A Dirty Dozen with CHIGGER from RAHWAY – August 2020

According to a recent press release: “New Jersey based heavy rock band RAHWAY, also known as the Slumlords of NJ (which is also the name of the band’s upcoming EP), has released their poignant, official music video for “SUGAR.” The video depicts members of the band performing the song from the privacy of their own homes, while musician friends, family, and fans chime in during the chorus of the song, also filmed like a Zoom meeting. Rahway mixes heart and the hardest blistering rock this side of Seether and Theory of a Deadman, they are guaranteed to get any crowd moving with their intense guitar driven live show. Rahway is a nonstop rock fest, with an unlimited amount of energy, guaranteed for every performance. Since rolling out of New Jersey’s industrial wasteland, Rahway to be exact, these perennial rock underdogs are ready to take over the world! David Cardenas, guitarist, his brother and drummer Steve Cardenas, along with vocalist Nick Hade and bassist Chigger, feel that their latest CD, Undefeated, is a fresh opportunity to prove themselves as many bands from Jersey have done in the past.” We get Chigger to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our latest single, “Sugar,” was not actually our first choice for a single, but once we all went on lockdown, we decided as a band to continue to put content out there to stay relevant. So, we chose our ballad “Sugar” to shoot a quarantine video for Zoom style where we had all our music friends and fans lip syncing the hook of the song. It’s a hook that you will be singing for days. That’s why we chose it as our first single.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

The opening chords to Mötley Crüe’s “Live Wire” had me hooked! When I saw Nikki Sixx light his legs on fire, I immediately knew that playing bass for a rock band was what I wanted to do!

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

The entire Too Fast For Love record had me the second I popped that tape into my boom box. After seeing Mötley Crüe on MTV, when they used to play music videos, I always wanted to be a member of the band. They were just so bad ass! I finally got to see them live opening for Ozzy Osbourne in 1984 and I was hooked! I’ve never seen anything like them!

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

My five musical influences who crafted my music tastes were obviously Mötley Crüe, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Skid Row, KISS, and Pantera.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

If I can collaborate with anyone, it would be Nikki Sixx. I think he’s a brilliant songwriter. He’s influenced my career and he’s my hero.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I describe Rahway’s music as raw and powerful rock ‘n’ roll filled with crunchy guitars, booming bass, thunderous drums and a rock singer with a lot of range. What makes me cringe is when someone calls us an 80’s band, which we’re not. We’re a rock band and rock music is timeless!

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

My favorite part of being a musician is playing our music in front of large crowds and then being patted on the back for it after the show because we just won over new fans. I love those who know our songs and sing them back to us when we’re playing live. I love entertaining the masses.

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

When we travel, we have a road crew that we call 18 Crew, and they keep us on point. We go out to eat together. We’re like a gang! Our drummer, Steve and one of our roadies are usually the first to crack out an acoustic guitar for singalongs and new song ideas.

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

I have to be honest; I don’t get star struck often. I worked in radio for 13 years and was the PR Manager for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, so I work with many celebrities who I call friends today. I guess, I’ve become desensitized to celebrities after all these years. If I did have to pick a time that I was star struck, I guess one time was meeting Mötley Crüe in person and then another was when Steven Tyler, who named the band Rahway, came into one of the radio stations that I worked for.

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

I am working my dream job now as the PR Manager for Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City. Being a musician is my alter-ego, but my dream job is paying the bills.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I was playing in another band called Smoke Star back in early 2000 and we were about to be signed to a major deal, but my guitarist talked me out of signing to work with a new singer to make the band better. A year later the new project broke up and the guitar player and new singer are no where to be found. Huge mistake! But you live and learn, and Rahway would never make that mistake.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for the recording sessions of Metallica’s Black Album. That is one of the best records beginning to end sonically and musically. That record got me through puberty!

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Category: Interviews