Chronic Future were an American rock band formed in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1995 by vocalist Mike Busse, guitarist Ben Collins, bassist Brandon Lee, and drummer Barry Collins. The band lasted twenty years, with their sound containing elements of punk rock in their early years, but later would transform into a mix of rap rock and alternative rock, and later including an electronic sound alongside it. When first forming the band, the average age between each member was fourteen.
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Chronic Future were an American rock band formed in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1995 by vocalist Mike Busse, guitarist Ben Collins, bassist Brandon Lee, and drummer Barry Collins. The band lasted twenty years, with their sound containing elements of punk rock in their early years, but later would transform into a mix of rap rock and alternative rock, and later including an electronic sound alongside it. When first forming the band, the average age between each member was fourteen.
The band would release their debut album, Chronic Future, on September 9, 1996, which primarily contained a punk rock sound mixed with rap rock and rap metal. Mike Busse’s vocal style from this album would be a prominent factor for Chronic Future’s recognition from local listeners. The album came with one video for the album’s lead single, "Insomniac,” which would air on MTV. Their follow-up album, 4 Elements, would release on August 22, 2000, but failed to gain commercial success. Various critics primarily disliked the album, feeling as if it was little misleading. The album had a more mature sound than their debut, containing elements from nu metal and other heavier genres, but fell flat when it came to creating an overall unique sound for the band. However, a small cult following for Chronic Future started to build as a result of the release of 4 Elements.
Commercial success would finally arrive after Chronic Future would be signed to Interscope Records in 2003 and release their debut album, Lines in My Face, on June 22, 2004, spawning the hit single “Time and Time Again.” The song’s music video had constant airplay on music TV channels such as MTV and Fuse, reaching #40 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. The song was also featured in the video games Burnout 3: Takedown and MVP Baseball 2004, and was one of the official theme songs for the 2004 WWE Diva Search. It was also featured on an episode of television programs One Tree Hill and The Days. Other songs from the album would also appear in mainstream media, such as the song “Wicked Games” being featured on the CSI: Miami episode “Crime Wave.” To tour in support of Lines in My Face, Chronic Future would recruit Ryan Breen to perform rhythm guitar duties live. Breen would later become an official member of the band, but left the same year in order to create a solo project and adopt a new alias, Back Ted N-Ted. Mike Loy would be recruited to replace him, but also quit the same year to pursue other musical endeavors. The Lines in My Face E.P. would also be sold during the bands tour in support of the album, which began on July 9, 2004. The EP featured two songs that were not present on the album; “Jumping Ship,” which featured American rapper Passage, and title track “Lines in My Face,” which would be interpolated into the outro of the song “Thank You.”
The success of Lines in My Face would earn the band various live TV spots and performances, such as appearing on Fuse and performing at the G-Phoria video game awards in 2004. However, the ship would sail after Chronic Future left Interscope Records, deciding to become independent. Guitarist Ben Collins would launch Modern Art Records in October 2006, which signed artists such as Back Ted N-Ted, Miniature Tigers, and more. Busse began a hip-hop side project with Charlie Brand of Miniature Tigers called Future Lords. Chronic Future would release This and of That in 2006, which contained outtakes and demos recorded during the making of Lines in My Face. The album was purchasable via their website, and was limited to one thousand copies. The album showed their change from rap rock to an alternative, hip-hop, and electronic crossover style; their guitar sounds changed to a more electronic sound as opposed to the normal rock sound of previous recordings. Ryan Breen had also returned to provide programming on the album.
In 2008, Chronic Future performed at Bamboozle for its west coast show in Irvine, California on April 6. They also toured with fellow Arizonans The Medic Droid later that year after opening for them twice in the state earlier in the year. The Modern Art EP would be released on November 11, 2008. It further demonstrated their crossover style, but with far more melodic music than This and of That. The digital EP featured re-recordings of demos previously uploaded to their official website and MySpace page. By mid-2009, the band stopped updating their online pages after the release of Demoitis in April that year. No information was available about the future of the band until a fan posted an email from Ben Collins who stated that the band members had all moved to New York City and that Chronic Future “isn’t over yet.” According to Collins' personal Facebook page, he had left the band in January 2010, but rejoined by 2015. Modern Art Records would be inactive after 2013.
On March 12, 2015, Ben Collins tweeted that Chronic Future currently has “no plans to tour, but are having fun together (as we always have) and playing NYC this summer.” The show was held at the Bowery Ballroom on July 18, 2015, with Jangula and Charlie Brand as the opening acts. About a week after the Chronic Future reunion show in New York City, Ben Collins stated on Twitter that he would like to perform another show with Chronic Future in their home city, Phoenix, Arizona, stating it to be a “good idea.” The band played their final show in Phoenix, Arizona at the Rebel Lounge on December 26, 2015, with Back Ted N-Ted and DJ Soulman opening the show.
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…shrink me down again