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Where did "Chasing Denver" come from?
Hi! We are the Kemps, also known as Chasing Denver! While our name didn't come to us until December of 2019, our adventure began in the fall of 2017. Because of you, we have been fortunate enough to perform full-time together, all over the globe. Coming up with our name was no walk in the park. What identifies us? How do we represent ourselves in a way that everyone can relate? In a world that's ever-changing, we needed our name to remind us to stay still, humble, and at peace in the midst of all the chaos. The mountains of Colorado represent just that, resilient and bold, yet calm and delicate. Continuously evolving, but grounded and still. We aim to grow and reach as many people as we can, all-the-while remaining humble and true to ourselves. We thank you so much for your support as we all do this journey together. We simply would not be here if it wasn't for you believing in us. So, here's to you, Chasers!
Her Story
"My husband is making me do this" is probably a good way to start this off.. (I, of course, say this with a big grin on my face). For those who are visiting our page for the first time, thank you and welcome! Here's a little insight into my background. From the time I could formulate a sentence I remembering putting those words into song. Music has always been a huge part of my life, but I'd be lying if I said I always pursued it full-force.
I remember growing up, loving my small hometown, but always longing for something bigger. I feel like I've always been somewhat of a lone-wolf just trying to understand the vastness of our world and the people in it. Bound and determined to create and grow, I moved to Florida back in 2011. The first few years of this new adventure were exciting, and certainly fun, but I was craving purpose and knew I had a gift that I wanted to share with others. I landed a job for a local builder who created the most beautiful homes. I loved my job and in a way it helped reignite my creativity and remind me of path I was designed to be on...though that itself wasn't it.
If you read Chris' story first, then you know the stars were aligned when we first met. I knew he was something special within the first few moments of talking with him. He was a man who
knew what he was made for, and by God he wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop him. Chris and I quickly hit it off and formed a bond with music that I never imagined possible. Still working my 9-5, I had the privilege of sitting in for a few sets. This made for many long days, but my goodness we had fun. As time went on, I knew that singing with him was something I never wanted to end and so it didn't! Chris asked me to take a leap of faith and join his performing full-time in May of 2018. It was the easiest "Yes!" I had ever given.....Oh, but then there was the even more easiest "Yes!" - that of which was the reply I gave him when he asked me to be his wife in 2019!
That's my story. The lone wolf who found her pack in this crazy, big world. My duo partner who became my soulmate and now we have all of you in our circle. You will never know the depths of our gratitude and how much we owe to all of you for believing in us!
Victoria's Story
His Story
Hey guys! Some of you may have known me as solo artist Chris Kemp. Some of you know me as "Matt Kemp, the guy from Fort Ann." I have used my middle name (Christopher) on stage since 2013, with intentions of having a name that sticks to the ear; something memorable. The more I grow into myself, the more I'm realizing that I don't need to use a middle name to be "catchy." I realized I like who I am as "Matt" just the same, if not more. So that in mind, you can call me whichever one comes to your mind. I performed solo for years leading up to the forming of Chasing Denver. Prior to my solo endeavors, I was in another duo with a buddy of mine from college named Zack. We had a blast for a couple years, but our long term goals were different, so we found it best to remain like-brothers and make the business decision to split.
On May 6th, 2017, I was playing a solo gig down on Fort Myers Beach. Per usual, I was doing my thing, and I noticed a beautiful blonde walked in with her mom and sister, looking to have lunch on the beach for Mother's Day. Her name was Victoria. On my break, I stopped to introduce myself to the three of them. Victoria's mom Mindy revealed that she was a fantastic singer, and that we should meet up and sing some time. I thought, sure, everyone's mom thinks they can sing. So, after exchanging information, and browsing through her Instagram to see what this girl was all about, I decided she was actually quite good! Did I want to work with someone else? Absolutely not. I was happy as a solo performer. So I thought.
We did get a chance to do a song on stage together at Sunset Grill in the summer. But honestly, in the nicest way, we just didn't click. Both of us had individual talents that were bound to work somewhere else down the road, but certainly not with each other. So I thought.
Fast forward to September of that same year. I had a cold, and was faced with the decision to cancel my performance down at Salty Crab, or call for help. Knowing that Victoria could sing, but we didn't have the chemistry of a duo (yet,) I asked a favor of her. She agreed to drive down an hour to the beach after her shift in Punta Gorda (chances are, you read her story first, so you know all about what she did) to join me for the set. She had practiced some songs we had shared back and forth, and so did I. So really, we did sound pretty good that night, much to my surprise. But, I still wanted to be a solo artist. So I thought.
With the exception of select few people, the crowds took to the idea of "that new girl joining the stage" quite well. The energy and support from the crowds fueled us to practice, and eventually put on scheduled performances. Quite quickly, actually. Come January of 2018, I was nearly finished with doing solo gigs. Whenever Victoria would not show up for gigs (she was still working her 9-5 at this point), people would walk up to me, and instead of greet me, say, "Where's Victoria?" At that point, I was not going to be "Chris Kemp" much longer. Between the crowds coming back time and time again, and my suggestions, we all convinced Victoria to quit her full time job. We became a duo as of May, 2018. We spent that summer in Nashville, paying a mortgage in Florida, and paying rent in Tennessee. Needless to say, going out wasn't a frequency for us. We spent some time writing some music, and wanted to see where our minds would creatively take us together. Actually, we wound up writing one of our crowd favorites "Stay Home," all done while sitting on the couch in our cozy little apartment. We didn't form the band name until November of 2019. Until then, we were called "Chris & Victoria."
Chris' Story
Thanks for reading!
That's all we got. You can stop scrolling.
We warned ya!
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