70. Chadzilla: The Ultimate Power of Work Experience
season 3, episode 10
Episode: 70
Welcome to Musicians Tip Jar where we talk about musicians and money. Where the only way to lose your job is to lose your motivation. I’m Chris Webb joined by my co-host Dave Tamkin who never loses anything.
Quote of the week
“If your trying to do good in this world, and to spread positivity it comes back to you” - Chadzilla
Chad "Chadzilla" Johnson has made a name for himself in Denver as many things: a drummer, vocalist, educator, studio owner/engineer/producer, and composer. For nearly 30 years, he has performed with a multitude of local, national, and international touring acts, recorded a number of albums of his own as well as those of his musical brethren, and improved the lives of future rockers with private and group lessons. He takes great pride in his work, whether it be behind a drum kit, helping others realize their full musical potential through his lessons, or making a band feel comfortable in his 25 BPM studio when recording their albums.
Non-profit of the week
SHINE MUSIC: Empowering inclusion and accessibility through music, Shine Music unites people of all abilities and backgrounds in a transformative live music experience. Our innovative blend of traditional festival vibes, comprehensive accessibility measures, and state-of-the-art adaptive technology creates a truly universal space where everyone can revel in the power of music together. Join us in breaking down barriers and shining a light on the limitless potential of a truly inclusive community. Learn more at https://www.shinemusic.rocks/
Dave Tamkin: I'm sorry, I can't find my notes here. Or the comment to that. Where did that go?
Chris Webb: We don't have time for this. You can read all the books and take all the courses you can find about the music business, but they can never replace the ultimate job qualification. The music industry responds to more than anything, work experience. Today's quote comes from our guests, Chadzilla. If you're trying to do good in the world, and to spread positivity, it comes back to you. Our guest today Chad Zilla Johnson has made a name for himself in Denver as many things a drummer vocalist and educator, studio owner, engineer, producer and composer. He has performed with a multitude of local national and international touring acts, as well as recorded many albums of his own and others. We cover everything from filling in the needs in the music business that you find to make your money as well as the absolute power of referrals and experience.
Dave Tamkin
Chadzilla Johnson. Welcome. Okay, let's try that one more time. Chadzilla Johnson. He's a musician. He's a dancer. He's a friend to children and adults alike. He's a mentor. We have so much to talk to him about today. And also, this is kind of two worlds of mine colliding, my good friend Chris Webb gets to meet my good friend Chad Zilla Johnson. So I thought it'd be good to start introducing you with this whole bio that I had. But the way you describe what you do is inspiring to me every time we get to talk about it. And I just want to make sure when you do you mentioned your studio, and what's the name of your studio?
CHADZILLA
It's called 25 BPM studios.
Dave Tamkin
So if someone wants to record something in a different tempo, do you outsource that?
CHADZILLA:
No, no, no, no, no. It's all it's just got to be a derivative of 25 BPM. So it could be 50 or 100. You know, or even 75. Right? It's yeah. So
Dave Tamkin
okay, so this, this is my bio that I have for you. I'm going to read it and then you just tell me if I'm on, and then you can elaborate. Does that sound like a good start? you have an impressive resume. That includes playing multiple instruments composing music studio owner, engineer and producer, international touring artists, along with mentor and educator. What else would you add to your skill sets?
CHADZILLA
I'm lesser known recognized dancer.
Dave Tamkin
Okay. Yeah. It's just your insight circles. I see.
CHADZILLA
Yeah, yeah. It's really only just my the kids, I teach preschool drumming classes. And we have dance offs. And I, I tend to win every time or else I say that it's fixed. And they're cheating. But now that's it. I mean, like, I do, I teach private lessons on a few different instruments. But I also teach like group lessons and ensembles, which, which then morphs into like a music direct for bands. And then like, so the band that I've got coming in tonight, they're a band that I've music directed, but I've also been helping them write songs. So we're recording an EP, which then will, you know, go out and we'll perform someplace, we'll get a show or like an open stage slot or something, then these people, all adults, they'll be able to go out and perform their own written music and say, hey, check us out on Spotify, you know, and I've, I've produced the album and you know, so that's just, it's crazy to it's hard to kind of say one thing that I do, or even five things that I do.
Dave Tamkin
Well, you started pretty young, and I know you have a very close musical connection with your brother too. Can you start there? I know you're the youngest of many things. Not.
CHADZILLA
Thanks. You never call me young? So my dad had was acquired director is still I mean, he doesn't do it much anymore. He's kind of retired but my mom was his accompanist and played Oregon. And he was always at a church either, you know, church choir director, but he also did, he worked at high schools and UCD and then worked down at TCU and worked with choirs there. So I was basically born into the music world, you know, and my mom, I just talked to my mom a couple of weeks ago about how she used to practice when I was in her belly, she would practice the piano. So like, even before I was in this world, I was feeling rhythm. I was feeling that energy through, you know, flowing through her as she was practicing music, you know, so basically, out of the womb, I was singing, we all sang, we had a family band, you know, and we all had to play piano, which was great. I was I was so glad to have that foundation. But then I gravitated a lot towards drums pretty early on to just banging on pots and pans. I was just explaining to this to to a colleague a couple of weeks ago, how about my recording career like that my kind of my, my interest in recording music and drumming especially happened when I was seven, I was taking drum lessons with a guy who was in the music program at cu Denver University. And a colleague of his was doing a film school at d u, and was doing a documentary on the Civil War and needed some little kid drummer for the soundtrack, you know, for like to talk about, you know, or to like, be background music behind, you know, men marching or whatever. And so for about a month, I worked with my teacher on some music, and then I went into a studio there at CU, and I recorded this little drum piece, and we did four or five takes. And then at the end of this, you know, it probably took an hour, my teacher, my teacher paid me $25
To do that at seven years old. And it was just like I just knew then I love this. This is awesome. I get to go in, I get to play, I get to practice something. It's something that makes me feel so much joy. But then I also get to be able to get paid at the end of this, like this is awesome. And so it was like That's funny how that that that was kind of the beginning of my career. And even just a couple of weeks ago, in my studio here, my dad had a tape. So he was he was a choir director at a big mega church out in Aurora. When we moved here in the late 70s, early 80s. I was 11 years old and I sang an opera that we performed two nights in a row and my dad had a cassette tape of that. And I just transferred that cassette tape to digital here in my studio a couple of weeks ago. And just like listening to that was just like such a blast from the past. But thinking that man I like I memorized an opera at 11 years old, and we played this little crippled boy. And it was just I just had that experience and all those experiences when I was young, you know, do you find
Dave Tamkin
Is it harder to remember things like that at you know, this late state in life now?
CHADZILLA
God? No idea. I still I still it's funny. There's songs now that I still sing. One that we do come together, right? That I'd still I still I've sung that song 1000 times and I still can't remember the lyrics. It's because I think I just blew it all on that opera when I was 11. You know, because my dad still we talked about it. He said it was just amazing how fast I memorize those all the lyrics, the whole thing? Like, yeah,
Dave Tamkin
You just described how at seven, you know, you got paid $25. And I also know that you know, things change when you start going to music school and the different instruments you play, but also how you diversified your career. So would you would you say was it more of the love, your love for music, your love for education, and being a mentor to so many people that come across your way, but also diversifying your income? You have a very unique way of diversifying that. And I know how much you work too, but also enjoy it. Can you speak to that a little bit?
CHADZILLA
Yeah, that so I started really kind of hitting the Denver music scene, you know, as a player. And I guess even kind of as a private teacher in in 1992, I was working at a music store that we had a drum teacher there, but he would only teach kids that were enrolled in school band programs. And so I'm selling drum sets and selling drum sticks and stuff to people who couldn't get lessons from this teacher because if they weren't in the school band program, so I asked this guy who actually was kind of a colleague of mine, if it was okay, if I taught some lessons that I could rent his room when he wasn't teaching there and teach lessons to kids that weren't that just wanted to play drum set, you know, they got a drum set for Christmas. And so he was cool with that. And so that's how I kind of started teaching lessons because I saw this need I'm sitting there talking to these parents telling them about the drum set and saying, hey, you know I can I can get your son playing some drums or your daughter, you know, playing some songs and that's kind of how the whole private teaching thing started. But then also at the same time i i was working at this music store.
So I met a bunch of musicians and I was playing in a punk band and a jazz trio simultaneously and even more One time on the same day, I did a flower shop opening with the jazz trio and then went played a punk show at the Island Park saloon later on that night, and I loved him both, I put the same amount of energy into both bands, you know, but I was just so glad to be able to make money playing drums, you know, but then also teaching and then I had a friend who hired me to to record on his album. And I had, you know, like I said, seven years old I was when I started recording, and I had a four track and was doing some recording and stuff at home. They made four tracks back. Oh, yeah, do totally Yeah, they're big, big, large, large, large tape. Yeah. That's good. That's good. It's funny, I've got to learn how to defend this now, because I teach a lot of teenagers, so I have to defend my age and experience, so but he hired me to play drums on his album, and he had built a studio. And so I was just asking him about a studio in his home. And he said, Well, I realized if I save up the money, and go in into a studio for eight hours into a studio and hire all these musicians, or whatever, and if I'm not happy with the product, at the end of those eight hours, I'm kind of screwed, I gotta, you know, there's only so much I can do, I gotta save all the money again. Whereas if I just put the money into my own studio, then I can work on this stuff anytime I want, and even hire an engineer or hire somebody to come in and help me produce stuff. But at least I have access to it all the time. And I was like, oh, light bulb, that's really what made me start to think, you know, I need to, I need to explore that. Because if I want to work on my own music, or help other people work on their music, I should build something.
And so that's kind of what led up to then the third career because in 96, was when I was down part time working at the music store. And that's the guy that I was telling you about that he gave me he got a job directing, conducting the Colorado Youth Symphony. And so he handed me 40 drum lessons a week. Wow. And so I was able to I went from like 12 to 52 drum lessons a week. So then I was able to quit my job in 96. And I've just been teaching playing and recording ever since
Dave Tamkin
While also investing in yourself to grow each business.
Chris Webb
Was there any point in that in that development that you were working non music related jobs for about
CHADZILLA
Six weeks in 98 I freaked out and thought like, Man, this is too hard. I gotta get like a like a Joe job and got a part time job driving auto paint trucks and a Sherwin Williams for auto, you know, like for Mako and stuff like that delivering auto paint to those guys. And I had a gig on a Thursday night at the cricket on the hill. Does anybody remember the cricket on the Hill, which was the greatest dive great spot. Oh my god, I love that. But some of my favorite shows and memories of playing music was at the cricket on the hill. But we played we headlined the cricket on the Hill on a Thursday night. And then I had my first run eight o'clock in the morning was up to Loveland. And I, I almost fell asleep 20 times on that drive and was like, I'm gonna die doing this, I can't do this. I can't keep this up. And, and even though that was just like, I was working like 8am to 1pm I was like, I especially after I got my first paycheck, and I'm like, Man, this sucks. Like, why don't I put more work into my business, and to promoting myself and getting more students are more gigs. And, you know, the instead of trying to go find a job job, you know, just try to supplement income. And that was it. That was the last time I did anything stupid like that.
Chris Webb
When you were following this path. I mean, it seems like what I've heard before, what we find is a common thread with people that are like you that have found a way have always found a way to keep music at the center of their career. It's interesting to me that that it seems like always finding one thing that came from the previous thing is this sort of the reoccurring theme here, right? Totally
CHADZILLA
Even like I was saying earlier about this band that's coming in tonight, I kind of helped put the whole group together with people that I've been teaching through the years through my house rock program at swallow Hill, right. And they wanted to take it to the next level, they wanted to be a band. So we started working like here at my studio and I was music directing them and now like I'm integrating the recording process with them, you know, helping them to have their music out there in the world. And it's great for me because it's like my production and my engineering but also my playing and playing bass and singing in that group. But then, you know, then once we go out and play, they will pay me as a as a hired musician to go out and play the gigs with them too. So it's like all three careers, basically right teaching, playing and recording are all totally integrated. Just in this one group tonight, and it's awesome.
Chris Webb
I love that too because I feel like that's another thing we hear a lot is that you find out that your skills that you may never thought You'd use become such an integral part of what why you can take that next opportunity. It's a strange way that that works.
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Action:
If you're listening to this podcast you likely have some experience in this industry already, even if you still feel new. Our action today is to update your resume and list your experience at the top. Use this as a chance to reflect and clarify in your head what you have under your belt already in this business. Your experience is the 1st asset in your portfolio.
Ways to connect with us:
CHADZILLA: https://www.chadzillamusic.com/
Email is at: Musicians Tip Jar@gmail.com
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As always, Thanks for joining us and remember there is already enough for everyone, you just need to know how to get it. Until next time, on behalf of Dave Tamkin and myself, Chris Webb. Stay happy, healthy and wealthy, to quote Julius Caesar, “Experience is the teacher of all things.”
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