Exposed Vocals Interviews Chaplin
Chaplin is a four piece Pop Punk band out of Alexandria, Louisiana that has been consistent in pursuing their career in music. With the “Just Kids” EP released, they are reaching out to venues as well as other bands to go out on tour with to further their imprint in the music industry.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Chaplin:
Cameron: I play guitar and sing for Chaplin. I was born in Lansing, Michigan, however spent most of my life in Forest Hill, Louisiana. I was around music at a very young age with my mother leading worship at a church for many years. As a preteen, I began to play guitar on the worship team. My grandfather and grandmother also were touring artists in the country music industry in the 1960s which put me around that lifestyle and the excitement and terrors that came with it. I actually began playing guitar at about age five, however, I wasn’t considered a decent guitarist until I was about eleven.
Dillion: I play lead guitar and sing backup vocals for Chaplin. Many, many years ago I was born in the outback of Alaska, in the water actually, but I grew up in the Sahara Desert (that’s in Africa). I then moved to Louisiana where I met a witch doctor who told me I was going to meet three guys and be in a band with them. Down in the swamps of south Louisiana, she gave me the ability to play guitar. Now here I am, playing in that band!
Actually I was born in Boca Raton, Florida, but moved from there when I was about three months old, so it doesn’t really count lol. My family moved around a bit, but I spent the majority of my childhood in Alexandria, Louisiana. My Dad was the main reason I love music so much. He played piano (which he started to teach me when I was about four) and a bit of guitar. I would just sit there and watch him play for hours.
Danny: I play drums and sing backup vocals for Chaplin. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, I became an artist because of my family mostly. I grew up with all different types and styles of music from Southern Gospel, to Jazz, to Pop. My granddad was one of my biggest inspirations, but my brother most of all. He taught me at a young age how to be a good percussionist. So I got involved in my high school marching band and then on to college marching band at Vanderbilt University. From there I never stopped wanting more. That, my friends, is what led me to where I am today.
Casey: I play bass guitar and sing backup vocals for Chaplin. I was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. You don’t know where that is? Well, just point directly in the middle of the state of Louisiana on a map and there you have it. I never honestly had anyone in my family or close to me that actually had an influence on me playing music. I literally was the only musically inclined person in my family. The passion and understanding of what started out on a four-string acoustic guitar just nonchalantly became an immediate factor in my everyday routine. I’d come home from school, lock myself in my room with my guitar and play along to Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath. So as far as influence may go, I feel as if I never really had a specific individual but a hand full of select artists that at that current time just stood out to me more than others.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Chaplin: Absolutely, we were called Silver Metal at the very beginning when I was about twelve years old. That was literally because I liked the look of brushed metal, haha! That evolved into Distilled which we had for a few years until a previous drummer, David Remedios, and I were eating lunch in Lake Charles, Louisiana talking about a guest speaker coming to his church. The speaker was speaking on what it was to be a chaplain, of how it was to be a minister in a secular field. Now with that said, Chaplin, with a different spelling from its namesake, is a secular band that has very important core values to help kids get through the troubles they may face whether it be bad breakups, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, abuse, losing someone, or whatever it may be. We felt that “Chaplin” would carry that meaning as far as us “ministering” to the kids about how to overcome these issues and help them to grow from them. If we can get through the issues that most kids have to deal with, then they definitely can as well.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Chaplin: That’s an excellent question. At first I felt it was a blow to a lot of bands and artists that made a lot of their income from that and sadly stopped a lot of them from being able to make music anymore. The industry is very much in a transition period right now because of music sharing and bands/artists are having to figure out how to still make some sort of living by making music. Several artists have started side companies to help fund their music but the day we live in now, as far as making money from your music, it all comes down to having to tour and make money off of ticket sales and merch. Touring is THE new way of being a successful band/artist today.
On occasion, we do give our music away for free. Our first single, “Love Me Like the First Time,” has been a free download for some time now and we also have our new record “Just Kids” on Spotify radio as well.
We feel that having our music accessible is more important than how much we’re making on sales today, especially with record sales being so low now. It’s better for a lot of people to hear your music for free so you can pack shows on tour rather than only selling it and keeping it off of streaming sites to make the extra ten bucks a month. So it’s about balance. Still put your music on sites like iTunes, Google play, etc. so that people can support you financially easily, but for the people that can’t afford to buy the new records, in today’s society, it is good to still have them up on Spotify and sites alike.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Chaplin: The main thing you can do is literally work as much as you possibly can on researching every aspect of the music industry and how it works, then push more. A lot of people have the misconception of what it is to be in the music industry, that it’s just a huge party, and not that it isn’t, however we have worked harder since doing music than any of us ever have had to at any other job. There are constantly things to do, meetings to have, things to research, and calls to make. For a band starting out, if you want to get shows, then research the venues yourself and email/call the venues to book your band. Make an EPK and contact the venues about playing an open date there. Same goes for airplay, if you want to be on the radio, go to the radio stations and talk to them about doing an interview or performance for them and maybe getting some airplay if the music feels appropriate to that station. Again, only way to know that is research. People always overcomplicate things like that. What it really comes down to is if you’re a new band and you want shows . . . book them. If you’re a new band and you want airplay . . . go to the stations and talk to them. It’s that simple, you just have to put in the work and dedication that it takes.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Chaplin:
Cameron: For me, my inspiration hits at different times, usually it’s easier if I’m going through something hard, when you’re more bummed out, you know?
My process is really weird and for people close to me it’s usually difficult to understand, but after some time they just get it, haha. Inspiration will hit me out of no where, no matter what I’m doing or where I am and I immediately feel it. It overwhelms me and in desperation I find a guitar and go somewhere very secluded and it just overflows. When it hits, it’s like a trance I get into where writing this song is the only thing that matters at that moment so I just leave wherever I am without saying a word usually and walk somewhere. That’s why it usually takes some getting used to for the people close to me. Most of the song usually is done fairly quickly, at that point. I read through it and edit certain things about the lyrics, but it all usually happens the exact moment I’m going through something, but haven’t had the time to focus on, think about, or deal with. It all is dealt with in that moment, it’s like my body forces me to deal with it, giving me no choice in the matter.
Dillion: It usually just comes from listening to music (being upset helps too sometimes, lol). I usually just open up notes on my phone and start writing what I’m feeling and what I want to say to people. A few google searches for synonyms and sitting in a room alone are key parts as well. I try to think of the types of lyrics I would want to hear, or what I would like a song to say to me, then I try to replicate what’s in my head to the best of my ability. A lot of songs go halfway done and unfinished because writing is a kind of therapy and I’m usually feeling better by the time the song is halfway over, so I have to hurry sometimes and come back and fix the mistakes later.
Danny: My inspiration comes from everywhere, from problems being dealt with, to just life in general. I’ve been through a lot, so it’s easy to relate to a lot of people on a personal level which also brings me inspiration. Because if I can relate to our fans, I know they can relate to me.
My usual song writing process is writing with someone else in the band. For me It can be hard, cause I don’t play guitar so I usually have some one else come up with the guitar part and write lyrics from there. It’s usually pretty easy sense I can throw down a rough draft of drums while another band member plays guitar for me. It just becomes a part of you when you’re in the moment.
Casey: My song writing inspiration obviously comes from my current or past obstacles that I may have dealt with or that I currently endure. Then I carefully put it into a format that reflects my roots or the topic of the material, which determines the vibe I am trying to portray. The thing is though, I can easily just go pick up a guitar and compose a song that slams or that I may personally think sounds good. But one written where I’m at my full-minded potential or the song’s relevant to a deep concern that I am dealing with, there will definitely be a huge difference between that and a tune written for fun.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Chaplin: We do have a website which is up, however we did just switch hosts and ended up rebuilding the site, so it’s not quite polished yet. You can still go to it and it will work fine: “www.ChaplinTheBand.com“. You can also find us on Twitter – @chaplinus, and on Instagram – @chaplin.us.
Our music is available on most online stores including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon Music, etc. We used TuneCore to distribute the music to several stores, some of which we had heard of, some of which we hadn’t. A few were in Germany and other strange lands we didn’t know existed. Lol!
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Chaplin:
Cameron: Most of it would go in the bank, but other than that, maybe a boat and a jet ski, along with a lot of eating out at Olive Garden, Raising Canes, and Bonefish Grill. I’d talk to the rest of the guys and see if they were down to getting a new place in Nashville. They should totally each get a jet ski, too. Guys, whatcha think?
Dillion: I’d buy so much steak…. A steakhouse restaurant… Yeah, that’s a good idea… For money purposes, not just so I can eat steak whenever I want (wink, wink). I’d help my mom get a new house, I’d get a car (something modest, like an Audi R8 or something), go splitsies with the guys for a place in Nashville, and probably just ride with Casey on his jet ski if he gets one… Nah, I don’t wanna die, I’ll get my own.
Danny: Im not a big spender in the first place. But, if I were given half a million dollars the first thing I would do is spend some of it to start my own clothing company, that way I can continue to make money outside of touring. Or develop an organization for inner city kids to help those who haven’t had the best of lives growing up. Probably somewhere out of Nashville. So I would agree with you Cam, to get a new place in Nashville. And sure I’d be down to get a jet ski. Why not?!
Casey: I would most likely invest the money or put a good bit of it in a bank for future purposes such as a family or just life expenses in general. I would love to invest money into some sort of branch-off of a business where I could keep a steady paycheck coming in. Spoiling myself here and there would be nice. I always wanted to have a nice vehicle and home for a potential family that can live comfortably.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Chaplin: The best way for us is playing live for sure, that definitely works really well for us. We promote a little on Facebook, however it is slowly dying when it comes to bands/artists, so our focus has moved, as far as social media, to Instagram and Twitter.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Chaplin: Absolutely! We’ve worked with Josh Urdiales from “Goodnight Fellows” on a new single called “Broke Her Heart” that should be released the Fall of 2016. It is an acoustic version of one of the songs currently in our live setlist. We also recently recorded an acoustic music video for that song in Nashville with Josh. He has become a very close friend of ours and the sounds he can get out of an acoustic guitar are phenomenal.
We are also working currently very close with Matt Riley from “Matt Riley Films” on making a music video for the song “Boo Thang” which is on the new “Just Kids” EP. That video should be released this summer if possible. Matt also filmed the music video for the single “Love Me Like the First Time” several years ago and we have a really great working and social relationship with him. He does excellent work so we are very excited to be working with him again for a second music video.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Chaplin:
Cameron: If I wasn’t making music I would probably be doing something involving traveling or living somewhere close to a beach, surfing and skimming as much as I could. I don’t know man, that’s a tough one. As far as a career, maybe something with computers, IT or something. I used to work for Apple and used to do a lot of coding and hacking on the side, it was fun for me, so maybe something like that.
Dillion: I’d probably be a graphic designer, or website designer, or animator, or freelance “insert whatever you need done on a computer here”, or… masseuse… oh, maybe an Über driver on the side. That’d be cool. Heck, all of the above.
Danny: You know what, I’m not entirely sure. Maybe trying to start my on clothing company or a merchandise store for bands. And eventually try to start up that organization I was talking about earlier for inner city kids.
Casey: I always had a vision of being a entertainer of some sort. I took a great interest in games and commentary for YouTube and just the site itself. So if music wasn’t an option then I would most like be a YouTuber. I’d then eventually take advantage of that success to branch off to other things that could benefit me and give me the same ending results of a comfortable lifestyle.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Chaplin:
Cameron: Honestly, it’s extremely difficult, I mean for us, staying ahead in the music is our main responsibility, but like we mentioned before, it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time. Through all this you just try to stay in contact the best you can with the people that you care about, family, friends, and significant others. It’s really hard sometimes when you want to be with someone but can’t always be there due to traveling and working so much. I’ve lost a lot of friends and more than friends due to them thinking I don’t care or don’t have time for them. It’s not like that at all, this industry truly does just take a lot of time and work to keep afloat. So I try to call, see, or FaceTime those I care about as much as I can, when I can.
Dillion: What responsibilities?
Danny: I mean the music is my main responsibility first. Besides the music, like Cam said, is keeping in touch with friends and family and that’s not too hard for me because of apps like Snapchat, Facebook, Skype, etc. Other than that, things like showering, sleeping, and gaming are pretty hard! But they get done when I have time to do so.
Casey: I mean.. I guess logically I have responsibilities like personal hygiene or balancing a relationship with a girl, but before all that is music. At the end of the day those “responsibilities” are not what is going to put bread on the table or most importantly the piece of mind of knowing you are pursuing an occupation you personally love that also plays a part in having the sanity to take on those “responsibilities”.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Chaplin: 2016 should be a pretty busy year for us, with the “Boo Thang” music video coming out, then the “Broke Her Heart” (acoustic version) single being released along with the music video for that. We’re also getting on the road and are going to be touring in a lot of new cities and states for this band so that will be a lot of fun. We’re also writing and finishing up some plans for a full-length record we are hoping to record late this year to release in 2017. So it is a pretty stacked year for us, we are very excited about where this is headed and the support we have had along the way. Also randomly in the tour and at random dates, you may see us dressed as children and/or babies in promotion of the new “Just Kids” record which should prove interesting… Onesies and diapers to come! 😉
Links to Songs:
Boo Thang: https://youtu.be/qCIMVtZ7czA
El Musica: https://youtu.be/1WUhknzQHLA
Danny’s Song: https://youtu.be/3niyJGYNlBs
Just Kids Lyric Video: https://youtu.be/I0SjnJ-5_qs
Link to YouTube Channel: WWW.youtube.com/ChaplinUS