I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the acoustic artist, Chase Huglin about life on tour, songwriting and advice for up and coming musicians. Check it out down below:

 How long have you been making music for? 

CH: I started writing solo music when I was 15. But I started touring full-time when I was 19. I signed to InVogue Records when I was 19, I recorded my first EP when I was only 18.

Is there anyone who inspired you to make music?

CH: I got inspiration from a few places, the reason I started making music was my friend group was really into Avenged Sevenfold. Later on I found inspiration through bands like Relient K, Switchfoot and Manchester Orchestra who are my biggest influence up to date.

What is your favorite song to play live?

CH: I have been playing a lot of new ones on this tour, so I have this new song called Junebug which is probably my favorite to play. But my favorite older songs to play are Pills and Hell.

Do you have any advice for up and coming musicians?

Honestly, I think that it is very important to treat this like a business, meaning you have to spend money to make money. I see a lot of bands too often recording an EP in their basement, which is cool that it was free but it doesn't sound good. I think this industry has been manufactured in a way that you have to look perfect and you have to sound perfect, and to get that there are some rare circumstances where you could get that quality out of your basement. Most of the time I think bands need to go to a professional studio to record their album and have a professional photographer take their photos and have a graphic designer to do their album design. I think money has to be spent before a real product can be delivered. That's not the case for everyone, sometimes there are exceptions but I think spending money is something that bands who are just starting out are scared of and they need to understand that its normal to spend money before you can make money.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

No, not really.

What is the song Niagara about?

CH: I'm so glad you asked. My songs are super serious for the most part, but I'm a pretty funny person. If you've met me, or maybe you get it out of this interview that I think I'm funny. So that song is about a number of things. First, it is about a Hershey's cookies and cream bar that an ex girlfriend gave to me that sat on my car dashboard for a year and I just didn't have the guts to throw it out. My friend Casey and I were in Niagara Falls, New York and he asked me if I was going to eat the candy bar and I told him no. Casey took a bite of it and threw it out the window because it tasted so gross. It's also about how everyone from my hometown was going to college and I wasn't. Everyone got into Ball Sate but I didn't. All my friends were going there and I didn't get accepted so it turned into this "I didn't want to go there anyways" situation. 

What are some of your favorite things about being a musician? About Touring?

CH: I like touring. I like meeting people who relate to my music, it adds a face to people who like my music. Ill post a song and people comment that they like it, they buy tickets, they buy merch, they drive to the show, I become part of the fans schedule to come see me.

Can you tell me some of your top albums?

CH:

-  The Season by All Get Out

-  Mean Everything to Nothing by Manchester Orchestra

Reach For the Sun By The Dangerous Summer

What is your favorite city you have played in?

CH: I love playing in Cleveland, Chicago, and also Phoenix, they are my favorite cities to be in.

Do you have a process? If you do what is it?

CH: Every song changes, I find guitar part that I like. For each guitar part I come up with, I come up with 30 melodies. It’s a hodpodge sometimes. Some songs take longer than others. Some days I can write a song in five minutes.

Thank you again for taking the time to sit down and speak with us, we appreciate it!

CH: No problem!