Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Hoff.
Hi Chris, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in western Nebraska. A small rural town called Scottsbluff was the largest city in the area. My family comprises mostly farmers, ranchers, or some occupational support to the agricultural industry that thrives throughout the area. My grandparents owned a farm in eastern Wyoming, while my father had acquired land in western Nebraska. The area locals call Wyo-Braska. My stepfather was more on the side of the cattle business as a ranch hand/foreman. So, I grew up learning and living on both sides of the agricultural business. At an early age, I took a liking to music. My mother and grandmother saved up the money to get me a trumpet so I could join the band in 6th grade. I loved it! Shortly after that, I liked choir and gave it a try. Eventually, I played different instruments in the band and tried out for show choir. I ended up loving it!
After graduating, I trekked my way into the working world and started my first career as a railroader. It didn’t take long for me to feel like something was missing. Eventually, I figured out it was music that I had been missing. So I saved up a few hundred bucks and bought a guitar. I taught myself to play and eventually learned how to sing while playing. That took some time without proper training, lol. I took some lessons to improve my skills after about 3 years of only playing and learning other artists’ songs. I attempted to write my own. Horrible, cheesy, simple songs, but I knew it would pay off. Going into it, I knew it would be rough, but if you know how to grind, eventually, things come to fruition. Right? Yup! Like anything else, the more you practice, the better you get! Rarely is anyone just born great at anything. I tried to find/start a band a few times, but being in such a small area, it takes a lot of work to get into an established band or even find musicians willing to start something new. I was still waiting. I’ll keep it a hobby.
A few years later, I eventually settled my wild and out-of-control country boy ways and met a woman. It was like a switch. I mean, one minute I’m in my early 20s, livin’ it up then, bam! This beautiful blonde woman says hi to me at a bar, and the rest is history! By the way, 14 years later (now), I still love her! We are still best friends! A short time after deciding to “go steady,” we married. We moved from western Nebraska (Scottsbluff) to eastern Wyoming (Wheatland), settling down even more and starting a family. In the spring of 2013, we had a beautiful baby girl! Right, music, that’s why I’m here, right?! Lol
Okay, so after moving to the quiet yet very windy little town of Wheatland. I met a guy who had a band. They weren’t looking for anyone but wanted me to hang out anyway. I was invited to jam during a rehearsal, and the rest just fell into place. They were an 8-piece rock band! What could one rhythm player hurt more?! Rather quickly, I took on a little more than half the vocal responsibilities as a lead vocalist. Although it was a blast, and I learned a lot, it wasn’t enough for me! I wanted to play more shows than just a few times a year. I decided to quit the band and start doing acoustic gigs. Finding gigs in the area was rather hard, but I managed. I ran across a few individuals who always pushed me to do the next thing, but one in particular struck me. A guy who was a local/regional hero pulled me aside and asked me what I was doing with my music. Dumbstruck, I didn’t reply. He beat me to the punch and suggested I do something with my songs. He explained that there wasn’t much future in music where we resided and made some suggestions. A decision was made.
2017: The big move. After that conversation with the other fellow musician, I talked seriously with my wife. To keep it short, Nashville or Austin. We decided on Austin. I ended up stumbling onto a job in Cedar Park. I applied and was asked to be interviewed. I’d never been to Texas, but I found my way out of ABIA up 183 to Cedar Park for the interview culture shock! I got the job! So, we packed up all our belongings and re-homed our 3 horses, 2 goats, 12 chickens, and rooster, all the cats.
I set out alone to trek to Austin after my last gig in Laramie, Wyoming, at 2:30 am. In total, a 5th wheel camper with all of our belongings (that would fit anyway) 30, a blown tire, some unfortunate roadkill, and a lost muffler later, I found a campground to park our temporary home (camper) in Liberty Hill. So here I am, Texas! The w, life, and kid stayed back to tie up loose ends, visit family, and watch the eclipse before heading down to Texas. 32 days seemed like an eternity while waiting for their arrival; I hit the ground running, doing as much groundwork as possible without spousal/parental duties. During my first 48 hours, I Met some folks and saw some places. The late Chris Wall guided me to my first producer, Merel Bergante. I mistakenly met Joe Ables, the owner of Saxon pub. He gave me some good pointers on where and how to start. Poodie’s, Luckenbach, Broken Spoke, Whitehorse, you know the places. I started working on my first Album with Merel in the spring of 2018. I was present throughout every aspect of the process! I wanted to learn everything! Of course, I’m only human. So, I only retained a little of it, but at least I got the experience! There’s a lot to making a record, but that would bore most folks, so let’s just cut to what they understand. I ended up buying a house in Leander in the spring of 2018. I sold that camper for $12k! Then, I poured it all into that record! And some merch, all of it Lol every last penny. I am moving on! Let’s see, an album released 1Q 2019; mind you, I’d been playing shows, doing the grind, you know what every other aspiring artist does here, since my arrival. Ah, yes, that sounds like something we all chase! The sound we are looking for? What is it? Do you know? Do I know?! I’ve assembled a solid group of rotating musicians who understand me, what I want, and what I want. All in all, I’m still looking, and probably always will be, but I’ve made some great friends and met a lot of other great like-minded folks along the way! Music is the universal language!
The grind, keep on keepin’ on, so fast forward a bit to the unforgettable dumpster fire 2020. I will pull my Forrest Gump card out and say, “That’s all I have to say about that.” But I did release a couple of singles that year. “2020 (Crazy Over You)” and “A Good Reason.” = The dumpster fire continues; we all know it lasted way longer than the 14 days to flatten the curve. Anyway, on May 2022, I got a phone call asking if I would be willing to accept an Award from the CMA of Texas in October. Well, I did what any sensible artist would do. “Award for what?” Lol —I wish I could see their face. It went much smoother after I found out they were serious, and it wasn’t some random organization begging for money. Hence, the award was “Waylon Jennings Artist.” from all that I could gather, it had little to do with resemblance to Ol’ Watasha (Waylon) in either sound or looks but had everything to do with attitude and how you get things done. If you know anything about Waylon, you know what that means. The grind continues; I’m still at it, the music thing. I’m slowly working towards the funding to do another album. I’ve got new merch on the way. I’m still booking shows. In a few days, Luckenbach got a big (to me) show coming up for the Eclipse Festival in Del Rio. Oh, and I just received another CMA of Texas Award for 2o24. You guessed it, the Waylon Jennings Award! I think it’s because they don’t make them like that anymore.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Struggles?! That’s my middle name, lol. Most people struggle or have challenges/obstacles. I’m relatively fortunate, as my ball and chain are more lightweight than most. But if I need to be a pessimist for this part, here goes: Money, boy, is it hard to do this without a solid, healthy funding source. There will always be more time to do what I need to do to get out of the ruts I make. Being a breadwinner. I love that I can take care of my family! It is the most critical thing to me in life! They are my everything. However, it makes it very difficult to succeed as a musician. Self-doubt is a major buzzkill! I suffer from this as much as anyone. Over saturation of musicians, it’s hard enough to gather a fan base; try to do it in a town that hears live music daily! Getting into a new spot is tough because other artists have a lockdown on places, and it’s easier to book the same rotation. Cutthroats, we all know a few. This one hits home; I despise an artist who will play for a bar tab and a meal. It seriously hinders/cripples others trying to make a living. And I hate to be that guy. They are usually terrible musicians. The list could go on for miles, but I don’t benefit from complaining about climbing the ladder.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
There’s plenty to share, but I read a study about how social media has severely impacted the majority of people’s attention spans, so I guess I’ll leave a couple “words of wisdom.” A cow doesn’t give you milk. Seriously, it doesn’t give it to you. You have to get it yourself.
- Catch the cow.
- Tie and feed the cow.
- Grab a stool and bucket.
- Milk the cow.
- Repeat daily, or the cow goes dry! Also, the milk has some processes to be dealt with before you drink it. Like separating the cream from the milk, pasteurizing it, blah blah blah, google it will save me time. LOL! The serenity prayer is helpful in all difficult situations of life. The only person you have control over is yourself—the 3 C’s: Choice, Chance, Change. Choose to take a chance to make a change. I live by these “words of wisdom”! You should, too! The world would be a better place!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.choffmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choffmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Watasha.Outlaw?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0bfh9ZkHbFuNAmq0hNtdlO?si=SLk1xeMsSciMQik70HOspA
Image Credits
Seven Pillars Trey Karnes
