Happy Chichester’s musical interest began with drumming, which took over around age seven when a friend of a friend sat down at his dad’s kit and played Batman. He claims drums and drumming are a lifelong obsession. From Batman, to Mad magazine, to Kurt Vonnegut books and the Kinks, Happy has “always appreciated stuff that could humorously satirize culture, though it seems to be getting harder to do.” Happy was part of the infamous local band Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers and was bassist for one of the most successful bands to come out of Columbus in the ‘80s, the Royal Crescent Mob, which signed with Warner Bros. subsidiary Sire Records in ‘89. When the Mob broke up, Happy joined Howlin’ Maggie, which signed with Columbia Records. Happy is currently a solo artist and runs his own record label, Pop Fly, with his wife Laura. He is now a songwriter, arranger, keyboard and guitar player in addition to bass and drums. He opens for other bands and has the opportunity to play with RJD2 and the Seattle band Brad or playing with (former Miles Davis bassist) Foley and his 20-piece group. FP: Put together your fantasy band - it can contain any musicians dead or alive: My unattainable fantasy band would be an electronic duo with Roger Troutman, kind of an Ohio funk Kraftwerk type concept. I have trouble getting my ideas across with bands, though, which is why I record solo albums nowadays. However, I do get to play a supportive role in some dreamy bands in reality, most notably in Brad, with Shawn Smith, Stone Gossard, Regan Hagar, and Keith Lowe. These guys are Seattle rock royalty, and among the finest gentlemen I've ever met. FP: Tell us about the most exciting musical concert/event you ever attended: John Lee Hooker at 'Stache's around 1985 was hands-down the most moving live music experience for me ever. His groove went through the people and the building like a force of nature, and his voice sounded a million years old, like King Solomon or something. FP: What is the best (or most important) thing about the music scene in central Ohio?: The abundantly talented and generous musicians and their mutually supportive spirit, followed by venues and the people booking, and, of course, an audience here that supports live and original music. Columbus is special and unique. FP: What's the most important issue (political or otherwise) facing central Ohio today?: We need to be focusing on the sustainability of our energy sources, our farming practices and our water use and treatment. Our land, air and water should have legal rights which supersede corporations' and individuals' rights. FP: Did the Bush years have any impact on your music? Did you remain happy? Love and music keep me happy. Politics is in my family, as is music, and so what's going on in those worlds always impacts my music. The Bush era militarism was something my older music foresaw (listen to Howlin' Maggie's HYDE album from 2001 for example). War is a blindly glorified American inclination that was shamelessly exploited by President Bush. For the tenth anniversary of 9/11 I wrote a string septet called Thrill Of War, a piece of music with no words, because no words can express a subject so big and awful. Bush got a lot of singers and entertainers to start talking about politics and speaking out again, when before it was considered career suicide. Happy will be playing Thursday, December 12th at the CD102.5 FM Andyman-A-Thon show at the LC Pavilion, sharing the bill with FIDLAR, Foals, Washed Out, and Wild Cub. He is also performing live on the air on 5:00 p.m. Sunday, December 15, closing out the Andyman-A-Thon on CD102.5.