Under The Radar #17 – The Chubby Knuckle Choir  Share

“Under The Radar” is a regular feature on the Texas Music Scene where our official blogger, singer/songwriter/journalist Mike Ethan Messick, shines the spotlight on a deserving but lesser-known artist. Some of these subjects are just getting started and might be tomorrow’s headliner (or Texas Music Scene star); some are music veterans who’ve earned admirers around the state and around the world while taking the road less traveled. All of them well worth a look & listen, enjoy. 

The memorably-named Chubby Knuckle Choir rolls about a dozen genres into their groove, making multicultural yet down-home beer-drinking music for fans who like their roots mixed with a sense of adventure. Founded around veteran Central Texas singer/songwriter Tres Womack (also known for his work with the Womack Brothers and the Getocowboys), the band (also featuring Rory Smith, Dave Gould, Slim Bawb, and Perry Lowe) dishes up various hybrids of bluegrass, reggae, honky-tonk, swamp rock, blues etc. with such verve that even their covers (anything from Steve Earle to Bob Marley) sound original. Here’s more on them from a quick interview with mostly-frontman Tres Womack.

In your own words, describe your sound.

We are 3-4 genres coming at you all at once! We each do our own thing and send it to the board, the listener gets the results.

What are some of your favorite and/or most frequently played venues?

Billy’s Icehouse, The Lumberyard, Cheatham Street, Momo’s, Nutty Brown Cafe, Riley’s, etc.

Name a couple of career highlights, so far.

The biggest highlight has been hooking up with true songwriting and performance pros who enjoy every minute we’re on stage together…very cool

What music do you have out already, and what’s coming in the near future?

We have cuts from a live recording that we plan to release as well as a gospel CD that we’ve asked Luke Adair (CKC’s 6th man) to produce and play on.

If someone’s only gonna buy one song of yours … where to start?

As of today, its free and at www.chubbyknucklechoir.com.

Name some of your main influences as a songwriter/musician.

I think you’ll find a little Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Bob Schneider, and John Hiatt…but that doesn’t do justice to the distance we cover each night.

Who have you played more song swaps or co-bill with that anyone else?

We’ve played more shows with Guy Forsyth than any other artist, but we’ve hooked up with Midnight River Choir a few times and anytime you put two choirs together…well, you know.

If a fan’s buying you a drink … what’ll it be?

Whatever they put on stage…if they take orders… a bud light, one crown and coke, two lone stars, and a jack and water.

Name a couple of people you’d like to publicly thank for helping you in your career.

Curtis Farley was our original bass player and the reason we all crossed paths in the first place…I think he realized how hard it is to be different and the combination would be special…I still catch myself listening instead of performing.

What’s one of the strangest gigs you’ve ever played?

We’ve played many, but one that stands out was a recent show where the owners didn’t know us and grabbed a few other bands to make sure they didn’t take a bath…so, our vintage psychobilly funk-grass harmony infused band followed “angrydeath” or some thing like that…the term metal doesn’t do them justice.

RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: The Gourds, The Band, Doug Sahm, Dirty River Boys, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown