The Chewy Center

The Chewy Center is a jam-infused, rock band from Cleveland, OH comprised of David "DeFlo" DeFlorentis (vocals/guitar), Mike Nock (lead guitar), Nate "Vegas" Vagase (bass guitar), Stephen Fabec (keyboards) and Ben Fasciano (drums). The Chewy Center takes heavy influence from AOR, prog, funk, and electronic music with big hooks, super melodic songs, and a story to tell in each song. 

What is AOR? AOR rock calls back to the era of big hooks, catchy riffs, and album-oriented rock from the 70s & 80s. Think bands like Toto, Journey, Styx, Boston. Big sound, big heart. That's the center of The Chewy Center. Take all that and incorporate inventive jam explorations, some genre mashing, and some electronic elements, and that's the Chewy sound. 

The original trio (DeFlorentis/Vagase/Fasciano) met in spring of 2011 at a high school talent show and played together in various groups before formalizing the band in summer 2016. The band released their debut single "Papa Fuji", soon followed by the debut album 'Happy You're Here' (produced by Refried Audio), which first featured keyboardist Stephen Fabec on select songs before he officially joined the band upon the album's release. The band did not hesitate to put more music out into the world, releasing a cover of Funkadelic's 'Red Hot Mama' followed by Chewy's first self-produced work, 'The Chewy Center, LLC' EP, produced by Fabec himself. As Chewy's reach grew around the region and scene, the guys reconnected with longtime friend Mike Nock, returned to the area after living in Columbus for several years. Mike began jamming with the band and quickly became a full time member, taking lead guitar duties and bringing new sounds to the writing process. The five-person format has proven to be the ideal combination for the sound that Chewy has been chasing. Be on the lookout for new releases in early 2024!

Feeling like a welcomed outsider in the scene, the band enjoys a sense of creative freedom to break outside the walls of conventional jam/festival sound.  Each song has a story to tell, through unique lyrical themes and ideas that provoke introspection and emotion. 

Chewy has been making their mark around the region, earning their place in the festival circuit as well as stages of all kinds. In 2022, Chewy Center was honored to perform on the main stage at Dunesville Music Festival in Traverse City, as well as a headlining slot at Spunfest 3 in Perrysville, OH. 2023 is poised to be Chewy's biggest year yet, with appearances at FUNKyFEST, Wild Maple Music Fest, Pass the Swine Fest, and plenty of stages across NE Ohio. 

"You guys are like a jam band... for nerds... in a good way" -Evan the sound guy

Email: TheChewyCenter@gmail.com

Instagram: @thechewycenter

Facebook: The Chewy Center