Anita's Bio

Anita Chase came into the world on June 25 in Wichita, KS as the infant “with more hair than any other baby in the nursery”.  This baby monkey grew up lip-synching and air-guitaring to rock on the radio with her siblings.  She developed an early interest in singing - leading to the coveted role of the Virgin Mary in the grade school Christmas pageant.  She took piano lessons from 6^th through 10^th grades and then fate struck; she received an electric guitar for her 15^th birthday.

She began taking guitar lessons from country singer/songwriter, Dave Machin and within a year was playing in VFWs and bars with his bands.  Anita’s first rock band performed at her high school talent show and included her sister (dancer/ choreographer Regina Chase, founder of Rutter Works/ Chase) on bass and current web master, Kenton Franklin, on lead guitar.  Both Kenton and Regina would join Anita on other projects:  Anita performed with Regina in alternative/ punk band, Weeble and wrote several pieces for Regina’s dance projects. Anita and Kenton went on to form folk/ rock duo “Ms. Crayonbox and the Rainy Day Boy” and later collaborated on Anita’s solo album “2 A.M.” (All instrumentation done, recorded, mixed and mastered by Kenton at Planet Paul Studio in Wichita, KS.  It was released independently in 2001.) Kenton also joined ½ Mad Poet for a brief stint in 2000.

While working on these projects, she earned a BA in music at Wichita State University.  In college, she was introduced to classical voice training, gospel choir and jazz guitar, but nothing could dissuade her from playing rock, in spite of her instructors’ best intentions.  It was at WSU that the first incarnation of ½ Mad Poet came together with fellow students bassist Sheela Reddy and drummer Rhea Sewell (later to be replaced by another student, Janet Cramer, then Chandler, and now currently, Rockstar Rich).  ½ Mad Poet has since become the main focus of her creative output, an experience that has resulted in both exultation and psychosis.

Anita is known for her energetic stage performance and raw aggressive vocals and guitar playing.  Her complete musical influences are too numerous to mention, but include: Savatage, Guns ’n’ Roses, Megadeth, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ani Di Franco, Franz Liszt, the Beatles and all of the musicians she has ever played with.  Other sources of inspiration are the Transcendentalist movement, people who are passionate about making a change for the better, and all the people in her life who have taught her something new and enlightening.

Anita is unable to walk at a slow pace but likes to take the time to get to know ½ Mad Poet’s fans personally. Her favorite thing to do is something she’s never tried before.

An extra special thanks to Kenton Franklin for being our webmaster, fixing our guitars, photography and all the various assistance he has give us through the years.

anita@halfmadpoet.com