Our Official Biography

Chester French is a pop music duo comprising singer D.A. Wallach and multi-instrumentalist Max Drummey. The group originally formed in 2003 as a five piece live band at Harvard University, where the band members were freshmen. A year later, D.A. and Max began working as recording engineers at the school’s student recording studio, and continued writing, producing, and engineering their music as a duo. By their senior year, the album that they had made for less than $2,000 sparked a bidding war between some of the biggest artists in popular music, including Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. Ultimately, D.A. and Max signed with Williams to his Star Trak imprint on Interscope Records (home to U2, Eminem, Gwen Stefani).

Since then, Chester French has played hundreds of shows with its three piece backing band, touring the US and Europe as a headliner or with Blink 182, Weezer, N*E*R*D, Common, or Lady Gaga. D.A. and Max have also made a point to connect with their supporters through free, intimate acoustic performances in dozens of sneaker shops and record stores around the U.S. Their relentlessly energetic and engaging sets have won fans of a variety of styles of music, and the group’s audiences are as diverse as its sound.

In April of 2009, Chester French released its highly-anticipated debut album, Love the Future, which has received broad critical acclaim. People Magazine’s Chuck Arnold called it “a delightfully whimsical pop pastiche that evokes everyone from the Beach Boys and the Beatles to Prince,” and the Boston Globe hailed the release as “too wise – and too catchy – to possibly be the debut from the recent Harvard grads.”

To promote Love the Future, the duo simultaneously released a free, full-length concept album of comedy-infused hip-hop and pop music entitled Jacques Jams Vol. 1: Endurance. Overseen by renowned DJ Clinton Sparks, the album featured collaborations with Jermaine Dupri, Diddy, Pharrell, Talib Kweli, Bun B, Janelle Monae, and many others. Over 300,000 fans have downloaded Jacques Jams, available at www.ChesterFrench.com/mixtape, and publications ranging from VIBE to the New York Times have praised the project’s creativity.

Chester French rounded out 2009 with national network television performances on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Both appearances showcased the group’s fiery live show, as well as D.A.’s and Max’s typically unconventional sartorial stylings, which have landed the duo in GQ and Vogue.

In order to stay connected with its fans, the band has created www.ChesterFrench.com, where fans can buy music and merchandise directly from D.A. and Max. It is also the hub of their unique VIP Concierge Service, a free membership network through which Chester French provides its fans with extraordinary personal service, news, and invitations to exclusive events.

D.A. and Max are currently working on their next full length album with plans for a 2010 release.