Nirvana.
What more do you have to say, these days, in a world littered with amalgamations and half-baked musical rantings; they are a myth, and a legend whose memory still breathes and pulsates to this day. With their recordings they have embedded an eternal scar on the map of music history. A blister that refuses to blunder, adding tact and excitement to our modern music scene. Thank the lords.
JOHN: When did you meet Kurt Cobain and there-in-by join Nirvana?
CHAD: I met Kurt and Krist at a show we played together at the Community World Theater in Tacoma, Washington. I was playing in Tic-Dolly-Row and we opened for his band which was called Bliss, at the time. No long after that show, Tic-Dolly-Row disbanded and I was asked if I wanted to play for Nirvana.
JOHN: What was it like having these photo shoots and/or people taking photos of you guys for the first time? And were they friends of yours, and if not, how did you come across these opportunities as a young indie band?
CHAD: Well I personally never minded the photo shoots. Kinda always thought they were fun! Our first in studio photo shoots were taken by Charles Peterson. We met him through Sub Pop as he was their main guy for all that kinda stuff. We got to know Charles and his work pretty quickly 🙂 Some photos were taken by friends as well.
From Left to Right: Kurt Cobain, Jason Everman, Chad Channing, and Krist Novoselic looking epic {circa. 1990}
Chad Channing and Krist Novoselic chillin’.
JOHN: Were you satisfied with the final version of Nirvana’s Bleach?
CHAD: Overall, I was satisfied. There were a few small things I might have done differently were I to do it all over again. But, I find there are always things that pop up here and there on recordings I’ve done that make me feel this way. It keeps me striving to do better. And that’s always a good thing to me 🙂
Chad Channing, Krist Novoselic, and Kurt Cobain; Field of Dreams.
What is it like seeing your style and Kurt being put on a pedestal for something you were all inadvertently against, in a way, especially over twenty years later?
CHAD: Kevin Wood and I had been good friends before I joined Nirvana, and after Nirvana we talked about getting a band together. We got a friend of his, Dan McDonald, to play bass and later got Kevin’s brother Brian to sing. When the Fire Ants started up, I knew that the sound would be different from the start. I was already very familiar with Kevin’s guitar style/playing from the Malfunkshun days.
It wasn’t that I was looking to do something completely different. It just turned out that way. My previous band (Tic-Dolly_Row) before Nirvana was very different by comparison as well. I’m just used to changing things up a bit if I need to.
JOHN: When did you form Before Cars? What was your idea for the sound of the music?
CHAD: The idea to start Before Cars was in 2005. It officially became a band in 2006. My idea with the band and the record “How We Run” was to write music drawing from the 70’s and early 80’s. My father was a disc jockey back in those days ,and so I heard all kinds of different music and heard them often as my mother would always have him on the radio all day. He worked various stations from top 40 to rock, country and whatever else there was. Over the years I’d have to say 70’s music has always been one of my biggest influences. Although, I do listen to a very wide variety of music from Electronica, to Classical, and everything in between.
JOHN: Do you have any advice for young creatives trying to establish themselves in the big bad world out there?
Until we meet again,
{theEye}
+
Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter
+
+
+++
{The Eye of Faith}
+++
+
+
Similar Stories:
The Eye of Faith Vintage 
Interesting interview (and choice of interviewee) – I quite enjoyed the 2 observations in particular: the recording is never quite perfect and certain clothes are cheap until they show up on a mannequin!
LikeLike