Checking In: Rochelle & the Sidewinders Realize Something Good

“Over a whopping 19 tracks on Something Good, Rochelle Creone splinters the gut-bucket with one swift boot,” I wrote last week. “Second album for the blues-hardened five, Rochelle & the Sidewinders’ studio bow jolts as if cut one sweaty Saturday night in a Downtown Austin. Every snare crack, riff bend, sax flare, and vocal wring snaps, crackles, and rocks.

Austin Chronicle: Where are you sheltering and under what circumstances? Who else is there and how’s that going?

Rochelle Creone: Myself and all of the bandmembers live in the Central Texas/Austin area, and we are all just hanging out with our respective close families. Other than the lack of shows, it’s going pretty well.

Tom Coplen: Basically staying at home and doing a lot of hiking with the pups. It’s going well. It’s like a long Spring Break with no money!

AC: At what point did C-19 shut down operations for you, and what went down with the ship, so to speak, both personally & professionally?

RC: We had 17 shows scheduled in March and all but one or two got cancelled. The hardest part has been dealing with the economic aspect as well as the emotional challenges of trying to maintain our momentum. We released our second full-length CD Something Good in June and we learned that releasing a CD during a global pandemic is a bad idea!

TC: March is when it started for us. We were booked solid with SXSW and festivals, and everything shut down, so we were dead in the water. We are really excited about our new CD Something Good, but it has been challenging trying to reach an audience during these times and promote it. We are such a live band it is difficult to convey the same energy in any way other than a live show.

AC: As a global culture, people employ music for every purpose imaginable, obviously spanning religion to entertainment and everything in between. What happens to communities like ours when people can no longer access it in person?

RC: Total despair!

TC: Well, our community is different than most, since music is such an integral part of Austin culture and has been since the Sixties and Seventies. So, not to be too dramatic, but it really seems as if the entire soul of Austin has been sucked into some kind of weird Twilight Zone vacuum.

AC: Everyone’s had to shift or drastically alter their work situation. What does that look like for you?

RC: Well, we went from having 10-12 shows per month and traveling regionally around the state to only doing three or four shows around the Austin area, so that is the biggest factor. All of our shows are now limited to restaurants with patios – which we’re EXTREMELY GRATEFUL for!!!! – but the energy level is different than the clubs and festivals we normally perform at.

TC: We’re basically trying to perform at venues that are conducting business in a safe and healthy environment, and to try to keep some momentum going. We’re extremely thankful for the venues that are still hosting bands!

AC: What’s your soundtrack for the apocalypse and what role does music play for you as a fan and scholar of it in times of hardship?

RC: Our one rule in the band is to listen to as much Prince as possible all the time! Seriously though, we have been writing a ton a new tunes and that creative outlet has been a lifesaver in these crazy times.

TC: I guess my soundtrack for an apocalypse would be to have to listen to the theme music from Barney in a loop forever. Fortunately, that hasn’t happened yet, so all is good!

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Check out the entire Checking In series.