Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Greg Chihoski

Josh Hurst: How old are you and what’s your location?

Greg Chihoski: I’m 40 years old and I live in Warwick.

JH: What band(s) are you in and what do you do in them?

GC: I play in a hardcore/punk band called Reason To Fight that I started 14 years ago. I play bass, write music and some of the lyrics, and manage.

JH: How long have you been at this rock ‘n’ roll thing?

GC: I’ve been involved in the music scene for about 25 years. At 12 years old, I got introduced to punk and hardcore through skateboarding and went to a few shows. I played my first hardcore show at AS220 when it was above Babyhead on Richmond Street. I was 15 years old and I guess I got hooked. After that, I sang and played bass in a band called Keg of Hate that played parties for a few years, then moved up to shows at The Living Room, the Old Met Cafe & The Elvis Room in Portsmouth, NH. We even played Lupo’s & The Temple of Music at Roger Williams Park.

JH: What do you do to pay the rent?

GC: I am currently a master plumber and master pipefitter. I have my own company, American Pride Plumbing & Heating, LLC, that I started in February 2011. We do commercial and residential work all over RI.

JH: How did you end up in the field of your current “day job”?

GC: About 16 years ago, I was touring with a band called Closer Than Kin, out of Massachusetts. We were doing long weekends and 2- to 3-week tours. So I started working part-time for a plumber who surfed and used to play drums. It was hard work, but rewarding. He was worried about me on the road, so he gave me benefits before I was even full-time. That meant a lot to me, so I ended up leaving the band and started my apprenticeship and school. I stayed with him until I decided to go out on my own. We are still good friends.

JH: What drives you to keep making music if you need to have the “day job” to pay the bills?

GC: I’ve been doing it so long, I really don’t think about not playing. I’ve made so many friends all over the world through this music. I always played music for fun and or as an outlet. I love the process of humming a tune or scribbling some words on a page, hearing it transform when you bring it to practice and other musicians add their input, then watching a crowd react to it at a show or hearing it recorded in a real studio. I’ve loved playing original songs on stage since that first show. I would love to be able to pay the bills as a musician, but it’s not as easy as it looks. I know a lot of touring musicians who are in successful bands and are jealous of the path I chose. I get to rock ‘n’ roll when I want, then go home to my family every night. My life doesn’t depend on my image. I have the skills and licenses that guarantee me a job anywhere I go.

JH: Besides the income, what keeps you at your current “day job”?

GC: The best thing about my job is the people I meet and the places I get access to. I am on a different job almost every day. I am constantly learning new things. Every day I walk into someone’s worst nightmare. I calm them down and usually don’t leave until the problem is solved. It is a great feeling to help a family without heat or hot water. Or someone’s grandmother who’s 50-year-old faucet won’t turn off. Plus, the hard work really helps you sleep good at night.

JH: Does anything in your “day job” correlate to your musical endeavors?

GC: Yes. I’d say my music career has helped my plumbing career and vice-versa. I do plumbing work for most of the bars and clubs in Providence. Sometimes I’m so busy that I bring my tools to the show and work before I rock. Usually I get about three new jobs every night I go out. Customers involved in the RI music scene are about 40% of my business.

JH: Where can anyone interested find you during your day work or night work?

GC: I’m usually out the door at 7am, and I work all over RI. You can call American Pride Plumbing & Heating, LLC at 401-536-2716 or connect through Facebook. At night, I’m either still working, home with my family or playing at a club somewhere. You can find out what Reason to Fight is up to on Facebook, also.