A Comedy/Music legend in the making! Half Cashed House Band will not dissapoint with hijinks and antics galore. A musical masterpiece with laugh-out-loud lyrics that will certainly tickle that funnybone. With comedic and songwriting genius Miles Neff at the helm and the animal himself, Christopher Charles Woodke laying down percussive thunder, Half Cashed House Band delivers a steamy batch of aural pleasure with their upcoming release Loveline, out everywhere February 14th. Tell your friends, tell your grandma, Half Cashed House Band’s got it goin’ on!
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https://open.spotify.com/artist/42ctwOuWHmuJsYDV6fUQVO?si=74-lqPqCRjeS8xeHUaSnqg
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
The infatuation with music began at an early age. I think playing air guitar along to a Beatles cassette in the back seat of my parents car was the first time I remember loving music. A little later on, it was during my “teen angst” phase that I first discovered Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and thought to myself “That dude makes playing music look really cool… I want to do that!”. I’ve been on a mission ever since.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
Tenacious D, Flight of the Conchords and Stephen Lynch are at the top of the list. Not that we necessarily have any musical similarities, but it’s the comedic essence that I hope connects us. Someone once told me “You’re like a hot Jack Black!” and I will remember that til the day I die.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
This journey into musical and comedic entertainment that I’m on stems from a long personal history of depression and anxiety. It’s taken many nights of laying in silence, hating myself for me to get to this point of being able to put myself and my creativity out there. I could go on and on about mental health and life in general, but to sum all that up quickly, the turning point for me was when I stopped shoving the stick in my own spokes.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?
Chaos! Utter chaos! The ideas zoom past me at hyperspeed and I have to grab them up and hold on for dear life or they just float back out into the ether. Sometimes a spark hits and all of a sudden I have a full song within a couple minutes. That’s my favorite feeling. Other times it can take years. I’m still working on tunes from 10+ years ago. It’s not done til it’s done. The recording process is quite a bit easier. We can usually track a whole song in a day at our studio, then edit it and send it off to our mixing and mastering engineers for their magic touch.
5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
That’s a tough one… Multimedia is the future. We fully intend to take Half Cashed House Band in some interesting directions that aren’t necessarily music-centric. Once we get back to playing live shows we will be bringing lights, synced video and theatrical elements to the stage. We’ll be more than just a band, we’ll be a fully immersive experience.
As far as labels go, it really depends on what a label could bring to the table for us. We already handle our own audio production, merchandising, graphic design and videography. I try to be a Jack-of-all-trades and have even started my own label for the sake of not having to rely on anyone outside the band. It looks like independence is our future, but I don’t think I could fully condemn the music industry at this point. It’s definitely broken and the model needs to be tweaked. Bands don’t have to take the abuse anymore and I think many labels will begin restructuring their approach.
6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?
Being able to support ourselves off music IS the dream. We’re not there yet though. I see this phase of my musical career like being in school. All my blood, sweat and tears now, in the hopes for a better future. In the meantime, the service industry has been really good to me. Pizza delivery, bartending, rideshare, grocery delivery. I always have cash in my pocket at the end of a shift and it’s super flexible. Way more fun than a desk job! Hot tip for the young blood: find a job (even if it’s a little beneath you) with a boss who supports your dreams. Thanks Rick!
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
It’s the changing of the guard. Out with the old, in with the new. I hate to say it, but many of my older friends just aren’t keeping up with the times and are missing out on all these new outlets for promoting themselves. I feel like it’s often tough even for me, a millennial, to keep up with the pace. I literally watched a YouTube video yesterday on how to effectively use TikTok. It’s overwhelming at times, but it’s just something you have to learn how to do.
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
Most popular music nowadays just isn’t for me, but I can’t blame anyone for aspiring to stake their claim in that market. I would just hope that they are still putting their passion into what they’re doing. Being a comedy band with explicit lyrics has definitely closed many doors and outlets for us, but seeing the handful of commercially successful comedy bands that are out there gives us some hope for Half Cashed House Band. The integrity of our creativity always comes first even if that keeps us in the smaller markets. Hopefully someone out there will love what we do.
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
We’ll be touring the world playing music. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’d sell my soul to make that a reality… if I had one. We have tons more music written and lined up for releases over the next 3 years, at-least. Additionally, we’re working on our first comic book and animated short-film to accompany a yet-to-be-announced release. Even further down the line, we even have a few video game ideas that will take you even deeper into the stories of our songs. There’s a long journey ahead for Half Cashed House Band and I can’t wait to share it with everyone!
