Today we’d like to introduce you to Chase D. Spruiell.
Hi Chase D., please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
i played basketball my entire life. it’s all i knew. my dad played college basketball on scholarship then became a basketball coach. my mom played college basketball on scholarship then became a basketball coach. finally, my sister played college basketball on scholarship and became a basketball coach. now, i played college basketball on scholarship, got a bachelor’s in film, then moved to Austin to be a musician. you could say i was the black sheep of the family. once i moved to austin, i knew i needed to get good in a hurry, so that’s what i did. i played my guitar everyday, wrote songs everyday, and put together a band in a matter of months. within the first year of moving to austin, i took my band (then called Free Kittens & Bread) on our first tour that i booked all by myself. since then, i’ve basically been doing the same thing. i changed our name to big loser, then started a singer/songwriter type project called Half Man, and i try to tour and write as much as i possibly can. although, last November i was in a car wreck where i broke my spine and lost the use of my left leg, but that’s a story for another time.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
not an inch of the road has been smooth. putting together a band and making great music is a rare and magical thing – it takes hard work, a lot of talent, and a whole lot of luck, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. without money, the road is impossible. i had to learn how to manage a band, keep everyone happy even though none of us were making money, learn how to became a graphic artist, learn how to be my own booking agent, AND write great songs just to give us even a .0001% chance of being successful. i’d have to do all of that while working 2 full time jobs in order to pay for tours, merch, rent, food, life, so i’m just digging an insurmountable hole of debt while trying to juggle all of it. i spoke to a bankruptcy lawyer the other day and she told me i’d need $2800 to file for bankruptcy. if i had $2800, i would have no need to file for bankruptcy. that about sums up the world for me. after being in the music industry for over a decade, i’m convinced that a bad band with plenty of money will be more successful than a great band with no money.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
i wrote my first song in my sophomore year of high school, before i knew how to play any instrument. to this day, i still know it (it’s not a good song), but songs have always come naturally to me. once i picked up a guitar and seriously put the work in, i knew it’s what i was meant to do. to me, writing a song is like my secret super power. i’ve had tons of people come up to me in the music industry and ask me for advice on how they can improve their songwriting skills – i never had an answer for them. for me, it just happens. that might sound braggadocios but i don’t mean it to be, and certainly not every song comes naturally. i’ve had to put more effort into some songs over others. it’s just the only way i can explain it. i’m an addict and an alcoholic (sober for 8 years now) but writing a song that comes straight from my soul and knowing it’s good – nothing an beat that high.
What matters most to you? Why?
staying present. that’s where the good stuff is. i believe if i’m 100% present and reacting without thinking too much, then i’m 100% who i am. it’s only during the times that i’m caught in a thought-loop where i lose myself. during those times, i’m not present at all. i’m distracted. performing music is one of the only things in my life that forces me to be absolutely present – so for 45 minutes, i get to be who i was always meant to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/officialbigloser
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbigloser
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbigloser
- Twitter: https://x.com/bigloserband
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialbigloser
