Chemistry Set has been playing the Minneapolis-St. Paul region and beyond for more than a decade, bringing its roots-inspired original music to neighborhood pubs, craft beer tap rooms, large outdoor stages, backyard parties, private parties and special events. 

Anchored in Northeast Minneapolis, the band has been a mainstay at the annual Art-A-Whirl festival and has played at popular Twin Cities watering holes and music venues, including the 331 Club, Dusty’s, Palmer’s, the Aster Cafe, the Turf Club, Icehouse and more. The band has also performed at such popular events as Music in Mears in St. Paul, the Loring Park Music Festival in Minneapolis, Thursdays on First in downtown Rochester and the Field of Dreams concert series at St. Mathias Farm in Brainerd.

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CHRIS THOMPSON has been a singer-songwriter-guitarist in the Twin Cities for more than 20 years. He was a founding member of Limited Warranty, contributing much of the early original material for the band.  

In the late 1990s Thompson formed Signal To Noise, fronting the band and taking on all the songwriting duties.  

After disbanding in 2001, Thompson ventured into a solo act playing many venues in the Twin Cities area, including the 7th Street Entry, The Turf Club and Lee's Liquor Lounge.  

During this time he hosted an open mic and in 2006 started a monthly event called The Secret Songwriters Ball at Lee's Liquor Lounge, which featured local singer songwriters, bands and Thompson himself.  

Thompson formed Chemistry Set in 2008 and is the lead vocalist, lead guitarist and songwriter. Under Thompson, Chemistry Set has released three CDs.  

"Crawl Walk Run" was released in 2009 and was played on The Current's local show.  

In 2010, Chemistry Set released "You Won't See It Coming."  

In 2015, Chemistry Set released its third effort "Grit." The band appeared on the KFAI House Party radio show to promote the release.  

Thompson continues to play solo shows and perform with Chemistry Set. 

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STEVE SMITH grew up in a musical family. His mom and dad sang in choirs and jazz bands and passed their love of music onto their kids. During his early childhood, his brother and sisters formed various neighborhood bands, performing in garages around the block.  

Smith learned to play the drums when he was 12, and at 13 joined a rock band with some friends at school where he learned to play keyboards, sing lead and background vocals. He continued playing drums as a hobby throughout high school.  

In 1981 Thompson persuaded Smith to join the band Limited Warranty as lead singer. He performed on the band's first EP release, "Elements," and fronted the band until his departure in 1984. Smith and Thompson joined forces again in 1996, forming the band, Sun Shot Halo, and the two have been bandmates in some fashion ever since.  

Smith also writes his own songs and plays guitar as a solo artist or for Chemistry Set performances. 

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JACKIE CROSBY started learning to play electric bass when she was in her 30s, and fell in love with the low notes and the power of setting the groove.  

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., she grew up steeped in Southern rock and its blend of R&B and soul. She attended the University of Georgia in the early 1980s, a heady musical time when R.E.M. was getting started, when James Brown played at Bulldog football games, and when you could bop to a frat house dance band early in the night and finish it at the 40 Watt Club with the punk band Pylon. 

After college, Crosby lived and worked for a spell in Macon, Ga., where the legacies of Little Richard, Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers Band still loomed large.  

Since moving to Minnesota, she has played bass in numerous all-original and cover bands, playing the blues, country swing, alternative rock and alt-country. She joined Chemistry Set in 2010.