Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Wabich. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chris, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

In a town such as LA, you must be versatile! Accountability with different genres and overall musicianship is something I strive for, starting from core roots of concept and technique, leading to spending the proper time absorbing each genre to the point I can speak it’s language. It’s usually a 10 or so year ride for each level.

I’m known and these days called more for playing the “hard stuff” because (I suppose) there are lots of people who can handle the easy stuff. Ironically my favorite things in music are simple and extremely clear in their architecture. For example most everyone considers Ahmad Jamal, Mozart, AD/DC are 1.0 for entry level learning. They are actually hard to get right and come alive even by those who live in it. I’m enamored by these clear ideas, and use them as a backbone to sail through all the dense musical soundcape in today’s society.

Several times over the last decade I tried to hire a camera crew to follow me around on those days where no one would believe what’s going on. For example, in one day was playing 3 concerts. The first was all Mid East percussion Ottoman and Mid East music, second was a straight up jazz concert of all standards, the last was the “Joe’s Garage” Frank Zappa show where we played the full album with a full cast of loonies to a sold out audience. All this was followed by me trying to retrieve some money owed, eating alone in a Chinese soup place in San Gabriel, which was the only thing open near the meeting place at 2 AM.

To be successful as a touring musician, you just can’t stop! Also, you must tolerate operating on a lack of sleep. Luckily everything for me becomes funny on no sleep, so I get a kick of energy from touring

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

First! The latest big thing: I just received the LA Department of Cultural Affairs COLA grant. I’ll be presenting a solo drum/percussion performance June 2024 at LA Grand Performances concert series. My solo concerts are moments of respite and solace from working in the industry. Often, my work is the backbone for other events to occur. What’s often missing in “backbone” life is the opportunity to express melodicism, subtlety, and emotion through a wider range of dynamics and phrasing against silence as a partner.

I’m a 24 year resident of Echo Park, 34 year LA resident, Volunteer board member for LA HPOZ 1, full time artistic musician, and otherwise exotic instrument maker. Descriptions of my work include “Hypnotic innovator” (Leonard Cohen) “Subtle and insightful” (Nenette Evans – widow of pianist Bill Evans), “Constantly blowing the fire” (peacemaker and sufi Omar Faruk Tekbilek) and “The SHITE!” (Brian Johnson AC/DC)

Besides all this, I’m fluent in recording, mixing, mastering, notation and video software, and music direct for several artists/shows. (it’s a wacky life sometimes!)

The latest period of my personal life has influenced my works deeply. For reasons being revealed daily, I retain a never ending optimism, constantly moving forward despite the many losses of important people in my life due to Muscular Dystrophy, cancer, suicide from sexual orientation, drug addiction, dementia (and more). My own cancer survival served as a process of “joining them” as opposed to “playing for them” and my understanding of writing and “playing for all of us” has become so much greater.

My 2020 solo project’s goal was to make the most positive music possible against the negative landscape. The result was “Optirhythm” which was played nightly at the set break for 2 years at the Baked Potato.

The 2022-2023 project “The Notes” was composed at the piano then realized by energized trios and quartets. It revolves around suspended intrinsic moments indicating the unknown being fulfilled by honest reactions at these moments of life’s “graduations”

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Following surgery, doc’s orders were no playing music for 2 months and to walk “as much as possible” in order to recover. One of my good friends encouraged me to reach out to my community to set up walks (and catch ups about other wrongful things that happened against me personally) I normally don’t ask for help, but wonderfully my calendar for that period only has a list of names. People who all showed up to share their stories and encouragement. It definitely got me back to artist life in the best way.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Gail Zappa had dinner with me one night as our Zappa “Joe’s Garage” show was formulating. She had spied on me! She said “I’ve asked everyone way across town about you and nobody has one bad word to say, what’s your DEAL??”

I didn’t quite know how to answer that loaded question, but my gut said speak the truth. I said “I don’t get too involved doing things I don’t honestly like. If I’m doing something, I’m in it 100%”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nocheeto.wixsite.com/monkeydrummer
• Instagram: @monkeydrummer1
• Facebook: its full!
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfNo8UUyWBQ
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@wabichtothenth5836/

Image Credits
Jay Matsueda @jayconcertpix Jenny San Angel