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Musician (and Amateur Surfer) Chris Clouse on Winters in San Francisco
Holiday parties with a side of waves, only on the West Coast.
Photo: Carolyn Fong
Photo: Carolyn Fong
“I see myself as a bit of a chameleon when it comes to musical styles,” says Chris Clouse. And few musicians wear quite as many hats as he does. Music has always been a cornerstone of his life — from competing in fiddle competitions as a child to DJ’ing and producing music today. The former two-time Washington State Fiddle Champion has opened for Johnny Cash and held down a residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Clouse says he thrives on his ability to connect with others through music.
“DJs have any song at their fingertips, in their arsenal, to move a group of people,” he says. “I’m enthralled with being able to stay in tune to an entire room, and be able to change its energy at a moment’s notice.”
But he hasn’t stopped writing music, either, recently releasing a three-song acoustic EP that he wrote during the pandemic. “I’ve been lucky enough to keep many different musical lanes open for myself,” he says. “Sometimes you want to give the audience everything they want; other days you think, I have a story to tell, and here’s the music I made for you. Each day can be different.”
Clouse’s career has taken him from rural Washington to Nashville to, now, his adopted home of San Francisco. Here, he shares with us his love for the city, what makes a Bay Area winter so special, and why the best shows are always hometown shows.
What do you love about San Francisco during the holidays? The feeling of everybody being out and about. Everyone in their new puffy jacket, going to house parties, getting an excuse to see friends maybe you haven’t seen all year. It makes you connect with people.
As a musician, it’s all holiday parties you get to play. It’s a time when people just slough off the year a bit. Everything lets up. Every day is a party, and you feel the specialness of people getting to relax. That’s the energy of December.
And holidays mean more gigs in SF, I’m sure — what do you love about playing close to home? When you play a home gig, you never know who you’re going to see. Old friends you haven’t seen in 10 years might come through, coming out to dance or to see you play. As a musician it can be easy to feel like you’re on your own, especially as a solo artist, especially being out on the road. But I’ve been lucky enough to have this career, in this city, as long as I have — and when I play a home gig, I’m reminded that there’s a family here, and a community.
Being a recent-ish transplant, what do you love about the environment in San Francisco? My hometown had a population of 300 people. I came from farmland and gradually made my way to the “big city.” But I never lost that love of being in the rugged outdoors, and San Francisco, for me, has been that dream where you can have both. You can get to dirt trails where you don’t see any city life at all. That will always feed my soul and remind me what I love about the outdoors, whether it’s cycling or surfing or motorcycling.
We hear you’re something of an amateur surfer in your down time. In the winter, the waves get good in Northern California, and my travel schedule comes down a bit. So winter, to me, is driving to the beach, getting in a thick rubber suit, and getting out into those nice winter waves. You can be in one of the most energetic cities in the world, but when you go out 10 or 20 feet into the water, you’re immersed in the ocean. You can sit in the vastness of the ocean and look back on the city where you live. It looks close, but when you’re out there, you’re transported.
How does surf culture change during the winter? It gets, for lack of a better word, gnarlier. The waves are bigger with winter storms. The water gets colder. So the community that’s out there, they’re able to keep up with those waves. You need the willingness to get tumbled a good amount, to get those ice cream headaches. But any surfer will tell you, if you get one amazing wave that day —– and the chances are much higher during the winter —– any pain or discomfort you have goes away. So the payoff will always outweigh any of the pain.
Did you know that SKYY Vodka is made with water enriched by Pacific Minerals? I didn’t know SKYY uses Pacific minerals, but it makes perfect sense. After I surf I get to take a little bit of the ocean with me through my day, and having my first SKYY Vodka cocktail before hitting a stage or DJ booth feels a little like that. SKYY Vodka is that drink I reach for when I want to feel refreshed and savor the moment and the world around me.
The holidays can be a time of stress for anyone. What do you do to get in the holiday spirit? The holidays can be a stressful time for a working musician, but I look forward to being able to unwind, not being on the road quite so much, and to enjoy the city I live in and feel the holiday energy. Last Christmas I went out for a four hour ride through the dirt trails over the Golden Gate Bridge, I kind of got the city all to myself. And I get to stay home and make my own cocktails, instead of being at a bar all the time! Being close to home is really nice.
What do you like in those winter cocktails? Last holiday season, I had these really nice blood oranges, and we muddled those with some ice and topped it with vodka and soda and a little blood orange garnish — it was delicious. It’s fun to get creative. I love that kind of citrus in cocktails, as well as earthy tones, like you’d find in rosemary. Those flavors can be a really nice juxtaposition.
What do you love about San Francisco during the holidays? The feeling of everybody being out and about. Everyone in their new puffy jacket, going to house parties, getting an excuse to see friends maybe you haven’t seen all year. It makes you connect with people.
As a musician, it’s all holiday parties you get to play. It’s a time when people just slough off the year a bit. Everything lets up. Every day is a party, and you feel the specialness of people getting to relax. That’s the energy of December.
And holidays mean more gigs in SF, I’m sure — what do you love about playing close to home? When you play a home gig, you never know who you’re going to see. Old friends you haven’t seen in 10 years might come through, coming out to dance or to see you play. As a musician it can be easy to feel like you’re on your own, especially as a solo artist, especially being out on the road. But I’ve been lucky enough to have this career, in this city, as long as I have — and when I play a home gig, I’m reminded that there’s a family here, and a community.
Being a recent-ish transplant, what do you love about the environment in San Francisco? My hometown had a population of 300 people. I came from farmland and gradually made my way to the “big city.” But I never lost that love of being in the rugged outdoors, and San Francisco, for me, has been that dream where you can have both. You can get to dirt trails where you don’t see any city life at all. That will always feed my soul and remind me what I love about the outdoors, whether it’s cycling or surfing or motorcycling.
We hear you’re something of an amateur surfer in your down time. In the winter, the waves get good in Northern California, and my travel schedule comes down a bit. So winter, to me, is driving to the beach, getting in a thick rubber suit, and getting out into those nice winter waves. You can be in one of the most energetic cities in the world, but when you go out 10 or 20 feet into the water, you’re immersed in the ocean. You can sit in the vastness of the ocean and look back on the city where you live. It looks close, but when you’re out there, you’re transported.
How does surf culture change during the winter? It gets, for lack of a better word, gnarlier. The waves are bigger with winter storms. The water gets colder. So the community that’s out there, they’re able to keep up with those waves. You need the willingness to get tumbled a good amount, to get those ice cream headaches. But any surfer will tell you, if you get one amazing wave that day —– and the chances are much higher during the winter —– any pain or discomfort you have goes away. So the payoff will always outweigh any of the pain.
Did you know that SKYY Vodka is made with water enriched by Pacific Minerals? I didn’t know SKYY uses Pacific minerals, but it makes perfect sense. After I surf I get to take a little bit of the ocean with me through my day, and having my first SKYY Vodka cocktail before hitting a stage or DJ booth feels a little like that. SKYY Vodka is that drink I reach for when I want to feel refreshed and savor the moment and the world around me.
The holidays can be a time of stress for anyone. What do you do to get in the holiday spirit? The holidays can be a stressful time for a working musician, but I look forward to being able to unwind, not being on the road quite so much, and to enjoy the city I live in and feel the holiday energy. Last Christmas I went out for a four hour ride through the dirt trails over the Golden Gate Bridge, I kind of got the city all to myself. And I get to stay home and make my own cocktails, instead of being at a bar all the time! Being close to home is really nice.
What do you like in those winter cocktails? Last holiday season, I had these really nice blood oranges, and we muddled those with some ice and topped it with vodka and soda and a little blood orange garnish — it was delicious. It’s fun to get creative. I love that kind of citrus in cocktails, as well as earthy tones, like you’d find in rosemary. Those flavors can be a really nice juxtaposition.
Why Musician (and Surfer) Chris Clouse Loves Winters in SFhttps://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/ecf/b0e/e93ebc162aae15fff142665761156024a6-21102801-SkyyVoxx-Clouse-0540-Downsize.jpg