summer months, he edited it and released it last fall without a fanfare during the pandemic.

“I wrote all the songs; it has a mix of Americana blues, rock and country influence,” Love said. “There is some acoustic and blues rock.”

He began playing piano 23 years ago at age five and took lessons until his sophomore or junior year in high school. Later, he taught himself ukulele and guitar. Love’s grandfather was a jazz pianist and trumpet player.

“I’m classically training and can play jazz, but rock ‘n roll spoke to me,” he said.

It was in high school, Love started writing songs. With friends during his junior year, he won the winter talent show performing the clean version of The Axis of Awesome’s “The Four Chords Song.” Then Love wrote the theme song for the Montana Special Olympics and recorded “Footenotes” songwriting nonprofit album for high school students. Love received a scholarship from Jazz Montana.

As a freshman at Brigham Young University, Love recorded his original version of “Oh Tennessee” and “Runnin’ On” on his first EP with friends. During his Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ mission, he performed gospel and blues on piano at various occasions. Afterward, he studied PR and vocal performance.

Love managed trampoline parks in Tennessee and Virginia, lived in Las Vegas and ran his own professional detailing.

“Music is a passion for me, and I realized I’d rather be teaching and playing music than what I was doing,” he said and returned to Utah.

The songs on his album are considered a diary of Love’s life experiences, from when as a city boy he went camping in Montana with Boy Scouts to living in several states across the country. 

“The songs are all very different, but they fit together and relate to one another,” he said. “‘Oh Tennessee’ is the liveliest of the songs, but my heart is in the South as most of my adult life, I lived there so a lot of my music roots from the South. ‘Runnin’ On’ is a personal anthem, as I tried to survive in each city where I moved; ‘Nobody’ addresses the injustices and unfairness in the country and ‘Roll with Me’ reflects my high school days.”

The album features six songs: “Oh Tennessee,” featuring 13 instruments and a backing choir is an anthem to the state, which Love said “is basically a music fusion of several genres, including rock, pop, hip hop, country, gospel, blues and folk.”

“Runnin’ On,” he said, is “stylistically speaking, ‘Eleanor Rigby’ meets Elton John and Jimi Hendrix.”

“This is probably the truest reflection of what I wish my musical style to be. It is ‘blues rock pop’ in every essence of that phrase,” he said, adding that the song would not be complete without the guitar mastery of Tanner Thorne “who absolutely shreds it and nails the Hendrix vibe I was looking for.”

The song, “Nobody” Love wrote to address overcoming adversity, injustice, and unfairness that he witnessed after living in several states across the country.

“Even though this song was written a long time ago, it is relevant to how I feel about everything going on right now,” he said.

“Montana Symphony” “is perhaps the most personal song I’ve ever written. It describes my experience living in Montana as a teenager and all of the highs and lows that came with it,” Love said, adding that the string players “were absolutely amazing on this song, and the entire album.”

The song, “Roll with Me,” is an acoustic ukulele blues tune Love wrote in high school and with the help of friend Grant Fry, Love finished the lyrics for in college.

The final song, “Texas Lights,” Love began writing when he learned a friend in Texas had been in an accident.

“This song is my way of saying thank you to the many different people from Texas that have influenced me throughout my life,” he said. “Of all the songs on the album, this one probably demonstrates my style of piano the best.”

The list of albums which he listens to is long and artists as well, but among those are Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, which illustrate a great and varied influence of musicians in his life, he said.

“I love the ‘50s; Elvis definitely made an impression,” he said. “I love the blues, bluegrass, R & B of Ray Charles and rock ‘n roll and put that into my life and it’s what impacted me and makes this ‘Americana’ EP,” Love said.

Music is a passion he shares not only with his own music, but with his students as he teaches and advises students in the class, “Rock Band.” 

This year, the seven-member band, Bawzli, learned to master various cover songs as Love managed the band and ran their rehearsals.

During the charter school’s immersion week, he has taught students music of Eddie Van Halen and Led Zeppelin.

“I believe significant artists have meaning in the history of rock ‘n roll,” he said. “They’re true to themselves and don’t listen to what others think. They have more potential to change the world.”

Word of mouth is spreading about Love’s talent and his recent album, from his Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/lovestochase and on Instagram: @lovestochase.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I had the time to do it, had the songs to record, and the pandemic gave me the time to share it.”