We had the good fortune of connecting with Jerad Atherton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jerad, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Success requires risk. If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving back. We love routines and think strategic habits create the best lasting changes over time, but there are always going to be pivotal times that require bold belief. Failure to make these hard decisions at the right time can be costly.

We started our band while still working other gigs. We wrote songs at night and self-produced everything without spending money on outside or overhead costs. This was exciting, but challenging. To progress in the quality of our art, we needed to hire instrumentalists, mastering engineers, designers, and photographers. With no justifiable income from the project at the time, and young families, spending money felt like a big risk. It was a calculated risk though. It was realistic, patiently thought out, and everyone was on board. Going all in on this project was the best decision we made. Shortly thereafter, the project took off.

Every new year, around January, we set goals and decide for what we are going to sacrifice. Printing vinyls, building our merch store, collaborating with an orchestra, advancements in marketing and distribution? No risk, no reward.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Josh Auer and I have a band called CHPTRS.

From the start, we wanted to
1. make music we loved, without compromises.
2. write songs that we felt were personal but could be meaningful to others.
3. do these things without touring.

With a deep love for punk rock, indie-folk, and film soundtracks we want to make music we are excited to show our friends. We never want to dumb it down for the audience by aiming for viral hits.

Given we’ve been on the road for most of our lives for other projects, and having young families, we knew we needed to focus our efforts toward the studio instead of the stage. Had we formed 15 years earlier, we likely would have failed. Modern streaming and licensing technologies have facilitated a career for us, and we’re thankful. The importance of strategic partnerships with talented friends and companies can’t be overstated. It’s easy to make music on your own, but relationships bring more joy and ripples of unforeseen opportunities.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to Palm Springs, hike in Joshua Tree, get a cabin up in Big Bear, and spend time in the waters of Laguna Beach. We would definitely get a Bear Flag burrito in Newport Beach, a hotdog at Pinks in LA, a savory danish at Tartine in Santa Monica, blackened fish tacos at Baja Fish Tacos in Costa Mesa, and a slice at Pizzeria Mozza on Highland. We might catch a show at the Hollywood Bowl or a small venue like the Troubadour.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would love to shoutout the MercyMe guys that have embraced us in their studio. They’ve become good friends and championed us in all kinds of ventures with our band. You’re the best, fellas.

Website: https://wearechptrs.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearechptrs/

Twitter: https://x.com/wearechptrs?s=21&t=X21OLS3cRhVo5aQbFnBBEA

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-928832527

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearechptrs

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFbEc7F2WQ5HxnacuzTlUfQ

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3BWtALtalPxptLllZwZ4QI?si=ShzdXBWiSsiLe0V-DZcEsA
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/chptrs/1245002349

Image Credits
Blue photo: Matthew Morgan Lead photo with acoustic guitar singing into mic: Tyler Gipe All others: Jack Rodriguez

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.