Hans Chew is a singer-songwriter and keyboard player from Chattanooga, United States, born in 1975. He is also associated with Black Mollies, D. Charles Speer and the Helix, and One Eleven Heavy.

Career

Chew is best known for his work on keyboards with other artists including Steve Gunn, Hiss Golden Messenger and Jack Rose. He also develops a solo career as a vocalist, songwriter and performer. He lives and works in New York City.

Recordings

His debut album, Tennessee & Other Stories…, appears in 2010. It receives four stars from Rolling Stone and is named by Uncut as one of the year’s top 25 albums. His second LP, Life & Love, appears in 2014 and is described by Classic Rock as a strong development of the sound heard on his first record. Popmatters calls the album “Dixie-fried rock ’n’ roll awesomeness” and “a barn burning smoker of a record that’s simply irresistible.”

Style and influences

Chew’s music is described in broad terms, with comparisons made to James Booker, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Feat, Nirvana, Little Richard and Leon Russell. He describes hearing church harmony singing and country music from his grandfather, while his mother introduces him to Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones; his father listens mainly to classical music, and he knows Beethoven before he hears Led Zeppelin.

Live performance

He is also noted as a dynamic live performer, with his concert approach described as fast, intense rock and roll that evokes early 1970s groups such as Derek & The Dominos and the Rolling Stones at Nellcote.