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After last Friday’s Punchline, we chatted with local comic Chuck Watkins about his solo act, Fourtrack-Blackjack. Extremely unique — and exhausting to watch — Fourtrack-Blackjack combines stand-up comedy, live music, and recordings of loops that Chuck stops and starts as he’s performing. It’s all made possible by one machine — and one very creative comedian.
That Other Paper What exactly is Fourtrack-Blackjack?
Chuck Watkins Anti-folk. Fourtrack-Blackjack is a musical entity. I’m right in the middle of recording Four Seasons for Fourtrack-Blackjack — one for every season. I got the first two done, and I present it as an album set. I make all the album covers myself. I make the actual covers — not just the artwork — but I carve it out of cardboard. I do it all. And then I tape them under my favorite bars in Austin. I leave them there.
TOP So how’d you get the idea for the act?
CW I got a looper — I’m really big into recording music outside of comedy — and then I decided to try to integrate everything. It should all just be one machine, because I spend half my time writing jokes and half my time writing music. Getting the looper just made things realistic — this thing has a million comedic applications.
TOP It’s just one piece of equipment?
CW One piece of equipment — you put your foot down, and it loops everything you do until you press stop. It’s all one machine, it’s all one idea, it’s all one beast.
TOP Do you enjoy doing Fourtrack-Blackjack more than traditional stand-up comedy?
CW Well, I just want to make it different. You know, I just don’t want it to be like what you normally see. As long as I can try and push that and make it seem like it’s a little different bit still comedically viable. Then that’s what it’s all about for me: All of your ideas — create your own path, you know? It doesn’t have to be the same route everyone else takes. - www.thatotherpaper.com
After last Friday’s Punchline, we chatted with local comic Chuck Watkins about his solo act, Fourtrack-Blackjack. Extremely unique — and exhausting to watch — Fourtrack-Blackjack combines stand-up comedy, live music, and recordings of loops that Chuck stops and starts as he’s performing. It’s all made possible by one machine — and one very creative comedian.
That Other Paper What exactly is Fourtrack-Blackjack?
Chuck Watkins Anti-folk. Fourtrack-Blackjack is a musical entity. I’m right in the middle of recording Four Seasons for Fourtrack-Blackjack — one for every season. I got the first two done, and I present it as an album set. I make all the album covers myself. I make the actual covers — not just the artwork — but I carve it out of cardboard. I do it all. And then I tape them under my favorite bars in Austin. I leave them there.
TOP So how’d you get the idea for the act?
CW I got a looper — I’m really big into recording music outside of comedy — and then I decided to try to integrate everything. It should all just be one machine, because I spend half my time writing jokes and half my time writing music. Getting the looper just made things realistic — this thing has a million comedic applications.
TOP It’s just one piece of equipment?
CW One piece of equipment — you put your foot down, and it loops everything you do until you press stop. It’s all one machine, it’s all one idea, it’s all one beast.
TOP Do you enjoy doing Fourtrack-Blackjack more than traditional stand-up comedy?
CW Well, I just want to make it different. You know, I just don’t want it to be like what you normally see. As long as I can try and push that and make it seem like it’s a little different bit still comedically viable. Then that’s what it’s all about for me: All of your ideas — create your own path, you know? It doesn’t have to be the same route everyone else takes. - www.thatotherpaper.com
Discography
The Four Seasons Project: A series of four EP's, one for each season is in the final recording stages and will be completed in early 2008.
The Winter Room: 2004
Spring Forward: 2005
Summer Swelter: 2007
Autumn Sonata: 2008
Both The Winter Room & Spring Forward have been in heavy rotation on Austin's KVRX student radio, www.KaosRadioAustin.org, Seattle's KEXP, and Olympia Washington's KAOS radio.
Photos
Bio
Fourtrack-Blackjack is the musical alias of Austin standup-comedian Chuck Watkins, who began performing and recording ridiculous music as a gag in 2005, which quickly evolved into a sincere yet humorous experiment in creating the most fun, smart, and beautiful music possible, using the most minimal recording and performing set-up possible.
After starting by incorporating music into his comedy act, Watkins has branched out by playing full music sets in music venues across Austin, and more recently across Texas. In addition to being a multi-time finalist in the funniest person in Austin Contest, this summer Watkins was invited to perform music & comedy at the prestigious Just For Laugh's Festival in Montreal, as well as Austin's Own Out of Bounds Festival.
Staying true to his grassroots origins, Fourtrack-Blackjack mass produces all album covers & artwork by hand, and has opted to give away his music rather than sell it, until the final EP of "The Four Seasons Project" is completed. This approach has helped to built an increasing and loyal fan base of both music and comedy fans.
Wildly inventive, whimsically serene, wonderfully sincere; Fourtrack-Blackjack continues to delight and astound audiences with his unique and engaging brand of music.
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