Chad Nordhoff

How’s it going?
Things are good and getting better, slowly but surely. My wife and I have a lot to be grateful for.

When did you first begin playing music?
I’ve been strumming around on my dad’s guitar for longer than I can remember. I got my first guitar when I was 10. I reached the point of no return when I first heard the guitar solo in Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” at age 8.

Who are your primary influences? What about their style appeals to you?
Waylon Jennings is huge for me. I’ve gone through countless Willie Nelson phases. Their music is so open to interpretation. It can change with the times but always manage to remember the roots. That keeps everything fresh. I’m also huge on old blues cats like Son House, Muddy Waters, R.L. Burnside and, Howlin’ Wolf. These guys were heavy long before Black Sabbath began as a Blues band.

Is there a song or two that you think are just perfect?
I remember one morning a few years back. The sun had just come up after a night of general craziness with some of my friends and former band mates. We settled in and listened to the CD we had recently finished. Later still, we were listening to Led Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song”. I peeled myself off the couch and turned off the stereo. After hearing our stuff it just disgusted me how perfect that song is.

How have your ideas changed musically and stylistically over the years?
I started on Metal/Hard Rock. My first bands played a lot of Metallica type stuff. When I was sixteen I was in a car accident and took a dashboard to the throat. I wasn’t able to talk in more than a whisper for about 2 years. I really began to focus on communicating through my guitar. I never planned on singing at all until the doctors told me I couldn’t. The band I was in after high school dissolved due to too many opinions and not enough forward motion. After that I pretty much had to go my own way.
Going without playing was simply not an option. I started playing acoustic open mics, grunting out original songs with some country and blues that I loved. That’s when I really started playing slide guitar. It was a good expressive substitute for vocal ability. As my voice developed I started going to blues band jams and learning how to lead a spontaneous group. In late 2002 I formed The Bootleg Preacher Band. We played three chord hillbilly and blues songs along with my originals. The lineup changed every week. The band basically consisted of me and whoever didn’t have a gig that night. At times, we’d play in the same place two nights in a row with three different groups of people. Though I worked out some of the songs with the other musicians, the group never practiced.
These days I’m most often playing solo. Not that I wouldn’t like to have a band but I’ve learned to produce a lot of sound by myself over thee past couple years. I still push myself and I like to think I get a little better every day.

What’s your proudest moment as a musician?
Last October I went down to the Mississippi delta to jam a little and check out the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival or “The Biscuit” as it’s known. I was pretty stoked to see Robert “Wolfman” Belfour. His style just blows my mind. I watched him at the festival from front and center. I met him after the show and found out he was playing in Clarksdale, MS later that night. I went there to watch and learn from front and center again.
Mr. Belfour fired his drummer that night for getting trashed, showing off too much and, not staying in rhythm with the guitar. I had been getting’ rowdy, running my mouth and, pounding rhythm on the tables all night. He asked me if I wanted to sit in on drums. Hell yeah, I didn’t tell him I wasn’t a drummer. I got to meet, hang out and even, jam with someone I drove 8 hours just to see.

What are some of your favorite albums and why?
My favorite albums don’t necessarily contain my favorite songs. As far as complete albums: Alice in Chains’ “Dirt” is one of the greatest works ever recorded. It’s so circular. It can be played over and over for weeks. The mood of the whole thing is intense and the texture of the guitars makes it enormous and endless in depth. “Appetite for Destruction” ranks way up there. The snarling guitars are just dangerous on that one. Live’s “Throwing Copper” got a lot of play in the old tape deck. It sounds great and it’s one of the most consistently passionate albums I’ve heard.

You’re flying on the Autobahn at 150 miles per hour – what’s playing in the deck?
MOTORHEAD. MOTORHEAD! Possibly Pantera… no…MOTORHEAD!!!

What’s coming up in your future?
I’m just gonna keep doing the things I do best. Folks can find me playing around town. Check out www.myspace.com/chadnordhoff. I’ll also be making a few road trips. I love to play music and go to new places; the two go hand in hand. Things are starting to come together nicely. At this point, my wife and I are resolved to enjoy the ride and make plan - News 4U Evansville