“Renaissance man” is defined as one that has many talents or areas of knowledge. According to that definition, this fits Chad Kessler to a T. And I 100% agree. Chad indeed is a Renaissance man. You probably have come across his work in the past few years and didn’t even know it. First, he is an accomplished musician. Throughout his life he has played in numerous local bands, with the last being Yesterday Kids, a feisty pop-punk band. While he has played in many genres, his heart lies in ska, so if anyone reading this is looking to start a ska band, Chad is your guy. Second, he is an amazing photographer. You probably have seen his work, as he shoots for Music in Motion-Columbus. If you haven’t, I’d recommend checking his work out. Or just check the blog out in general, they do great work over there at MIMC. Lastly, he is the owner of 451 Spirits, a local distillery here in Columbus, OH. So yeah based on these three things, I would say that Chad Kessler is indeed a renaissance man. The area we are going to focus on today is music, of course.

I first came to know of Chad Kessler through his time with Yesterday Kids. When I would run into him at shows, it was a joy. He is one of those people that loves talking music. And this Five Albums piece was started because of people like him. I imagine this one would have been great to do in person if not for the present state of the world. I mean let’s be real, there are few things better in this world than sitting down with a friend(s) and just talking music. That is one thing I look forward to here really soon. So next time you are chatting music with your friends, why not do it over a glass of whiskey or rum from 451 Spirits.

I finally got picked for dodgeball!!!!!!!

I’ve always felt like an outsider, even in an outsider scene. Anyway, the topic I wanted to touch on is bands who put out albums that were very different from their previous work. There was a time, reinforced by peers that any deviation from the norm is “selling out”.

At fourteen years old? “Yeah, fucking sellouts!”

But as you grow as a human, artist, musician, etc.? I’ve found most of my favorite albums are ones where an artist has wandered off the beaten path. Maybe the familiarity isn’t there, but it might take you somewhere deeper/better. Anyway, these are my 5 with Cobra – Chad Kessler

Blink 182 – Blink 182

We’re not going to go chronologically here, this was the first album I was aware of how adventurous they were willing to get. The first self-titled Blink 182 album is a masterpiece in what can be achieved when artists are left to their own devices, Free of deadlines and given the ability to just “create,” this album highlights a band riding mainstream success and going all-in on a gamble they believed in.

Rancid – Life Won’t Wait

Let’s Go! was one of many CDs I stole from my dad in my early teens. I fell in love with it and then of course Wolves, but then Life Won’t Wait comes out?! Hearing Tim Armstrong’s deep dive into his ska and reggae influences, while also not knowing he was paying tribute to his musical influences had a huge impact on the way I listen to music—once I discovered those influences years later of course. Fun fact: recently I was tagged in an 8th-grade yearbook photo, wearing a shirt with this album cover.

Big D & the Kid’s Table – Fluent in Stroll

While their two previous albums came out before this one, this is likely the one that made me take a double-take. I loved everything they put out prior to this, and then they were like “What if we added some Motown, jump rope song, girl gang vocals?” This album is easily in my top three albums ever, just for the direction it takes something I already loved and making it better.

Jeff Rosenstock – We Cool?

This one is kind of a cheater. Not technically the same band, Jeff Rosenstock definitely went a slightly different direction after his previous project, Bomb! TheMusicIndustry! While the latter was more spastic and ska-influenced (noticing a trend here?) This is equally as introspective but with enough space in the music to let you hear and appreciate the lyrics. I fucking love everything this guy has done!!!

Tell Me Yours

This one is definitely a cheater. What bands/albums went in a way you didn’t expect but it totally changed the way you looked at/thought about/heard music? {writer; I like this, as this is what our whole thing is about, you the reader starting the conversation. So I’ll start, AFI – Sing The Sorrow}