The Via Maris profile picture

The Via Maris

Last shows with current lineup through Nov. 7

About Me

about
The Via Maris began in the Spring of 2005 with me and Kenny Kohlmeier, my longest-running musical collaborator, and Julian Goldenthal, a drummer Kenny and I had a band with in college. I heard Matt Wiser playing pedal steel with Rum Tenor at the New Times Music Festival in Tempe that April at Rula Bula and talked to him afterwards. Jen Goma was a 17 year-old college freshman who came in to record on a friend’s CD at my studio, and I recruited her too. Then I found an acoustic guitar player named Jason on craigslist because I was playing bass, but the songs were all written on ac. gtr. So the first shows we played that summer were as a 6-piece band. I think we played 3 shows like that and the drummer decided he didn’t want to play anymore.
So it was 4 months before we played another show, this time with a new drummer and no additional acoustic guitarist. It was with this band that I started recording the first record in the Spring of 2006. In the early Summer of ’06, I began to play some solo and duo and trio shows with Kenny and/or Jen at Carly’s at the invitation of Lisa Marmur, who had a regular gig there. That was when I made the switch to playing the acoustic guitar all the time. Those shows were such a good experience. I discovered what I liked about some of the songs again when they were stripped of the band.
From the summer of 2006 through the release of our first album in March of 2007, I rarely played a show with the same lineup twice. I played solo, as a duo with me and Kenny or me and Jen, I played as a trio with me and Kenny and Jen or Lisa Marmur (who knew all the songs from the Carly’s shows together), and I played with any combination of these and a woodwinds section consisting of bassoon and clarinet.
For the show marking the release of our first CD, I had compiled a 9-piece band to play that one show. That band added a new drummer, bassist, pedal steel player, and keyboardist/backing vocalist (Merrily from Fatigo and Runaway Diamonds) to the “regulars” of Jen, Kenny, the woodwinds, and me.
In May of 2007, the current lineup of The Via Maris took shape with Shane Kennedy joining on Drums, Dario Miranda on upright bass, Matt Wiser back in the pedal steel seat, Zachary Dodds on electric guitar, and Jen Goma.
The best way I can think to describe this band is as a vehicle that is designed to be versatile, yet distinctive. Just like you wouldn’t try to haul a load with a ferrari or race with a conversion van, this band has a lot of personality that has completely altered the shape of some songs and caused me to set others aside. It’s been creatively fulfilling to write most of this new record with this band. There’s an energy that comes from playing with the same people for months at a time, and I think that’s the key difference between this new record and the last one.
-Chad's response to a question in an interview about how the band came together
Ammended: Jen Goma is moving to New York to pursue a career in musical theater. We will miss her terribly and wish her the best.
upcoming shows
news
Propaganda for the young!
School House Rock

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Our firstest video footage!! Enjoy.
"Hope"
Filmed on January 16, 2007 @ The Palace of No Malice
by Chris Harris
The Via Maris

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discography
THE BICENTENNIAL
[self-released 2008]
Digital Release--purchase above
or buy a limited edition handmade CD $12
1. Proud Chicago
2. The Better Year
3. The Bicentennial
4. Faith
5. Brutal, Faithful Friend
6. Easter
7. Song For Will (Love)
8. Stick Shift Car
9. Over a Multitude
10. Hope
11. Turn Out
12. Wedding Photo '32
for album graphics and lyrics email [email protected]
the wilderness underneath
[Perfect Circle Records 2007]

$10 purchase here
Or through iTunes
..
wide open world ep [2006]
now available at shows
contact
Booking and other inquiries:
[email protected]

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/3/2005
Band Website: theviamaris.com
Band Members: CHAD: voice and guitar, ZACH: electric guitar, MATT: pedal steel guitar, SHANE: drums, DARIO: upright and electric basses
Influences: The Innocence Mission, Bob Dylan, Denison Witmer, The Band, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Bread, Great Lake Swimmers, Fleetwood Mac, Family, Everyday life
Sounds Like: it belongs on a turntable . . .
JOIN OUR NEW FACEBOOK GROUP
THE VIA MARIS facebook group

Record Label: a good idea, yes
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

The end of an era

It has been an enjoyable year and a half with the current (with the exception of Jen) lineup of The Via Maris. We've made a record, played some really great shows (Okkervil River, Great Lake Swimmers...
Posted by The Via Maris on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:44:00 PST

Song for Will (Love)

In celebration of my son Willem's first birthday this past Sunday, September 21, I put up the song I wrote just after he was born. It was written to convey the quiet joy of new life in our lives. Fi...
Posted by The Via Maris on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:30:00 PST

The Pernice Brothers

Where have they been all my life?10 years I could've been listening to this!I hate it when this happens . . .Except that I love it.
Posted by The Via Maris on Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:10:00 PST

The Via Maris at camp

I just finished a 5 week stretch in Prescott at camp. I do music there. This was my 3rd summer. They call me The Chad. I'm not sure if they're making fun of me or not, but I think they like me alr...
Posted by The Via Maris on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:47:00 PST

Home from Tour

So we pulled back in to Phoenix yesterday after exactly two weeks of being away.  The last few days of the trip were some of the best, minus being tired. We had such a good time with friends in G...
Posted by The Via Maris on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:35:00 PST

The Long and Winding Road

Early tomorrow morning we begin the long drive back to the desert Southwest from the green leafiness of the Midwest. While Zach has been bouncing around New York, New England, Toronto, and Chicago, m...
Posted by The Via Maris on Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:21:00 PST

Tour Diary 1

I am writing from my brother's home on a rainy morning in Kansas City, MO.  I just woke up from a little nap because we drove through the night to get here from Torrey, UT, where we played on Sat...
Posted by The Via Maris on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:53:00 PST

Parenthood and Bob Dylan

A conversation I just had with my 5 year-old:Ira: "Daddy, can I listen to Tom Waits? Or, no, I want to listen to Bob Dylan." Me: "Okay."I: "There's a song I like I want to listen to, so just put it ...
Posted by The Via Maris on Tue, 27 May 2008 10:49:00 PST

A Little Tour

The Via Maris will be embarking on a little tour, beginning Thursday, May 29, 2008. It's a little tour because we'll just be two people (Chad and Zach), there aren't a ton of dates, and the van will ...
Posted by The Via Maris on Fri, 23 May 2008 10:27:00 PST

New Times article about The Bicentennial

http://music.phoenixnewtimes.com/2008-04-10/music/local-band -via-maris-reach-back-to-a-better-year-with-the-bicentennial /
Posted by The Via Maris on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:30:00 PST