Ruff Wizard Q&A: Chris Escarfullery

Q: Before we start, I have to let you know that I really enjoy your “feel-good” vibe - it reminds me a lot of driving down the coast of Big Sur. It just puts me in a good mood.

Chris Escarfullery: Awesome, thank you! You know, we’ve heard that there are people from the West Coast that would really love to have us go out there and hear us play. It's just a shame that we're all the way out here in Dallas, Texas.

Q: I see you’re wearing a band sweatshirt, is that a design from your first band, Catamaran? How did you get started with them?

Chris: I am wearing a Catamaran sweatshirt! It matched my outfit today, and I suppose it's better than wearing my own merch to my own interview. Let’s see… I was in college when I started with them. I went to SMU and I realized that SMU kind of sucked. I got an internship and started to write for this this website blog called House of Plates. Through that I got into the music scene in DFW. I met a band I met Catamaran for one of our events- it was like a fashion show party or a DJ set. Later on, I auditioned to join them. They had a cat in a sailor hat as their logo and that’s how they presented their name. I just thought it was gibberish and they named their band after a cat. It took me forever to realize that a catamaran is a kind of boat. they made great music and I’m glad I got to be a part of their group.

Q: Do you know if they’re still together?

Chris: Yeah, I'm no longer in the band which was a recent decision. Steven (lead of the band) is still continuing it though! We actually released, I think it was in 2021 when we released our album, Wasteland . We had been working on it for awhile, so that was like the last thing that Steven, Tom, and I worked on together. The band is still active playing shows in Lubbock.

Q: When you were a student at SMU you got involved with the local music scene? Were you trying to pursue music as a student or were you pursuing a different avenue?

Chris: I was going to SMU for a music and a French degree. Don't ask me to speak French… it's not gonna be pretty. I briefly explored journalism (emphasis on the “briefly” part), but it was short lived; exciting but it led me to somewhere else. Journalism is what got me the opportunity to get more in tune with the local music scene here in DFW. SMU is very focused on classical music, my journalism internship helped me become more aware of like a pop music scene. SMU is much more of a classically focused school, so it was kind of isolating to want to be out of that genre and into the more indie realm and not having peers that thought the same.

Q: So you got into the music scene while you were a college student, did you want to pursue a musical career before your college education, or would you say that being exposed to the local scene and meeting Catamaran is what pushed you to become an artist and start a band?

Chris: I kind of knew around the fourth grade that I wanted to do music, but I didn't know how to make that happen. Music has always been a thing that I wanted to pursue. In high school, I was really in love with bands like Block Party and The Shins. Groups like them made me want to start a band. Although a lot of anxiety came with that desire. I would ask myself, “Why am I not making shit happen?” When I graduated and enrolled in college, I was trying to pursue film scoring. I think I lacked the confidence to sing and perform music that was more “singer-songwriter”. When I joined Catamaran it was like an opportunity for me to overcome that. They needed a bassist at the time and I just so happened to own a bass. I became their bassist and when we performed I realized how natural it felt for me; I wasn’t uncomfortable. I wanted to start writing music. I didn't write heavily for Catamaran. We all helped with the arrangement; it was a flexible process, but the itch to create bodies of work is what led me to Ruff Wizard.

Q: Now that you have your own band, did your itch to create lead you to become your group's primary songwriter?

Chris: I think I am the primary songwriter. I write the lyrics and the melody is more or less tied to what I write. Then again, it’s a very fluid process. Not every idea is originally by me. I think in our first two EPs most of the songs were originally by me if not all. It's a lot more process for all of us. Steven, Levi, Pat or myself will come up with a cool idea. Then we'll just kind of play with it until it either becomes a real song or it dies a death 1000 times and then we learn to give up on it.

Q: On that note, do you have anything new in the works?

Chris: Of course! So right now we're working on an album and trying to come up with a name for it. We have a single ready and if we could just release it tomorrow I’d be stoked but we're gonna wait. Hopefully, we will have an announcement soon once we kind of get everything together. There’s a track that was originally two separate songs that are supposed to be on the album. Both of the songs grooved but they didn’t lead anywhere. we decided to make it one song, so I’m really pumped for that one.

Q: Tell me Ruff Wizard’s origin story. How did your band start?

Chris: Like everything else, it was a process… I knew a couple of people who were like totally game at the beginning, but they didn’t end up working out. I met my now group around 2018 maybe in 2019. We have this bit online where I met them on Craiglist which is actually true. I posted a listing and would hold auditions. There have been three different versions of Ruff Wizard, but I’m glad I found these guys.

Q: Talk to me about your shows and stage presence.

Chris: It's been kind of rough getting back into shows after choosing not to play music during the first two years of COVID. So it's an interesting dynamic to be kind of getting back into gear and feeling almost like a new band in the scene again. I definitely feel like I’m more chill on stage as opposed to super adrenaline rushed.

Q: I need more details about your next project. Spill!

Chris: Alright, so, we're working on an LP. It's going to be fun! We're aiming for it to be a nine-track LP. We are still working on some songs. Cohesion is really important, so we have been focusing on that. I’ve been working on recording vocals, but I recently came out of a cold, so it’s been difficult for me to get my ass up and start recording. I want it to come out in March, but, honestly, our band needs to talk more about logistics. I want to make sure we have our album art nailed down for every single release. We want everything to follow a vibe, but also maintain cohesion. All of our art has a fun vibe and we want to carry that tradition. We see a goal on the horizon, so some cool stuff will be happening soon.

“Ruff Wizard has the ability to infuse their songs with infectious rhythms and catchy melodies with truly impressive style. Listening to their music is like taking a musical journey to a place where the sun is always shining and the good times never end.”

BlueGirlHours