Chaz Phillips

Production Carpenter / Rigger

CHANGEOVER: Tell us a bit about who you are, what you do and how you got into the music industry.

Chaz Phillips: My name is Charles Phillips. I was born in Tallahassee, Florida. I actually grew up in a small city called Arlington, in Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth so I’m really a Texas boy at heart. I think I moved here when I was around three years old. My dad moved around quite a bit, so we just followed him. I got into the music industry through my cousin who is a union member with IATSE [International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees] and that's how it started. I've been with the union a little over nine years now, but have been a member for three of those years. I'm a production carpenter by trade. I do rigging as well. I’m still learning as there’s quite a bit to learn there, but that's how I got in the business. I've been touring for about two years.

How has COVID-19 affected your job?

Pretty adversely. It's almost nonexistent now, especially for a guy like me, as new as I have been to touring. I've had to branch out and find other things locally. Before the music industry, I was just a regular carpenter doing millwork, cabinetry, trim work and stuff like that. I’ve fallen back on that. I’m taking work wherever I can with odd jobs along the way.

When you found out about COVID, what did you have on your docket for the year as far as touring?

I had a few tours lined up. I was supposed to go to South America with Travis Scott as one of his production carpenters doing Lollapalooza down there in Chile, as well as a couple of other spots down that way. Coachella was also on the roster with Travis Scott. I also had a tour buddy of mine that was working on getting us on TSO [Trans-Siberian Orchestra] for the end of the year. I had a full schedule for quite a bit there. I would have been working into 2021 and it all just dwindled away pretty quickly as soon as COVID hit. It definitely posed quite a few challenges and I’ve been trying to fill those gaps with stuff that wasn't tour related, or industry related for that matter.

I’m definitely glad I was able to develop those carpentry skills early on and have something to fall back on. I did have some friends that were tour buddies who did rope access. They're SPRAT [Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians] guys so I lucked out and got on a job with a buddy of mine learning rope access stuff, which opened some new doors for me. I'm actually looking to get my SPRAT level 1training so I can build something even more stable in case something like this were to happen again.

What exactly is SPRAT?

It’s the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians. It’s a pretty widely recognized organization for rope access and rope work, rescue work and stuff like that. A lot of SWAT teams and fire departments will get certifications. Level 1 is the most basic and first level that you can get. It goes all the way up to level 3, with evaluator above that.

Rope access is pretty much just being able to access areas in a building that you can't get to by other normal means, such as stairs or a ladder. We actually have to set ropes up and rappel and ascend and descend on the ropes to do the work, whatever that may happen to be. There is a lot of rigging involved with it. It’s quite a bit different than entertainment rigging, but all the principles are pretty much the same, such as the handling of the steel and loads and stuff like that.

What do you feel is the future of the industry?

That's a good question. I think we still have a strong future. As big as live music is, and live entertainment, I really don't see it disappearing like a lot of folks seem to think. I definitely see a lot of stuff changing for us, and how we operate. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of changes, and quite a few hoops we’re going to have to go through, to get back to any kind of semblance of normal. As much as the general population wants to get back and see live events, it's only a matter of time. I'm sure we'll get back to what we like to think is normal sometime soon.

What do you miss most about touring?

The camaraderie. The people you meet. They end up being family. You get put in these high stress situations and sometimes it's a little more intense than others. It's like going to war with people sometimes. You live with these people on a bus and sometimes you're getting maybe a half an hour or a couple hours of sleep a night. It's a lot of looking out for each other and making sure everyone's on point, staying safe and that the show goes on without a hitch. I just miss all of it, every bit of it. The order. I'm a very orderly person. I miss all of it. That feeling that comes with that first down beat on the first song and you hear the crowd roaring. You can't change that for anything.

What do you feel is some of the best advice you've ever received?

Most recently, some good advice came from a stage manager friend of mine, Luke Larson, who I definitely consider a mentor. He talked to me about my patience and of finding myself. He gave me financial advice because I was never the smartest when it came to that, especially with touring when you make good money. If you've never had any kind of formal training on how to handle finances, it can be can be pretty challenging. I’m learning how to be smart with my money and be patient. He’s definitely helped me advance quite a bit in my career. I owe a lot to that guy.

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