Biographies Needing Attention

US outfit CHEST ROCKWELL, named after a character in the motion picture Boogie Nights, was formed by Josh Hines (guitars, vocals) in late 2003, initially as a solo project.

In the spring of 2004 Nick Rouse (drums) and Nick Stewart (bass, keyboards) became involved, and at that point the project ended and the band was born.

2005 saw them releasing their first album, “Back to Square One”, a creation blending elements typical to indie rock with influences from acts like YES and RUSH. Just after the release of this album Seth Wilson (guitars) was added to the band's line-up.

Chest Rockwell has been an active live unit ever since they became a band, but they do manage to find the time to visit recording studios now and then. With the expanded line-up firmly settled they hit the studio in the summer of 2006, and 2007 saw them issuing the production “Chest Rockwell vs. The World”, a 42 minute-long epic divided into 8 parts, whilst adding both jazz, metal and some folk elements to the the progressive-tinged indie rock explored on their debut.

In the summer of 2007 the compilation “Flavor” was released that featured songs from both previous albums, a new track to be on an upcoming album, and a re-recording of an older song. 

After intensive years with songwriting and concerts the band took a small break after promoting their second album; but in the summer of 2008 they started preparing material for their third album, “Total Victory”, which was issued in the spring of 2009. This album was a finalist in the Italian Prog Awards under "Best Prog Attitude" and gained the band a nice home in the prog genre.

In 2011 the band returned to the studio and recorded part 1 of an album retelling the story of the Trojan War. Titled “Laugh and the World Laughs with You” the EP was released in December of that year. Shortly before the release the band added keyboardist/guitarist David Cole to the line up. 

The summer of 2012 saw Chest Rockwell again in the studio to record part 2 of their Trojan War saga. The EP “...Weep and You Weep Alone” was the first recording of the now 5-piece band and was released in the spring of 2013. 

In November 2013 the band recorded a two song 7" titled “6ix” that featured a new song incorporating elements of stoner metal, and a cover of a post-metal song. The downloadable version had a bonus electronic remix not on the vinyl. 

Six songs into writing the follow up album keyboardist David Cole announced his departure from the band in 2015 and moved across the country. As a result the writing process stalled. Later that summer the band issued the compilation titled “Laugh and the World Laughs with You... Weep and You Weep Alone” which naturally combined the two previous EPs and switched up the track order to put them in their proper story order. They also issued a short demo collection titled “Rippin' It” that featured piano driven pieces Cole had written that would no longer be played by the band. 

The band continued to play shows for the next few years and played out 5 of their 6 new songs at most shows but never recorded them or wrote more. CHEST ROCKWELL started playing more shows under the alter ego Peter the Freshman, which served as a 90s cover band. 

The band played a 15 year anniversary show in July 2019 and went on hiatus. Singer/guitarist Josh Hines requested permission from the band to continue to release new material under the CHEST ROCKWELL name and everyone agreed to it. In November 2019 the first new song in over 5 years was posted, titled “Farewell, Voyager”, with the announcement of a new full length album.

In March of 2020 the single “Proteus” was released and in April the album “Ghost of a Man Still Alive” was released. This was the first entirely solo CHEST ROCKWELL album since the debut demo in February 2004. The album incorporated more metal elements with extensive synth work and a new Arabic influence on a few tracks. “Ghost” was well received by critics and made several best of the year lists. 

November 2020 saw the release of a split live album with THE HUNGRY EARS. The show was recorded a decade earlier in October 2010 but had never been made available to the public in its entirety. 

Hines initially stated there would be no more CHEST ROCKWELL unless the band reunited but it has since been announced that another new solo album titled “The Existentialist” will arrive in 2021 along with the first public release of the six demos for the "lost album".