CHKLZ: From Ned Flanders tribute band to house honchos [Interview]

“If there is one thing CHKLZ has confirmed for me yet again as an artist, it’s that you never know what is coming next in your journey. I just know I continue to embrace it as the journey continues.“

There’s few artists that have had such an interesting career as duo CHKLZ. Before creating their house music-orientated duo, they were members of Okily Dokily, a metal band whose vibe and looks all came from The Simpsons character Ned Flanders. Creating such a dramatic switchup, they decided to pay tribute to their former project by releasing a remix of the band’s track ‘White Wine Spritzer‘ (even going as far as to name it a ‘Remixerino’ in the same tone of voice that Flanders himself would use). Retaining the iconic vibe and vocals from the original, this remix also puts CHKLZ at the forefront.

To find out more about their new venture, we spoke to CHKLZ.

What made you want to switch from being in Okilly Dokilly to creating house music as CHKLZ?

“I always loved dance music. It’s always been at my core as a drummer. No matter what project I was in, I was always pushing the dance beats into my music. When I was younger in my 20s, I regularly went to see acts like Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, LCD Soundsystem, Justice, MSTRKRFT, and Hot Chip. I went to festivals often then as a fan, dreaming of when the time would come for us to be playing these kinds of stages!

In fact, I still say today the greatest show I’ve ever seen was the Chemical Brothers in 2011 at Coachella. I was having an amazing time surrounded by a massive crew of friends for our fifth Coachella in a row. It felt like such a surreal experience, and it always made me want to do my own style of dance music. It always made me want to cross over that threshold of being an electronic dance music artist, but not necessarily always having to be “EDM” or a “DJ.” When I saw these acts, they were basically considered “bands” back then on the festival circuit. Not sure how they really are classified today. The one thing I know is, they weren’t just producers playing their tracks through CDJs. They were using really cool gear.

They didn’t play other artists’ music either. Their sets were very much the same as a DJ set today, with little to no breaks and seamless mixing and mashing up between tracks, but this was all done with their own songs they wrote. Not even remixes, just their tracks. And it was performances like this peppered throughout my 20s that really fueled this transition. As long as I can remember, I always wanted to be in a band like this, writing and performing our own songs. I just wasn’t ready to run an entity like this yet. I never thought I wanted to be a “DJ” my whole life. (And that is not to knock DJs). I always thought I wanted to be the producer/drummer in some kind of indie dance band that makes people dance. A band that’s known for its fun and high-energy shows. Designed with the festival vibe in mind and truly a festival band. And now we are doing the kind of music I have always dreamed and are becoming that kind of “EDM band” I always thought possible. One where we play and remix all of our own tracks live and one where the drums are front and center! We might be a small duo unit, but we pack a full live sound.

If there is one thing CHKLZ has confirmed for me yet again as an artist, it’s that you never know what is coming next in your journey. I just know I continue to embrace it as the journey continues.”

What previous experience within Okilly Dokilly are you taking into this newer endeavor?

“All of the logistical experiences about what it takes to run a successful touring entity. I really learned the ropes on a deeper level thanks to my time in Okilly Dokilly and Head Ned.

That band was a well-oiled machine logistically, and all of that time serving as Dread Ned (the drummer) and learning more about “the real” of touring over the course of several years has really been helping us as we gear up for our Pawsitive Vibrarions North American Tour this year. A tour that is now over 30 shows (and growing with more dates TBA) and 28 cities all across the U.S. and Canada. A tour where we booked every show independently without the help of an agent because we are blessed with the opportunities to do so.

We are taking it back to the Okilly Dokilly old school world of touring. My fiancée (aka Rizla) and I, along with our Chihuahua Mary Jane, will be on the road for over 3 months from June until October with our trailer and our dreams as the duo CHKLZ. We are going for it as a full-blown team, and we wouldn’t feel prepared to take this next step in touring as a duo (myself and Rizla) if it wasn’t for all my time touring (10 tours worldwide) in Okilly Dokilly.“

You’ve recently released a remix of ‘White Wine Spritzer,’ which was an original track you guys made in the band. What made you want to remix your own track, and how was that creative process?

“I love Okilly Dokilly. It will forever have the most special place in my heart as an artist and drummer. It was, and may remain, the most unexpected band of my career. But then again, so is CHKLZ (kind of). For me, it often feels like a “well how did I get here” attitude when embracing a new sound and new project and persona as an artist. And in this case, Okilly Dokilly was kind enough to share the rights to the song and allow us to do our first official remix together. So now that history is tied to it for me as well, just connecting more dots in my life as an artist. That also makes it really special right now in my life as CHKLZ is beginning to really take flight internationally.

We couldn’t be more excited about all the genre crossover happening in our remix of “White Wine Spritzer.” It’s truly great to pay homage to my former main squeeze that brought me so many memories of joy from 2018-2022. And it was really fun working on the track, as it brought back so many fun memories from touring with that wild band. I really enjoyed the challenge creatively to take a “Heavy Nedal song” like WWS and make a remix that falls under the wide net of house.“

What have been some of the biggest challenges you faced in transitioning genres and forming CHKLZ?

“How to incorporate live instruments into the project. How to really make this go from a DJ Duo to what feels like a live band. It has been several years in the making, and we have certainly got that as dialed in as we have ever had it. Now, more than ever, I would consider us a live “House Music” band under our banner of “Groove Fiesta.”

We are playing almost exclusively our own music and really leaning into the drums at our live shows and even in the studio. We started with a small pad and have expanded to a full electronic drum kit on stage with a few special extras to really wow the Doggies night in and night out. We pride ourselves as a duo for always bringing positive vibrations to the stage to share every time we play.“

How have you found the fan response to this new musical direction?

“The fan response seems to be really great. I’ve been getting a lot of “you sure look like the Drummer from Okilly Dokilly” in the comments about our song on our socials. Then I hit them with “I was definitely Dread Ned!” And it always seems to be a great and fun connection for the fans. Who would have thought that Heavy Nedal, Simpsons, Ned Flanders, and the Groove Fiesta go together? I don’t think anyone. And that’s my favorite part about it.“

What excites you guys the most about this new project?

“Everything about it does! Being blessed with the opportunity to travel the globe and perform as a duo with Rizla is always an amazing and exciting time. We meet so many new Doggies and the pack is always growing when we travel. And it’s such an honor to be able to do it together as a duo. “