Chris Merchant: Building Bands, Community, and Momentum

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck, Brian sits down with Chris Merchant of No Hard Feelings and Press Rewind to talk about building bands, what it really takes to grow a local following and how you kind of just figure it out as you go.Chris shares his journey from starting on drums to stepping into vocals, learning along the way without formal training and developing his sound through real band experience.They dive into his two projects: No Hard Feelings, a pop punk original band, and Press Rewind, a high-energy cover band rooted in classic rock. But one of the biggest turning points came when his band leaned into Emo Night - playing covers from bands like Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy - to draw crowds and create momentum.What started as a way to get more people in the room quickly evolved into a powerful strategy: build the audience with familiar songs, then introduce original music.Chris also shares insights on the local Southern California music scene, hosting open mic nights, supporting emerging artists, and why community is everything when it comes to growing as a musician.Follow Chris on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/chrisamerch/