Interview: Singer/Guitarist Chad Austin (The Logic)

For nearly a decade now, The Logic has been cultivating a loyal following in North Carolina. Their brand of melodic pop rock could appeal to just about any music fan. Lead vocalist/guitarist Chad Austin has been writing and recording since 1992, the year that his solo debut materialized. What are his plans for the Logic and will he continue to release solo material? I'm not telling. You'll have to read the interview to find out.

Dom Coccaro: You started as a solo artist and you're still releasing solo material. What inspired you to become involved with various side projects?

Chad Austin: I am a solo artist, but I don't consider the Logic, my current band, a side project. I have spent the vast majority of time in the last decade to bettering the Logic, and I mean in so many aspects that it is staggering. The Logic allows me to do just about everything I want to do, both live and in the studio.

Within the Logic I work with some of the best musicians around in North Carolina. They are a great sounding board and have great ideas of their own. They listen to my silly ideas and they inject their own ideologies. They listen to me and I listen to them. It has been great as the band itself turns me on to ideas that I may have not had otherwise. It is a wonderful example of interdependency = the sum of parts is greater than the whole.

DC: Speaking of your solo catalog, when will your next solo album be released? Is the songwriting/recording process complete?

CA: Although I write a lot of music, my main attention has not been on my solo work. The Logic allows me a palette that is quite large. In many ways, the logic is my solo career. The songwriting/recording process is never complete.

DC: The Logic is very popular in the Hickory area. What are your thoughts on some of the other local acts? Do you have a favorite group/musician that is based in Hickory?

CA: Thank you. I'm flattered that you think so. I like most of the other acts in Hickory and Charlotte. I even like a lot of bands where I don't care for the personnel within the group. I can recognize a lot of the talent in this area without having to hang out with them. As a matter of fact, I go and see very few bands when I'm not playing. One reason is because when I'm home, I want to stay home. I don't want to hang out in a smoke-filled club when I'm off.

However, most bands in this area are only doing cover music, and I don't believe that most bands do a great a job at covering other music. They like to think that they're doing their own version, but they're really not inventing any new grounds. I don't mean that they suck, by any means. I'm just saying that they want to play a popular song, and they do it, but it is presented in a way that showcases only their own instrument talent, not their own talent for arrangement and production. Very few bands - regional or otherwise - have a talent for arrangement and presentation. Presentation doesn't mean louder with distorted guitars...presentation doesn't mean that you've had a good night at a popular club...presentation means you've analyzed the song, realized what it could be, realized your own weaknesses and strengths, and then gave birth to something new.

My favorite local musician is probably Mike Waters. Damn talented dude. So is his brother, Scott, currently in Superglide. I am also fond of Billy Jones in "the Newz" and a band called "JagFu".

DC: The Logic's music is quite progressive in spots. Which bands influenced the band's core sound the most?

CA: No band in particular. We currently experiment a lot with dance music. We feel we're one of the most diverse cover bands out there so it really goes across the board.

DC: What venues do you enjoy playing the most? Bars? Private parties? Festivals?

CA: Bars are great for their pure rawness. Private parties are fun because the folks who've hired you already love you. Festivals are great for the sheer numbers of folks who come to see you.

DC: It's been several years since Theory of Experience came out. When will the next studio album see the light of day?

CA: running joke is when the new Logic CD will become public. We've been working on all kinds of things. Hopefully, we'll have something available on iTunes by the end of summer 2007.