It’s been two years since Our Town Reno met with Charity Kiss to learn about their music, their story, and their perspectives on the Reno music scene.
Since then a lot has changed. Nate Drum, Charity Kiss’s drummer and Patrick Hansen, the bands vocalist and rhythm guitarist, spoke to music reporter, Lauren Juillerat, about the differences two years make.
Charity Kiss first formed in 2021 and by 2022 was composed of five members: Hansen, Noah Linker, Drum, Cole Hendriks, and Wyatt Ziegler. Since then, Patrick Hansen and Nate Drum recruited Cooper Conway as a bassist and welcomed back Cole Hendriks as their lead guitarist. Hendriks had been pursuing an education in Montreal, having Ziegler fill in for him during his absences. James Pizzo from the local band, Flamingos In The Tree had also filled in for Hendriks when needed.
With Hendriks back from college, Ziegler left Charity Kiss to pursue his own band called Dog Dog. Meanwhile, Linker said his goodbyes as he left to follow his own passions. The band now faced a new challenge. Readapting to Hendriks return and dedicating time to teach Conway songs they’d been creating and performing for years.
Hansen and Drum had known Conway since high school but it wasn’t until they saw him perform with his band, Spiteful Mourning, that they approached him with an offer to join their band. Significant amounts of time were dedicated to teaching Conway their melodies and with his fast learning, and the other three’s patience and commitment, Charity Kiss was reborn.
From there, Hendriks, Hansen, Drum, and Conway began creating new music. When reflecting on their progress, Drum says that they have significantly developed their songwriting process. “Before it was a lot faster, kinda. I feel like we spend more time on each song now.” regarding song structures and dynamics, Drum says.
Hansen agreed saying that prior to 2022 they would write songs and think they were good but now they aim on being more deliberate with their music. “In the past we thought our ideas were good but now we want them to be great,” says Hansen.
A huge contribution to their faster songwriting process in the beginning was credited to the fear of being known as a cover band. They eagerly wanted some original songs to showcase their talent and creative minds. So, writing songs became a frequent practice and covers soon dwindled out of the band's set lists. Eventually songwriting became easier than recording and distributing their songs onto streaming platforms. “We didn’t have a studio, we didn’t have anybody. It was like Noah and Wyatt for a bit, it was just like circumstantial recording,” Hansen said.
With time they did find an audio engineer and Drum and Hansen shared some fun memories from some of their more recent recording adventures. From their 2023 album, Victor Riley’s a Coward, one of their songs, Destination Double Bridge, features the sound of a dog barking during one of the “la, la, la, la” sequences in the song.
“We all got in a big circle, we got our recording engineer’s mom, and girlfriend, and all that, all in one circle while we’re yelling ‘la, la, la’s’ and the dog did not enjoy that” Hansen says. Whether Cane, the dog that often hung out around the studio, disliked the singing or simply wanted to join in on it, will never be clear.
However it is clear that the barks only added to the depth of the song. Bringing forth a more collage like sound that encapsulates the listener in a world of nostalgia. The album, Victor Riley’s a Coward, was actually recorded in a matter of three days Hansen shares. The band had been on a big tour but regardless, they pushed through and recorded every song in just 72 hours.
You would think that after a big tour and three days of nonstop recording that Charity Kiss would take a break. However, you'd be very wrong. The four men jumped straight into a new gig after just barely finishing their new album.
Touring has become an important part of the band’s life. In the beginning of their touring, the band would often go over the hill to San Francisco or Sacramento. Since then, they have started touring for extended periods of time, making Costco their go to spot on the road, where they typically eat two to three meals a day.
In the fall of 2023, they embarked on a multi-state tour of the Pacific Northwest that included five cities in California, four cities in Oregon, as well as Boise, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah. “It started off with quick runs through California. Now, the last one we did was 20 something days and it was through five states,” Hansen says.
Just recently Charity Kiss performed three shows in Oregon and Washington April 19th-21st which have become beloved touring spots. Drum says that Davis, California, has become one of his favorite places to perform because of the crowd's vibrant energy. Whereas Hansen has found a fond place in his heart for Vista, California. This is owed to the memorable venue Charity Kiss played at. A cliffside stage that overlooked the mesmerizing orange, pink, and yellow hues of the sun setting against the iconic desert rock music Charity Kiss plays so well.
A recent favorite has been the city of Corvallis, Oregon. Hansen says that when he feels discouraged or loses motivation he reminds himself and the other members of their dream; an important reminder that they are actively pursuing their passions. “This past weekend when we were in Oregon, we had people show up to that show and say they remembered us from last time, and wanted to see us again,” says Drum with a smile.
Being in a band that is constantly touring, creating, recording, and performing music is no easy task. Burnout can be inevitable. “Re-committing to the dream, it’s a lot,” says Hansen. However Hansen, Drum, Conway, and Hendriks could not be more grateful to pursue their passions and be so welcomed by other music scenes across the United States. “Understanding that, at least for me, that this is the dream. We are currently living the dream,” Hansen says with a grateful smile.
Drum and Hansen shared how surreal it was to hear people singing their lyrics and packing out venues just to see them perform a couple weekends ago in Oregon.
“It’s hard to measure if you've done anything, but to have people show up and be like ‘yes you have,’ and to be so excited to see us…I mean that’s a really big achievement,” says Hansen.
The last two years have certainly yielded big changes for the band. From new members, to new opportunities, tours, and new music, lifestyle changes have also been a huge challenge as well. Especially for Hansen who recently got married and had his first child. “So that I think really changed my commitment to it. It’s put a lot more pressure on me, but it's also made the payoff more rewarding,” Hansen says.
Hansen now has to balance his family life with his work life and music life. It can be very time consuming and adapting to these changes hasn’t been easy. “I’m sacrificing time with my family and honestly a better life you know? Because I take jobs so I can play music. They don’t pay the best so that’s rough but I’d say that’s been a drastic change,” Hansen says. Despite how difficult all of these things can be on their own, let alone together, Hansen smiles throughout. A sense of pride and gratefulness is definitely present with the hard working father, husband, vocalist, and rhythm guitarist.
With new changes comes growth. The band feels that their understanding of the music world has changed a lot since their start nearly three years ago. Drum says that initially they went about music from a more innocent point of view. They had thought if you were good at what you did, that’s all you’d need but that unfortunately was not the case.
After years of experience, as well as trial and error, they realized a few crucial points that make all the difference in the music world. Touring taught them the ideal venue spots allowing them to reach more fans and new listeners. “What I really love is the West Coast. I feel like we understand what the happening spots are. So now we know, oh we're trying to get into so and so; whereas before I was like, Google maps, live music, and then we’d get a weird ass bar,” Hansen says.
Another crucial point Charity Kiss emphasizes is being persistent with your passions. Hansen recalls people thinking that there was some sort of magic trick to the band getting gigs at venues in the Sacramento area. In reality, Hansen had to send over 40 emails just to get one response back.
While the band tours constantly, they stay based in Reno, Nevada. Two years ago past Charity Kiss members Noah Linker and Wyatt Ziegler expressed their hopes to relocate to Los Angeles, California, expressing that the Reno music scene was too small and they wanted to reach more people.
Upon asking Drum and Hansen if they too think Reno is too small to thrive in, they disagreed with the past statement saying, “I would say the idea of moving for success is overrated and outdated. Especially with social media,” said Hansen.
It appears that Charity Kiss isn’t planning on relocating from the Biggest Little City anytime soon. Hansen shares how shocked he is at how big the Reno music has become in just a few years. Hansen and Drum started playing music in high school and can only recall a handful of bands that were active in the scene back then, whereas now it’s hard to keep track of how many new bands are being created.
To those hoping to form a band, or to those already in a newer band, Drum and Hansen recommend playing any shows you can, which has become much easier to do in the Reno music scene. There are currently more than a half a dozen local venues offering places for bands to play, including The Holland Project, West Street Market, Cypress, Fort Ralston, The Empire, Station 9, The Cellar Stage, Pignic Pub & Patio and The Bluebird. “Don’t limit your experience. Don’t let your fears or doubts limit where you play, how you play or what you play,” says Hansen.
While Charity Kiss loves a variety of cities all across the United States they still say that Reno has been one of their favorites. Hansen says Reno was his preferred scene back when they were super active in it. “The Reno scene, we have toured all over, a lot of these bands and I think a lot of people in Reno shit talk Reno. But Reno’s badass. It is in the perfect place to start a band,” Hansen says.
This is because the city is so close to other popular music spots, such as Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Sacramento and San Francisco. “You’re in a central spot for the West Coast. There’s great D.I.Y. venues. The Reno music scene is about to explode I think,” Hansen says.