The Haze & Magic Carpet Ryders at Crazy Horse Saloon and Grill – Nevada City, CA

The Haze is a genre-blending band, hatched on a small farm in Santa Cruz and then reborn in Nevada City, CA, in 2022. Their sound is a raw, yet atmospheric, mix of grunge, psychedelic rock, blues, surf, reggae, and ska—anchored in that unmistakable California vibe. Members Chase Haze (vocals, guitar), Amanda Haze (drums, vocals), and Carl Atilano (bass, guitar, backup vocals) bring a unique energy, switching instruments mid-show for a dynamic, immersive experience. You’ll latch onto the signature, chugging groove and never want to let go.

Magic Carpet Ryders ride a droning zephyr of reverberating tones. Hailing from the musical Mecca of Nevada City, they play folk rock that is neither folk nor rock. Instead, they trawl the hinterlands of indie music, blending college rock, jangle pop, retro psychedelia and futuristic space sounds. The resulting songs sashay between the Velvet Underground on a sugar bender and Tom Petty with a bad hangover.

As children of the tightly knit NC music scene, the Ryders have all played together in different bands before. Singer/guitarist Chris Streng had previously climbed Mount Whateverest. Drummer Chad LaBerge and bassist Harry “Hazz” Collins had played with Streng in the notoriously chaotic grunge band Chat Room until everyone decided to mellow out.

Magic Carpet Ryders strive to capture the halcyon days of initialed bands like REM and XTC without the pretension of U2 or INXS. Maybe it’s retro, maybe it’s right on time. They’re not out to reinvent the wheel, they just want it to roll a little bit faster.