SPORT AND CHAOS is a testament to the arrival of a new era in music. This genre-defying yet monumental project not only characterizes a new sound of what music can be, but also serves to represent a story of drive, passion, rebellion, freedom, love, and death. SPORT AND CHAOS is the visualization of the world through a new lens, and works to mark the entrance of Erik Hempel into the musical world.

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, FL, Hempel grew up during a time when the city around him was undergoing an explosive cultural rebirth. Introduced to an immense variety of music throughout his childhood, Hempel began cutting his teeth professionally at the age of fifteen when he began playing with various regional symphony orchestras. At the same time, Hempel was musically “brought up” by the jazz community of Tampa Bay, where he learned and developed his technical skills, stage presence, and natural business mindset. By his eighteenth birthday, Hempel had already been performing at musical festivals and selling out concerts under his own name. And now, just after turning nineteen, Erik Hempel is releasing his own debut album which he wrote, arranged, funded, recorded, and produced himself.

While SPORT AND CHAOS may be the brainchild of Erik Hempel, one of Hempel’s main goals behind the project was to showcase the talented youth which surrounded him. Every aspect of the album (including but not limited to the musicianship, photography, visual artistry, mixing and mastering) was completed by over three dozen artists and creators between the ages of sixteen to twenty-one years old. SPORT AND CHAOS acts as a monument for young artists, stating the message NOW IS THE TIME to bring our skills together and collaborate with our fellow artists. WE ARE THE PEOPLE that will bring change, not because we are chosen by someone else to do so, but because we choose to bring change ourselves.

SPORT AND CHAOS is a collection of stories that all deal with relationships; Between Lovers, Between the Abuser and the Abused, Between Man and God. The very album title itself describes the nature of these stories, with “CHAOS” representing the violent discord and turmoil arising all over society, and “SPORT” representing a sarcastic and amused response from the viewer, as if the arising “CHAOS” only acts as a sort of entertainment to them, and the lives of the affected only serve as “SPORT”.  Each song on the album tells a different story, and each story connects in its own unique way to every listener. When listening to SPORT AND CHAOS, do not try and look for the literal story within each song, but rather look for the story inside of you in which the song connects with. This, is SPORT AND CHAOS.