The brainchild of musician Nathan Sadler, Misery Loves Chachi is one of ATL’s most intriguing new bands. A blue collar synthesis of Belle and Sebastian and Steely Dan, the band mixes a diverse array of complex lo-fi keyboard textures–with ambient, dreamy electric guitar riffs–layered above dynamic and energetic drums and bass. Rich and subtle harmonies lie upon the unique textures of music below. Misery Loves Chachi incorporates unique and intricate sounds, intertwined with elaborate harmonies and lush tunes to last the night through.
We caught up with band members Nathan Sadler and Chris Blais before their show at Vinyl! Take a listen to their songs here.
What is the strangest thing a fan has done for you? or at your show?
Nate: Unfortunately I don’t have any great anecdotes yet with this band. Like some drunk girl getting on stage and wanting to do a rendition of the worst country/blues song you could think of. Or the homeless guy who tells us to “play something funky” and starts rapping about crack. (These have both happened to me in the past.) The best I have is this: our first EP is coming out in a couple months, and my friend generously let me record it at his studio for free. That’s pretty amazing and unusual.
Chris: A fan of one of my cover bands back in the day found out I liked zebra cakes and proceeded to give me 6 boxes of them at one of our shows where we were the house band. The fan was a super-macho, very straight, redneck southerner. Very sweet, very creepy.
What is the funniest moment you have had as an artist/band so far?
Nate: We always come up with in-jokes and running jokes in rehearsal. Lately Pete, Chris and Kara have taken to howling like wolves whenever Keith tunes his guitar. I’m not sure why they do this, and it’s the worst sound I’ve ever heard.
Chris: The funniest moments that we have had as a band have definitely stemmed from our cartoonish impersonations of each other, which are affectionate but not flattering.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Nate: We get in a circle and group high five. It’s maybe the dumbest/best thing you could ever do.
If you could describe your music in one word, what would it be?
Nate: That’s pretty tough. Indie-pop? Jazz-gaze?
Chris: We all tend to really respond to R&B from the 50’s/60’s, cheesy 70’s/80’s light rock and pretty much anything that makes you want to dance so that comes through in the music.
How do you connect with a crowd?
Nate: One of my favorite bands, Andy Matchett & the Minks- from Orlando, throws a parachute over the crowd; has leaf blowers and confetti guns during the end of their set. It’s amazing. We haven’t figured out our own thing yet but hope to. Right now I guess we have to depend on our songs to bring people in. And hope they don’t mind all the staring at our shoes and awkward stage banter that goes on.
Chris: Be honest and passionate about what you are doing and people will connect to it. You can’t fake honesty on a stage.
How did you come up with your band name?
Nate: Our band enjoys plays on words so our name reflects that; it combines the koan “Misery loves company” with the fairly terrible 70s show “Joanie loves Chachi.” I also like the image of some poor guy named Chachi with a dark cloud following him around. The name started as a facebook page for me to bounce ideas and demos off of my friends; when I formed the band the name stuck.
Chris: The name, for me, really reflects a combination of play-on-words humor, an exploration of darkness within and pop culture. I love the name. The by-product of this name is that it sticks in peoples mind which is fantastic.
What is the best way to write music?
Nate: I’m not sure if there’s a best way to write, except whatever works for the individual writer. I feel like songwriters usually fall into two categories, the clever, crafting songwriter (eg Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney) and the emotional, by feel songwriter (Bill Withers, John Lennon.) I’m not really sure into which category I fall. I went to college for classical music composition, but tend to feel my way through the lyric writing process.
See Misery Loves Chachi – opener for Clap for Daylight- this Saturday, Feb 9th at Vinyl.
