Chemistry, creativity, and crushing it — that’s the story of the Texas-based band Chaparelle. 

Formed in 2023 by a now engaged couple and a friend — singer-songwriters Zella Day, Jesse Woods, and producer Beau Bedford —  the trio has gained rapid momentum in a two-year timeframe with their 2025 album “Western Pleasure” and captivating live shows.

Roaring Fork locals will have the opportunity to see Chaparelle live, along with Harley Ellis, at 8 p.m. Sept. 11 at The Arts Campus at Willits. 

“We wanted to sing and harmonize together,” band member Woods said, noting the timing was right when they created their band.

From early local shows, including a performance at Belly Up Aspen, to major festivals, like Newport Folk Festival, Chaparelle is quickly growing their fan base. Now in the midst of a thriving road tour promoting their new album, the group is bringing their acclaimed live show to Willits.  

Known for their velvety sound and dynamic performances, their stage show is where great music meets genuine connection. The band was created when the romantic couple, Day and Woods, who are now set to marry in April 2026, decided they wanted to work together — aiming to create a “harmony-heavy and classic-country kind of sound.” 

What sets the band apart is their transformative energy that happens when they perform. 

“Our live show is really special. I think that’s what separates us from a lot of bands,” Woods said. He credits Day, praising her as “a vibrant and compelling performer, that it kind of elevates the rest of the band.” 

Woods is pleased to hear people walking away from the live show, announcing that they want to see them again and bring their friends.

“We are all writers in our own right, myself, Jesse, and the third band member, Beau Bedford,” Day said, sharing that they have all been songwriters for a decade.

“So the first record was definitely a culmination of each of us having song starts and bringing in the songs and then finishing them together,” Day said, each infusing their unique perspective into the storytelling. 

Day shares “Heart Broke Holiday” as an example of their collaborative alchemy and how the band works together to create something out of nothing. 

“‘Heart Broke Holiday’ is very masculine and very feminine, and that contrast — that polarization of those two perspectives — is what we wanted to tell on this record and throughout the project. Sonically, I think it’s got some of the coolest production on the record too,” Day said. “It’s probably my favorite track.”

Woods picked a different song.

“I think ‘Bleeding Hearts’ kind of does the thing where it feels vintage and like a real-life country song from the 1950s — that’s a tightrope kind of situation,” Woods said, Yet, he feels this time they got it right, adding this “is a song that is who we are.”

Playing in music festivals had an impact on their creative process.

“We started playing shows before we had any music out, which really helped develop our identity as a band. We were able to improve the recordings because we were playing shows every night. Since the music was still unreleased, we could figure out what was missing on the recording,” Day said.

The band mixes their set with original music and a dose of reimagining cover songs. The music trio released a cover of Whitney Houston’s song, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” as part of their 2025 album, “Western Pleasure,” which came out in April with the New York indie label Mom + Pop Music.

“It was a fairly quick process. We wrote the whole record over two weekends, recording as we were writing,” Day said, highlighting the amazing drumming of Mackenzie Smith, who contributed.

Woods and Day, both fans of Houston’s work, were inspired to do the cover after watching the movie “The Bodyguard.” They envisioned a “sad country version” of the tune and finalized their recordings in Dallas, at Bedford’s studio.

As for their future, Woods says not knowing where the band ultimately ends up is part of the fun.

“I’m old enough to have the wisdom to have no expectations,” Woods said of the band’s whirlwind trajectory during the last two years. “I think the sweet spot is having no expectations but fully believing in the band and the music.”