Punk’s Not Dead: How Chudson is Keeping DIY Punk and Community Alive
The punk scene in Eugene always shows up with amazing bands, both local and from out of town. Whether you frequent Wandering Goat, Ghost Town Outfitters, or go to the occasional show at the First Christian Church downtown, you can always find a good time.
November 1st was Chudson’s third time touring in Eugene. Chudson, a ska punk collective hailing from Orange County, California, is made up of vocalist and guitarist Collin, bassist and producer Ben, drummer Anthony, trumpeter Noah, and trombonist Nathanial.
At their show, the energy is so electric that even those standing to the sides away from the moshpit can’t help but start dancing too. The blasting horn section and the electrifying singing creates a party up on stage that brings the whole room together. Chudson creates an atmosphere where you can see the root and real purpose of punk: cultivating a community.
When interviewing Chudson, you can feel their excitement and love for their craft. The energy they carry is so positive and fun to be around.
Chudson was started last summer in Collin’s garage. Discussing their beginnings, Collin said, “we’d just be in our underwear in my garage and we had an electric kit, but it would never work, and so I just have my acoustic kit.” The band then proceeded to demonstrate their hamboning that they used as an alternative to actual drums, diving into a beat right then and there. Chudson is deep in the DIY punk process, with all of their tracks having originated from hamboning as they didn’t have many instruments in the beginning. Everything they create and learn in Chudson is by ear, no theory, and based “all on vibes,” as Nathanial puts it. When it comes to their creative process, Ben said that, “it usually starts with a beat, like Anthony lays the beat down,” Anthony then proceeded to start beatboxing, with Noah then adding, “and then I usually play a little trumpet,” as he then started humming a tune, with Collin adding vocals as well. Ben adds, “and then like, usually it starts with just a lot of scatting. Like we usually just get in a room and we start like trying to figure it out from there.”
Chudson cycles through the waves of life with different members at different times. Discussing the evolution of the band, Nathaniel says, “we’ve sort of rotated through bassists and horn players, and we are where we are as of like three months ago.” He then adds that with the challenges and benefits of changing members, “you leave those members and then you move on and you get better horn players and you get better bass players, it’s always better, it’s always up.” Ben describes the occasional changes within the band to be a result of “very small stuff for us. We’re like a very strict band on our principles.”
Discussing the ins and outs of the punk scene, the band says that when touring, the “hardest part is trying not to get tickled,” with Collin being the main culprit of their tour bus tickle fights. More seriously, Collin says, “The worst part is the punk scene…it’s the best and the worst part…the punk scene can be a little intense sometimes, and I'm not talking about the moshing or the music.” “Everything that makes it so good can also make it so bad,” added Ben. Oftentimes in the punk community, substances can be an issue, and Chudson wants “to have audiences where everyone can go, you’re not restricted to 18+, 21+,” as Nathanial says. Chudson emphasizes that they want to put on safe shows where a community is built. Nathaniel puts it perfectly saying, “we want it to be a good fun time, everyone can feel safe, even just inspiring new people to listen to new music, not just whatever you hear on the radio. You go to a show, and it’s gonna be awesome, and you’re gonna have energy, and you’re going to see the performers, and we’re going to do really stupid things, and you’re gonna laugh at us, and that’s what we want,” with Ben adding, “we’re constantly trying to figure out; what could we do to engage people?”
Amidst all of Chudson’s silly antics and fun on stage, one thing stands out among the rest: Chudsonman, the band's mascot in a way. Nathaniel explains Chudsonman and the story behind him perfectly, sharing that, “Chudsonman is this idea of like you’ve gotta have a superhero. You’ve gotta have the face of your band. And it’s gotta be ridiculous, and it’s gotta be outlandish so people can remember Chudson. It’s basically like our jester, for the band, right? And the funny thing about a jester is he’s the only person in the king’s court who can tell the king the truth. He can hand it to you just as it is, you don’t have to suck up to him. We have Hudson, our jester…(related to Collin), and so Hudson, he puts on his silly red costume, and he puts on his underwear on top of the costume, because that’s obviously where underwear should go, and he puts on a cape, and he is Chudsonman.”
Collin adding, “We saw the Superman movie, and we’re like, we can do it better.”
Chudson really is the music and punk community personified. Their vibes, passion, and energy make them an incredibly likeable group, with their spirited music making them a band to keep coming back to. So keep an eye out Eugene! Following their album “the Future of Unemployment” that they released this summer, Chudson also has some new singles coming out, and hope to return to Eugene again soon.
