Episode 15 - Charles Ellsworth - On touring in a $600 van with zero dollars, building DIY skills and being a good hang
Explicit content warning
02/04/25 • 103 min
This week I am chatting with Charles Ellsworth, an incredible songwriter, podcaster and filmmaker originally from Arizona who has toured most of his adult life. Chuck tells me stories about living in his van while being flat broke to years later getting a full time job working with LCD Soundsystem. We chat about how he learned guitar in the back of a furniture store, his movie-worthy travel stories and the realities of choosing a life in the arts. You can also catch a glimpse of his dog Banjo if you watch on Youtube.
Check out Chuck's website here:
https://charlesellsworthmusic.com/
Check out his podcast "A Dirtbag's Guide To Life On The Road" here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-dirtbags-guide-to-life-on-the-road/id1524043897
You can watch this full episode on Youtube (and see Banjo) here:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatItTakesToBeARockstar
If you enjoy this podcast, please make sure to hit subscribe! It's free and goes a long way.
If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/whatittakestobearockstar
Or become a monthly subscriber here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2397323/support
About the podcast: Host and musician Melissa Lucciola talks with signed and DIY musicians from around the world about their lives behind the scenes. From maxing out credit cards, sleeping on floors, sharing beds and having the whole band get paid $250 to play Madison Square Garden, you will hear the in's and out's of life on and off the road and the real struggles of the modern day musician.
Edited, recorded, mixed and produced by Melissa Lucciola.
This episode is sponsored by SORRY Cables - rad and colorful quality instrument and microphone cables handmade in LA.
Intro song is called "I'm Starting a Podcast" by Tea Eater
Other music is by Pretty World
This week I am chatting with Charles Ellsworth, an incredible songwriter, podcaster and filmmaker originally from Arizona who has toured most of his adult life. Chuck tells me stories about living in his van while being flat broke to years later getting a full time job working with LCD Soundsystem. We chat about how he learned guitar in the back of a furniture store, his movie-worthy travel stories and the realities of choosing a life in the arts. You can also catch a glimpse of his dog Banjo if you watch on Youtube.
Check out Chuck's website here:
https://charlesellsworthmusic.com/
Check out his podcast "A Dirtbag's Guide To Life On The Road" here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-dirtbags-guide-to-life-on-the-road/id1524043897
You can watch this full episode on Youtube (and see Banjo) here:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatItTakesToBeARockstar
If you enjoy this podcast, please make sure to hit subscribe! It's free and goes a long way.
If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/whatittakestobearockstar
Or become a monthly subscriber here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2397323/support
About the podcast: Host and musician Melissa Lucciola talks with signed and DIY musicians from around the world about their lives behind the scenes. From maxing out credit cards, sleeping on floors, sharing beds and having the whole band get paid $250 to play Madison Square Garden, you will hear the in's and out's of life on and off the road and the real struggles of the modern day musician.
Edited, recorded, mixed and produced by Melissa Lucciola.
This episode is sponsored by SORRY Cables - rad and colorful quality instrument and microphone cables handmade in LA.
Intro song is called "I'm Starting a Podcast" by Tea Eater
Other music is by Pretty World
Previous Episode
Episode 14 - Spoon Benders - Stolen vans, Europe plans and dirty laundry
This week I am chatting with Katy Black (guitar/vox) and Casey Hanson (bass) of Spoon Benders, a heavy fuzzy psychy garage psych band from Portland, Oregon. We chat about how they got into music, how they got their van stolen multiple times, their upcoming plans to tour Europe and how they feel about big vs. small venues. We also chat about if they have other jobs, their life on the road and how they got their EURO booking agent. Enjoy!
Check out Spoon Benders here.
Check out my playlist of all the guests here.
You can watch this episode and others on Youtube.
If you enjoy this podcast, please make sure to hit subscribe! It's free and goes a long way.
About the podcast: Host and musician Melissa Lucciola talks with signed and DIY musicians from around the world about their lives behind the scenes. From maxing out credit cards, sleeping on floors, sharing beds and having the whole band get paid $250 to play Madison Square Garden, you will hear the in's and out's of life on and off the road and the real struggles of the modern day musician.
Edited, recorded, mixed and produced by Melissa Lucciola.
This episode is sponsored by SORRY Cables - rad and colorful quality instrument and microphone cables handmade in LA.
Intro song is called "I'm Starting a Podcast" by Tea Eater
Other music is by Pretty World
Next Episode
Episode 16 - Crusasis - On never being able to quit music even if you want to
This week I am chatting with Ryan Smith of the band Crusasis. This episode hits super close to home cause Ry is my boyfriend and bandmate, but he has a really interesting perspective with music because he has played many different instruments in many different genres in many different ways. He's done:
- Jazz/Wedding/R&B gigs on sax
- Busking in NYC
- Hired gun gigs on drums
- Singing/screaming/drumming in a DIY metal band
- Touring in the US and Europe
- Singing and playing guitar in Crusasis
- Months in the open mic scene in Hungary
- Music in the mountains of California
- DIY recording
- A ton of drumming for my band Francie Moon
We also chat about a time in life where he stepped away from his life in music as he knew it and found himself making music anyway wherever he was. We chat about how if you are a musician, it is always a part of who you are, but you also need to care for the other aspects of your identity as well.
Check out Crusasis here.
You can watch this full episode (we recorded in our house) on Youtube.
If you enjoy this podcast, please make sure to hit subscribe - it's free and goes a long way!
If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/whatittakestobearockstar
Or become a monthly subscriber here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2397323/support
Join the Discord community and chat with others about the episodes:
https://discord.gg/fQRCka4SQ8
Listen to the Playlist of all the guests' music here.
About the podcast: Host and musician Melissa Lucciola talks with signed and DIY musicians from around the world about their lives behind the scenes. From maxing out credit cards, sleeping on floors, sharing beds and having the whole band get paid $250 to play Madison Square Garden, you will hear the in's and out's of life on and off the road and the real struggles of the modern day musician.
Third intro song is "Wind Strings" by Francie Moon
https://franciemoon.com/
Edited, recorded, mixed and produced by Melissa Lucciola.
This episode is sponsored by SORRY Cables - rad and colorful quality instrument and microphone cables handmade in LA.
Intro song is called "I'm Starting a Podcast" by Tea Eater
Other music is by Pretty World
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