Chase Petra: Navigating band life amidst a global pandemic
Fumbling with Zoom by adjusting the mic and camera, Hunter Allen laughed as she navigated using the app on her phone rather than her usual device. With a smile still etched on her face she introduced herself, saying how strange it was to do an introduction through a screen rather than in-person.
Despite being in a global pandemic for more than a year, Allen perfectly represents Zoom life for everyone as she adjusts into a comfortable position.
The other thing that Allen represents perfectly? The reality of being a musician amidst a time where live music has paused and creativity has been hard to find.
“I’m grateful to have had music throughout this,” Allen, the front runner of Chase Petra, said. “But on the other hand, there's this pressure because of the fact you have so much free time.”
Being an artist during quarantine has allowed for one of two options. Using the extra time to be creative and push yourself or to run out of inspiration and feel lost. Both have happened for Allen, but she’s navigated through quarantine and is now ready to get back to the basics as the world begins to open again.
Who is Chase Petra?
Long Beach based band, Chase Petra is made up of three members. The 24-year-old guitarist and vocalist Hunter Allen, 22-year-old drummer Evan Schaid, and 26-year-old bassist and vocalist Brooke Dickson. The trio categorizes themselves as a group formed “out of necessity, not a matter of if they would form but when.”
Childhood friends Schaid and Allen have played together for over nine years. Dickson joined the group just three years ago, having dropped out of Chapman University in Orange County to move to Long Beach, focus on music, and overall trust the process that is life.
“I think we are just very lucky to have found one another,” Allen says. “To find people that you really love and to be able to make music with them is harder than you think.”
The band shows their honesty and personalities not only through the indie-rock music they create but through the unique genre they have labeled themselves as: “Quarter-life crisis pop-rock.” Allen describes their group as musicians that have to play and create, no matter who or what is listening. Compulsory almost.
Allen further explains that being in a band is hard, it takes commitment. Having found two friends that have the same care and drive for music is something that she cherishes often, along with the people that support their compulsory need and desire to make music.
February 2020 the group was doing it all. Together they were writing songs, recording in the studio and booking gigs left and right. Before the shutdown, they were playing venues like The Smell in Los Angeles and even had a show booked at The Hi Hat with a lineup of bands that Allen was excited about.
“We were just blissfully ignorant and it was awesome, and then it wasn’t,” Allen said.
Life of a musician (pandemic version)
But the fun stopped all too soon for the group. The constant need and desire to make music together was no longer available. Much like the rest of the world, the pandemic gave the group a chance to rest. But it eventually became a very dark world to live in.
People everywhere, Chase Petra included, experienced a feeling of languish all the time. This languishing is still seen today, even as the world shifts into a safer place of fewer COVID-19 cases.
Allen describes her quarantine life as nothing short of depressing.
“It’s truly been a wild ride of not being able to get up and do things,” Allen says. “Just because the depression fucking weighs on you.”
Being with her bandmates is something Allen adores and trying to make that work in a worldwide shut down was almost impossible. As time went on the group tried to master the art of social distancing, safety, and creativity. With masks on and chairs set up an appropriate amount away from each other, they were able to have two live stream performances.
But the virus did not let up, and Chase Petra knew it was time to stay home for a while. Safety was a priority, their need to create and play together took a long pause.
“It was heartbreaking and it was frustrating,” Allen said.
The time apart, despite how grueling, was a time Allen used to write. But as any artist understands, inspiration comes from around you. Allen describes her newly-written songs as dark, depressing and full of death. She now had an album’s worth of material but it felt like it still wasn’t enough. The pressure to create and do more loomed over her.
“There’s this battle between depression versus productivity,” Allen said. “I love music so much but when you monetize the thing you care about, the lines can get a little blurry.”
Allen further explained that other artists face this battle too, leading to these phases of being active or inactive on social media.
Many musicians are trying to make up for this loss of creativity by becoming more available online and creating more content for their social media channels. But, this has led some people astray. Their focus is no longer on music as being a content creator has now become their new outlet.
“Bands are expected to be social media personalities instead of musicians sometimes,” Allen said. “I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with that but I have found it stressful.”
Allen herself has used social media as a new outlet to share her creativity and love for music, specifically on TikTok. In February, she began posting covers and acoustics of Chase Petras music and within two weeks she had gone from 112 followers to about 60,000. Allen currently has 172.4K followers on TikTok because of these videos but juggling both is not for her.
“I can’t post every day like that, I can’t live stream every day like that,” Allen said. “It's just a lot to expect.”
Unlike other musicians, Allen doesn’t use social media as her new form of creativity. Instead, it serves as a filler until she can be with the group again.
Doors are opening, what’s next?
As the shutdown begins to lift and everyone enters this new world of masks and half capacities, the big question for the group is: When is the next show?
But there is no answer.
Allen spent most of her teenage years and young adult life playing on a stage, she has never gone this long without performing. Even though she can’t wait to get back out there, so many other things must come first.
“My main priority right now is to just get back to the basics and play with my friends,” Allen said. “The making money moves, the business part, that can wait."
With two-thirds of the group fully vaccinated, Allen is eager to meet with the band, their new management, Heathers Artist Management, and navigate the new normal together.
Allen’s goal for the group before the year ends? Release new music. It’s time for her to sift through that album’s worth of songs with her bandmates and make something magical because everything else can wait.
COVID-19 has affected everyone in a different way, and though this time has been difficult, Allen is grateful for it.
“We’ve learned a lot about each other and what we’re capable of as people just trying to survive a terrible worldwide event,” Allen said. “There are many things that I feel privileged to have and grateful to have experienced, even though this year has been a nightmare.”
EVAN SCHAID AND BROOKE DICKSON WERE UNABLE TO MAKE INTERVIEW.
*NOTE: This story was originally written for DIG Magazine in 2021