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Podcast FeedJanus 4-14 and Chad Bernard Interview
Janus 4-14 gives them what they want, and Chad Bernard dishes on band life. Photos by Jana Tasich.
Triad - They have jammed in garages, played gigs in Greensboro, and even scored a record deal. In many ways, Janus 4-14 is not that unusual from many local acts in the Triad. But the road to success hasn't been straightforward for songwriter Chad Bernard, bassist Brad Nichols, Shane Mauck, and Chris Charter. From humble beginnings in Mt. Airy to stints in Atlanta, Durham and Charlotte, the foursome has come a long way from their small town roots to the bustle of the Piedmont Triad. Add in wives, kids and the 9 to 5 grind and the winding road gets thornier still. Despite the obstacles in front of them, they've managed to overcome them all to become one of the Old North State's best kept secrets. Magazine33 caught up with Bernard and the band and talked about their origins, the chemistry of the band - and the state of the local music scene.
33: How did you guys meet?
Chad Bernard: It's funny. You know how most bands meet and play during their twenties and thirties, then break up and start a family later? We did the opposite. We all grew up in 
Mount Airy, married and had careers prior to the band forming. I'd known Brad since high school. The drummer previously played in a metal band. We met another through Craigslist. The band really gelled in earnest in 2003.
33: When did you realize you could write music?
CB: I had tremendous low-self-esteem when I started out, so I worked on that with the support of my wife and friends. In time I became good enough to where the songs were decent. Coincidentally, that was also when the band got together.
33: How would you describe your music?
CB: One punk rock musician described us as "rock with punk overtones", which is funny, since punk rock is about defying authority, and rock is about meeting girls. The word that comes up over and over again is eclectic. I have a more punk background, and Shane is into rock. Our drummer is into jazz. The sound really depends on how we feel about a particular song.
33: Have you had any arguments over your musical differences?
CB: Only minor disagreements. If we feel that a certain chord or part needs to be cut, we cut it. If Shane needs to eliminate a part, he does it and if I need to change a lyric, I do that too. We rarely fight like some groups do. The word we keep using is "feeling". It's a constant theme in our work.
I've written many songs - particularly country songs - that were great but just weren't a good fit for the band. Whenever there is a song that sounds like it is perfect for a particular group, I'd just give it to them.
33: What do you think of the music scene in Winston-Salem?
CB: I'm a veteran of the music scene in Atlanta and Durham, and Winston and the Piedmont Triad in general are more than 
capable of holding their own, but there aren't a lot of venues for original artists. Elliot's Revue in Winston, Ziggy's, and places like the Blind Tiger are doing their part. But more often than not, bars and clubs just host cover bands because that's how they can get the easy money. There just isn't an organic scene like in Asheville or Chapel Hill where acts like ours can get exposure.
On the flip side, there isn't nearly the level ego-tripping and power politics that goes on between bands as they do in other places. We've played with some musicians who were the exact stereotype of what a "musician" is like - they think they're superheroes because they can play an instrument. Fortunately, the bands here are really support each other in a real way. The only thing that's missing is the people in the 
seats-- if the community could get to a level where more people would take notice, I think it'll happen. We're almost at the point where the band's playing crowds of 80, 90 people but it seems like the community at large is just not there yet.
33: Final Question: What do you do when you're not performing?
CB: I sell signs for gas stations. I know Brad is a stock analyst. I'm also the resident music nerd - I subscribe to anything from Rolling Stone to local music blogs. I collect '45s, CDs, and other media from punk to country. I'd like to pursue country music maybe as a side project, when I have the time.
Born in an age of legwarmers, boomboxes, and MTV, John Winn still remembers a time when mixtapes were cool. The product of a musical family, from an early age he showed a precocious interest in rock 'n' roll. Finding the world of an ink-stained wretch much cooler, John traded his Fender guitar for a Bic pen, traveling the world interviewing musicians and non-musicians alike. His work has been featured in Racket magazine, Times Square.com, and Buzzy Multimedia, among others.
