Chevelle – Reconnects with Fans and Bands at Big Ticket

WHAT: The Big Ticket 

WHEN: Dec 5, 1-10pm
WHO: Fall Out Boy/ Weezer/ alt-J/ Young the Giant/ Chevelle/ New Politics/ J Roddy/ Big Data/ Islander/ Bear Hands/ Young Rising Sons/Knox Hamilton
WHERE: Metropolitan Park
INFO: thebigticketfest.com

It’s a cool thing to be a rock star. The perks are plenty, but there is nothing like the buzz of making music that has an impact on people. Even after the band’s seventh studio album, Chevelle drummer Sam Loeffler says he still gets off on making new fans just by doing what he loves to do.

Chevelle kicks off its tour in support of its most recent release La Gargola with a slot on the Big Ticket December 5th at Metropolitan Park. Go to the band’s website at getmorechevelle.com to get tickets.

Loeffler says he and bandmates (and brother) Pete and Dean Bernardini are excited for the chance to start their run at a festival venue that gives them the chance to reconnect with friends and fans in a chill environment. It’s also a good time to catch up with the other artists on the bill.

“We always love seeing Weezer. You can sing to every song,” Loeffler says. “It’s the first day of a very short run that we are doing. It’s nice to go and do a festival and see some friends and have a good time. Whenever we do those festivals, it’s nice when you have your stuff and your show, which we will, so it’s cool.”

It’s also a good opportunity for the band to measure the response of the fans, especially to the new material. “This record is pretty heavy, so it’s good to be able to still make the music that you want to play every day. It’s still fun to be writing and still fun to be touring,” he says. “You try not to ever write the same song twice, so hopefully everything you listen to is new. We mix up a lot of crazy instruments and change the tones for every single song. All of that is really fun and makes the sound different, but at the end of the day it’s really about the songwriting.”

Loeffler says being in a band has its share of challenges. It’s tricky to grow as an artist without alienating their fanbase, he says. But it’s also important to prove you’re not a one-trick pony. “The only thing that’s consistent is the music. Write good music that people want to listen to, they’ll stick around. Bands can go for a long time on one record if it’s a great record that really stands the test of time. But at the same time, your audience is only going to get smaller, so you have to keep writing and changing,” Loeffler says. “It’s not like you have to come out with a jazz record to keep people interested. If you are writing good music, you’ll make new fans. People will find your music again. It’s about bringing people in. I hope that’s what we’re doing.” They must be doing something right, because La Gargola debuted at number three on the Billboard Top 100.

Chevelle is planning a summer tour and is ready to get back into the studio. But first, they are looking forward to enjoying the holidays at home with their families. “Just don’t buy us anything. We don’t need anything,” Loeffler says. “We just want to play more shows and try to branch out a bit. We just want to be smart about it and make sure it really counts.”