Influenced at an early age by his parents’ taste in music, Chase Wofford took up the drums during his childhood in Los Altos, eventually leading him to become the drummer in the alternative rock band Betcha.
“I feel like the combination of those early musical influences from my parents, and then starting to really be a player, and learning more about other types of music around the world kind of … led to my personal style of playing, but also an appreciation for all kinds of music,” said Wofford, who moved to Texas with his family at age 11.
Wofford, born at El Camino Hospital in 1995, comes from a musical family; his mom was a pianist growing up and his dad loved to listen to artists like the Beach Boys, the Eagles and The Beatles, Wofford said.
Like those artists, Wofford’s band landed a record deal. In 2017, Betcha signed with Atlantic Records, which released the band’s first EP two years later.
Wofford met his bandmates Ben Booth (lead guitar), Taylor Dubray (bass and keyboard) and Charlie Greene (vocals and guitar) in 2014 while attending Belmont University in Nashville. He described the first time he played live with them – at a battle of the bands competition – as an “instant click.”
Lessons from the road
Early in the band’s career, Betcha toured with Kaleo – an Icelandic band with multiple hit songs – as Kaleo’s opening act. Wofford said it was a critical learning experience for the band, as its members learned many tips and tricks from more experienced musicians.
“You have to get every ounce of information you can, and then figure out what parts of each of those things resonate with you,” he said. “It’s kind of stealing, but it’s kind of not because everyone kind of does the same thing, but everyone has their own little spin on it.”
Betcha learned more lessons on tour with bands such as Judah and the Lion and The Band Camino and “gained years of experience in just a few months,” Wofford said.
But he added that it takes more than knowledge to be successful in the music business.
“You have to have enough wherewithal in your confidence,” Wofford said. “Even when something doesn’t hit or doesn’t blow up or no one shows up to one of your shows, you just have to pack up and then go to the next one with just as much confidence. So, it’s a weird up-and-down balance of humility and ego.”
During a break from touring due to the pandemic, he said the band regrouped and focused on the impression it was making on followers.
“If someone becomes a Betcha fan and they’re telling their friends about us, we want to make sure it’s a clear thing of what you would tell your friends,” Wofford said. “We don’t want to be put in a box per se, but have something that’s kind of unique to us that people can latch onto.”
For more information on Betcha, visit betchaband.com.
