Rob Chafin, drummer of The Werks, chatted with The Daily Cardinal while preparing for the band’s Midwest tour and big New Year’s Eve run.
This four-piece group noted for their unique combination of many different styles of music was formed in 2007 by Dave Bartoletti, Chris Houser, Chuck Love and Chafin.
“Some of us are more funk oriented,” Chafin said. “Some of us are more rock, some of us are more jam, some of us are more electronic ... we all enjoy all kinds of music.”
The Werk Out Music and Arts Festival, an annual event, has really separated the band from their counterparts in the jam genre. This September festival, held in central Ohio, has become a staple of the jam-band festival scene.
“We have a very awesome opportunity to not only throw a festival but to tour the country as well,” Chafin said. “We were able to meet and play with people all over the place, so this is a combination of people we have met all year round touring to our festival.”
While live shows are a big piece of the band’s persona, their studio output has greatly improved. Their self-titled album that came out in April received critical acclaim, as the band has really honed down their songwriting craft.
“Some of us enjoy other styles more than others but we all try and work together and appreciate each others songs and styles,” Chafin said.
Hometown shows are always great, but they take on some extra significance when they are held on New Year’s Eve. This year, The Werks are ringing in the new year with two nights at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio, after a show with Lotus in Chicago just two days earlier.
“I’m from Columbus so this is kind of a big deal for me to be headlining Newport Music Hall for two nights,” Chafin said. “As a kid, I always wanted to play there, and so playing there is kind of surreal for me, but actually headlining New Years at the Newport for two nights ... I’m personally very excited for that.”
The Werks are coming back to the Majestic Theater as headliners only two months after their last visit to Madison.
“We love Madison, [it’s] just a great town,” said Chafin. “We are definitely looking forward to making the set a little extra special because every time we go to Madison, it’s just a very energetic town, let’s just say that. We are really excited to get back into the Majestic, a really awesome room, and we’ve got a couple tricks up our sleeve to put together for everyone here.”
The Werks’ Midwest tour starts Thursday right here in Madison. Thursday night’s show at the Majestic is sure to be a barnburner as they are playing with local favorites Wook. This is a can’t-miss show for jam-band fans.
