Ready to Rock with the Chee Weez

Remember that awesome band that you used to listen to in the background at your old school fair? Maybe it was even a local festival, and you saw some dudes in wild costumes singing and dancing around on stage? Chances are you might have been in the crowd at a Chee Weez show! The Chee Weez are one of the most famous New Orleans cover bands that play everything from pop, rock, blues, to even some country music. Lead guitarist Matt Richard explains the excitement and adrenaline that is present in every Chee Weez gig and how his experience in the band has impacted his life.

The band started in 1997 with a different set of members. Their main goal was to entertain people of all ages with their fun costumes, memorable music, and overall enjoyable shows. Every Chee Weez show is a different and unforgettable experience like no other. To begin, where did the name "Chee Weez" actually come from? Richard explains that the origin of the name was actually nearly forgotten! Apparently, the name originates back to the original bass player. At the time, he was at a gig when a man offered him some Cheetos, which many New Orleans folks call "chee weez". He thought it was funny because he was the bassist for a band that specialized in cheesy disco music, so he decided to make Chee Weez become his legacy.

One thing that the Chee Weez crowd loves is the different styles of music that the band presents at concerts. Although their main influences are classic rock bands such as Journey, Styx, and Kansas, the band often listens to swamp pop, blues, jazz, and classical music. "We are about as diverse a bunch as you could imagine," Richard states. The band is very family like and expresses New Orleans culture in every show they play. They enjoy playing local shows in the city, and Richard States that one of their favorite places to play is Champions Square, where over 10,000 people attend! Richard claims that one of the best aspects of participating in the band is being able to entertain people on the weekends and still being able to spend time with his family throughout the week, unlike a "normal job." The best part is, all the members do it because they genuinely love the music and performing. They all have other musical influences outside of the Chee Weez and would still be working with music if they were not members. Before they joined the group, the members were all parts of different bands and knew each other before playing together.

Not only are the members wonderful performers, but also they are friendly down to earth people who truly love their fans. They are a very crowd pleasing group, and they enjoy crowd participation such as giving fans the mic during songs like "Don't Stop Believin'." The lineups are always an interesting mix of music that get the audience on their feet, dancing and singing along to the well known songs. The band also encourages rising musicians to follow their dreams and never give up. "Just DO IT." Richard says, "It can take years of slugging it out for little to no money (or even having to pay to play). But hard work pays off. If you want it bad enough and work your butt off, anything is possible."