Mr. Chavez Rocks On: From Punk Roots to the Classroom

When it comes to passion for music, Mr. Chavez doesn’t just talk the talk — he’s lived it.

“There were a few [bands],” Mr. Chavez said. “One of them was The Hypocrites, and we, I think we put the P backwards or something, just to make it punk rock, I guess. Another one was Call It Courtesy.”

In his teenage years, Mr. Chavez dove headfirst into the punk scene, drawing inspiration from ‘80s street and skate punk.

“The first one was like old school punk — kind of inspired by a little bit of street punk, a little bit of skate punk from the ‘80s, like The Adolescents. Had a little bit of a Rancid feel to it also. That early ‘90s kind of punk rock scene,” said Chavez.

Starting out on bass and later switching to guitar, Chavez says his shift was both practical and creative.

“It was mostly guitar because I was writing most of the music anyway,” said Chavez. “And I guess I wasn’t gonna get a date playing the bass. Just kidding.”

While his bands leaned toward screamo and pop-punk, Chavez handled more than just guitar work.

“I did backup singing, mostly screaming. Since it was a screamo band, I did a lot of that part of it,” said Chavez.

Even now, he hasn’t left his punk roots behind. His playlists are still packed with fast riffs and loud choruses.

“Every day, I’m more into my punk roots. It’ll range from street punk like A Global Threat and The Unseen, and then I’ll soften up a little with NOFX or Strung Out.”

As for his favorite song from his own band days, one stands out above the rest.

“My favorite one is Picture Perfect,” Chavez said. “It was the first song we did together with that screamo band. Me and the drummer had beef, but we squashed it that day, started jamming, and the song just took off. It was the magic of that band. Music brought us together.”

When asked about the artist he’d most love to see live — from any era — Mr. Chavez didn’t hesitate.

“You know what? We’ll do Jimi Hendrix. He’s phenomenal, especially like his performances. He was just crazy,” Chavez said. “Gone too soon.”

Though he’s traded in the stage for the classroom, Mr. Chavez still carries that same creative energy. Whether he’s teaching about the US Revolution or reminiscing about his punk days, one thing’s for sure — he’ll always be rocking, just in a different kind of venue.