Henry Chadwick Shares New EP Details; Shows with Cory Branan Next Week!

Henry Chadwick has become the musical golden boy of Santa Cruz, if not the Indie world in general this past year. His epic EP debut, Guest at Home, which graced our ears the better half of 2016, saw Chadwick becoming a household name. 2017 is gearing up to be just as big for Henry, as we see new music coming down the line, and currently select tour dates supporting Cory Branan on the West Coast. I had the chance to sit down with Henry Chadwick, to dive deep into his upcoming endeavors.

Henry Chadwick will be supporting Cory Branan at the following tour dates below:

6/12 - The Dip - Redding, CA
6/13 - Amneisa - San Francisco, CA
6/14 - The Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA

You have a few things coming down the line this year; a stripped down version of Guest at Home and talks of a new EP. Are there any details you can provide about the upcoming releases?

Yeah, there are a couple things in the works. I recorded a couple acoustic versions of songs from Guest At Home that I’m planning on releasing as part of a deluxe edition of the EP. It was really fun to record them and helped give me some confidence that the songs can work loud and layered, or acoustic and a bit more stripped down. The other thing that has been the primary focus is getting the 2nd EP completed. The title is TBA, but I’ve whittled it down to 2 options. It’s got 5 songs on it, just like it’s predecessor, and it’s in the final stages of mixing now. I’ve been writing a bunch as well, and am starting to look forward to tracking the next batch of songs.

How is the new EP differing from Guest at Home? Has writing the new tracks been more difficult or easier since Guest at Home had such a critical praise?

I think the EP feels like a natural evolution from Guest At Home. At points it’s louder and more chaotic then the last EP, and at other points, it’s more tender and sincere. Once I got the ball rolling, the songs came together fairly quickly. I think it’s easy to get in a mindset of wondering what aspects people liked about the last batch of songs or why some songs seemed to catch on more than others. I think that mindset can be a trap, though. Trying to recreate something or cater to imagined expectations seems and feels mechanical and not very satisfying. At the end of the day I just want to try to write music that I would want to listen to.

Was there any specific storyline you had for the song when writing the new songs?

I don’t think I intentionally had a storyline in mind. I think if the last EP had themes of feeling stuck or dissatisfied and perhaps clinging to the past, this one’s might loosely be something like learning to let go and move on. A few of the songs share those ideas from different perspectives.

When writing music, what are your influences? How long does it typically take you to write a song? Do you keep coming back to the piece and revising?

I’m influenced by a lot of things. Music, shows, comedy, everyday events etc. can all get the old creative juices flowing. It’s different every time.

Sometimes the song pops out pretty quickly and other times I'll come up with a verse and chorus and be stuck with it for months until something else comes. I definitely come back and revise and rearrange things often. I’ll usually build up a rough demo on the computer and listen to it in the car, then go back and chop things up and ad things until it feels right.

What are your influences musically and lyrically? Where do the lyrics draw from?

Musically, my influences range from genre to genre. I’m a fan of a lot of old 1960s Psychedelic and British Invasion stuff, 1970s glam, punk and garage stuff stuff, 1990s alternative rock, and all sorts of music that’s come out since since then. There is a lot of current music that I like as well. For me, the more stuff I can get into and draw from, the more exciting and fresh things feel. I get excited when I hear music that borrows from different genres and seems to take some risks. As far as lyrics go, it could be said that I don’t always do a great job of communicating my thoughts or feelings in regular life, so it’s usually a build up of stuff that’s been on my mind that I want to get out.

What was the recording process like for the new record? Did you self-produce? How long did it take to write and record the album as a whole?

I started demoing songs sort of right away in the midst of releasing Guest At Home. Initially, I was planning on going about it all in a similar way, so I started turning my demos into more in-depth recordings with the intention of releasing them. I ended up signing a development deal with Swoon City, an independent record label out in Brooklyn, NY. They flew me out to record at Refuge Recording for a week with engineer, Mike Beck. We ended up adding to a few of the initial sessions I brought from home, and starting from scratch on a couple others. It was a great experience. I stayed in a spare bedroom at the studio, so I could pop in there late night and record if the inspiration struck. Mike was really cool to work with. He’s a multi-instrumentalist as well, and added some cool keys, organ and piano. We also brought in a live cellist to play on a couple songs, which has been a dream of mine. I love cello. I once rented a cello with the intention of learning to play it, which I did not do. It sat in my studio for 4 months, virtually untouched, while my bank account shrank incrementally. My bandmates still haven’t stopped making fun of me for that. I’d still love to learn cello. Someday I will. I’m digressing though...

Do you have any plans on touring this year? We know you have a few acoustic- West Coast dates planned for June.

I have a few other things in the works, I hope to do a some more touring in the second half of the year to support the EP.

What do you hope to accomplish in 2017 with the new record and beyond?

I’m just proud of the new songs and would love to have them reach as many ears as possible. Hopefully people enjoy what they hear, maybe tell some friends and come see a show sometime. I’d love to record as much as possible, and travel to new places. That’s really all you can ask for.