Fortune's Folly

Eugene dance-rock quartet Fortune’s Folly have been turning fans into friends since their first show. And for the past four years vocalist Calysta Cheyenne, guitarist Ira Mazie, bassist Jesse Sanchez, and drummer Alex “Squatch” Koleber, have been playing up and down the west coast bringing friends into the “Folly Family.” This time around they will be playing two weekend shows; on Fri., January 19, at The Haul in Grants Pass and on Sat., January 20, at Howiee’s in Medford.

“We got together in 2014,” says Cheyenne. “The three guys were playing together for a year. I was moving to Eugene and wanted to be part of a project; and I went on Craigslist. The first song we wrote, we wrote via email. I moved up here and they had a jam space. And we started rehearsing and setting goals.”

After forming and writing their repertoire, the members of Fortune’s Folly began playing shows in the Eugene area and gathering a following.

“Our first show was in February of 2015. It was great; we had a great response. It’s the people, that really enjoy the music, that really make us want to get out there and perform.”

Not only do the members of Fortune’s Folly click as a live act, they form are creative songwriting force.

“We have a very smooth dynamic,” says Cheyenne. “We are good at bouncing ideas off each other. A lot of ease and flow to our writing process. Sometimes we have an idea. Most of the time we are just jamming, and see what happens.”

Fortune’s Folly have found the time to record and release three EPs in the past year. They have no immediate plans to record a full-length album, and prefer the EP format because it allows the band to have a steady recording output.

“We are going to head into the studio next month to start another one,” says Cheyenne. “It works well for us to group our songs in five. So we always have new content for our fans.”

Their latest effort the, Red, EP was released last summer. And was the first recording to include a ‘fifth Beatle.’

“We had [Parkpoom Aempoo] come in and play trumpet,” says Cheyenne. “He played on our track, “Through the Floor.” It’s the first time we ever contracted an outside musician.”

Cheyenne says he was brought in for some extra power to what the band saw as power songs.

The greatest bands have a signature sound; and it never hurts to have a signature look. The members of Fortune’s Folly are at the top of their game musically. And it is always entertaining to see a band playing sweaty dance-rock, wearing nothing but polyester.

“We perform with the suits on,” says Cheyenne. “We’ll probably be in the suits. We’ve been playing in the suits for a year now. They are super-gnarly; they don’t wash well.”

written by: Josh Davis - Rogue Valley Messenger

You might not have heard of Fortune's Folly, but you will. Coming out of Eugene, the band will give you the warm and fuzzy (guitar) feeling of those mid-90s female fronted alt-rock bands like The Breeders and No Doubt. There are also touches of Hole, The Cardigans and Garbage but without ever aping any other sound.

Lead singer Calysta Cheyenne has so much range that she can remind you of the late Sharon Jones on one song while wailing like Gwen Stefani on the next. The band's self-titled EP from last year might only have five songs on it, but it's a genuine showcase for Cheyenne's diverse vocals, as well as the band's entire lineup.

Drummer Alex 'Squatch' Koleber explains the band's origins. "The band was initially formed in October of 2013. Me and Jesse (Sanchez on bass) were playing together in another project that had been doing some small-scale touring around the West Coast. We both decided we wanted to go in a different musical direction and started looking to form a new project."

They teamed up with guitarist Ira Mazie and after an hour of jamming decided they had something good going. "Fast forward 10 months and about a dozen songs later when we decided we wanted to recruit a female vocalist that would fit our sound," says Koleber. "We auditioned a few people but nothing was sticking. A last ditch effort inspired a Craigslist ad and Calysta responded within a few days. We sent her some demos, met her a week later and have been together ever since."

From there, the band started growing organically. "We started playing small clubs and when we felt we had some solid footing locally, started branching out regionally," says Koleber. "It's been a really exciting ride so far, interacting with such devoted music lovers and developing an audience out of town has been challenging but rewarding."

The rewards are evident in the band's already polished sound. Sometimes checking out an out of town band as they come through Bend can be a crapshoot, but Fortune's Folly is a safe bet. In them the legacy of The Breeders is alive and well.

written by: Jared Rasic - The Source Weekly

Popular Eugene band Fortune’s Folly recently won Hi-Fi Music Hall’s Sun-Sets Summer Concert Series. The prize: recording time at local studio Track Town Records.

Fortune’s Folly front-person Calysta Rupert-Anderson credits her fans for the victory.

“We weren’t expecting to win,” she says. “Before the show we started promoting it more, and we just had an overwhelming positive response from people.”

“Seeing the crowd was awesome and breathtaking,” Rupert-Anderson recalls, adding “studio time is priceless for any musician.”

Fortune’s Folly has built a sizeable local following playing what Rupert-Anderson calls “high-energy rock” with “elements of funk.”

Catchy tracks like “Anchor” feature ’90s-style alt-rock guitar licks (a little reminiscent of Blind Melon, not in a bad way) and Rupert-Anderson’s more-than-ready-for-primetime pop vocal work with a definite “it” quality, like a young Gwen Stefani. Overall, Fortune’s Folly exudes a patently Millennial sense of optimism that is made for outdoors summer music festivals.

Rupert-Anderson writes all her band’s vocal melodies and says Fiona Apple and Tracy Chapman inspire her lyrics.

“I like to write creatively,” she explains. “A lot of my songs are personal, inspired by personal events, feelings that I’m having.”

“Sometimes I’ll bring in a chord progression,” she says. “Most of the time the guys will have something. We’ll each contribute our own ideas and build a song from there.”

"The guys" are Ira Mazie on guitar, Jessie Sanchez on bass and Alex Koleber on drums. Rupert-Anderson says the band’s focus on performance has helped Fortune’s Folly build a loyal local audience — success she hopes to take beyond Eugene.

“I like to make sure everyone’s having fun,” she explains. “Smiling, dancing and feeling comfortable. I try to communicate as much as I can with the audience.”

She continues: “We’re really hopeful for the future, and every day inspired by how many people come up and tell us how much our music means to them. The sky’s the limit for us.”

Eugene has two chances in October to see Fortune’s Folly. First, alongside Eugene reggae-rock act One Dollar Check 9:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 1, at Sam Bond’s Garage; $5, 21-plus. And next at the EP release party 9 pm Saturday, Oct. 29, at Luckey’s; $5, 21-plus. — William Kennedy - Eugene Weekly

The independent music scene has produced an abundance of crossover genres and odd polysyllabic descriptors. But even with all these newfound labels some bands still don’t fit into a neat little package, like Fortune’s Folly. The Eugene band’s sound compacts all the riffy goodness expected from a traditional jam band into a catchy pop package. Though it may be difficult to put a finger on which genre they belong to, you can be sure they’ll be ripping it up Friday, Sept., 9 at Howiee’s in Medford.

This visit to the Rogue Valley also marks a homecoming for the group’s frontwoman, Calysta Cheyenne, who grew up in Southern Oregon and attended Ashland High School. This show should prove to be a treat for fans of blues and danceable pop alike, because despite the band’s meager four-piece lineup, each member brings to the table a litany of influence resulting in a rich and complex sound.

“Every time we try to define ourselves and write down our genre it always becomes a laundry list,” says Cheyenne. “It’s like ‘how can we narrow this down to one thing.’ Technically I think we are very pop based in our writing style, our songs are four to five minutes and definitely hook based with a focus on the chorus. then we have lots of elements of soulfulness, funk, and jazz even. I think we’ve decided we’re alt-rock.”

Pop elements aside, Fortune’s Folly are not afraid to make less than subtle winks to their blues and jazz roots. Cheyenne’s sultry vocal melodies are propped up by a defining funk foundation provided by bassist Jesse Sanchez, and the smooth blues lickings of Ira Manzie.

“I know that’s what I was raised on,” says Cheyenne. “It has that element of nostalgia, where people are missing hearing those sounds that you grew up with. I think there’s always a desire for what’s not right in your face. You know you turn on the radio and there’s this kind of pop music in your face, then you go to a classic station and you get all the old stuff. Now bands like the Alabama Shakes, and groups that are getting super popular bring those vintage sounds back into the hip scene.”

Though Fortune’s Folly is a relatively young project they’re looking to move forward with a new EP set for release Halloween weekend. Fortune’s Folly can be sure they won’t be going it alone thanks to their devoted and sizable audience on the Eugene scene.

“It’s really cool being able to be in a band here,” says Cheyenne. “The fans are really cool people and it’s a blessing to have people who show up to every show, our kind of diehard fans. Seeing their faces and having people sing along with the lyrics literally brings tears to my eyes and is what keeps us going.” - Rogue Valley Messenger