Chavez, who grew up playing music, decided to start the band after his children graduated from high school. “I’ve always been involved with music; my dad played lead guitar in several country bands when I was growing up, and my siblings, uncles, aunts, and cousins are all musicians. I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. After my kids graduated and moved away, I decided to get back into the music scene.”

Unfortunately, Chavez started the band in 2019—right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“It stalled things for a little while, but in 2022, things took off for us. We’ve been booked steady every weekend since,” he says.

The band plays mostly covers and some originals written by Chavez, whose influences include Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, AC/DC, and Scorpions, among others.

“Sometimes you feel like you want to sit down and write something, and some notes pop in your head, and you build on that; it goes from there,” he says.

While the band most often plays in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, they have also performed in Homer, Talkeetna, Bethel, McGrath, and elsewhere in Alaska. They are hoping to get into the studio soon to record some original music as well.

Chavez and the Glacier Blues Band plan to continue performing live music for the local crowd they love.

“We’re always looking for new venues,” says Chavez. “Our goal is to continue to have fun and to help others have a good time.”

Schaefer Mueller started playing early; his grandfather, who played guitar in Richmond, Virginia in a funk/rock and soul band, bought him his first guitar.

“I faked it along with him, strumming the chords until I was actually playing,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve been playing my whole life.”

It wasn’t until Mueller was in the US Army that he began to play professionally, when his friends pushed him into doing an open mic night. “I played at Humpy’s [Great Alaskan Alehouse], and the bar asked me if I could come up with four hours of music and do a set,” says Mueller, who was stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson from 2015 to 2019. “I’d never played more than fifteen minutes at a time, but I thought, ‘Let’s do this.’”

Once back from a deployment in Afghanistan, Mueller started playing jam sessions on open mic nights a couple of times a week around Anchorage. He would also travel down to Nashville, Tennessee, for writers’ rounds and began playing at veterans’ events out of state.

“Alaska is where it all started for me,” says the singer/songwriter. “People were super welcoming when I played around town, and that gave me the opportunity to make a living out of it.”

The 49th State also inspires his lyrics. “Living here helps my songwriting as well, because I can hike a mountain with my guitar and there’s nothing but me and the music,” he adds. “All my songs are stories about my life, and ways of dealing with things. Any kind of issue or emotion I have, I write a song about it.”

Mueller credits Jimmy Buffett and singer/songwriter Corey Smith as inspirations for his music, which is a blend of funk, country, rap, hip hop, rock, and more. His time in the military also influences his writing.

“In Afghanistan, there was no cell service or electricity where I was, so it gave me a lot of time to sit and write stuff. When I came back, I had a passion for writing again,” he explains.

Through his experience, Mueller became a member of Operation Encore, a nonprofit which helps military veterans record songs and play at festivals. He continues to pay it back by attending veterans’ events to talk about how to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and more.

“At least once a year, I’m called to play somewhere and to talk to veterans,” he says, noting that his song “Happy,” which is about suicide and feeling lost, seems to strike a chord among veterans.

Mueller plays solo as well as with The Neon Highway, which is made up of active duty US Air Force drummer Chris Simpson, bass player Roy Webb, US Air Force spouse and fiddle player Adah Heykoop, and US Coast Guard veteran and lead guitarist Sergio Castillejo.

“We put a lot of work into our shows. We spend a week prepping the right set list, we’ve got a whole light show—it feels like a nice, big concert,” he explains. “We want to give people a reason to go out and to come back.”

Mueller believes it’s the extra effort the band puts into their performances that landed them among Alaska’s best bands.

“I think people notice the small details and the time and effort we put into creating a good production, and it’s helping us build a following,” he adds.

Mueller is in the process of getting his PhD at UAF and plans to continue performing and living in Alaska. “My end goal is to play just my originals and make a full living out of it,” he says.

The five members of I Like Robots—singer and rhythm guitarist JJ Tranquilla, lead guitarist Lisa Ballard, drummer Eric Hoover, keyboardist Greger Wright, and bass player Bart Boggan—have been playing together for the last three years and attracting audiences every step of the way.

Although the original band was started eleven years ago, this current configuration has gained popularity through its choice of music: great pop songs of the ‘80s.

“In our sunset years, we just wanted to enjoy playing great songs, and ‘80s cover songs are tongue-in-cheek fun,” says Tranquilla who, at age 52, is the youngest member of the band. “We like being a party band. The vibe is super fun and happy; there’s nothing self-indulgent or introspective about it.”

The band plays throughout the state in bars, restaurants, at festivals, weddings, and private events.

“We’re all seasoned musicians who have been playing for twenty to thirty years, so we execute it pretty well by now,” says Tranquilla. “We dress up, have a nice backdrop, have black lights… We make it a whole show.

He adds that I Like Robots works hard to provide an excellent experience for all ages, even those for whom the ‘80s are ancient history. “It’s really fun for the whole family,” Tranquilla says. “People bring their kids out and it’s a really positive vibe.”

While the origin of the band’s name has been lost over time, the band’s talent and willingness to continue performing has not.

“We’re punching middle age in the face, and we plan to keep going as long as we can,” Tranquilla says with a laugh. “After every show, I’m downing Advil because my knees are killing me from jumping around.”

The weakness of flesh puts a time limit on how long I Like Robots can rock on. “We realize we’re in a finite situation and can’t go on forever, but we’re going to enjoy it while it lasts and is popular,” Tranquilla says. “When we start to suck, I think we have enough self-awareness to know it’s time to hang it up.”

That said, the end is not yet in sight. “Usually the mark of a band going downhill is that they start to play state fairs,” Tranquilla says. “But we were there from the beginning.”