WXYC spoke to local cryptid celebrity, Saxsquatch, about touring, new music and keeping Chapel Hill weird.

WXYC: It sounds like you've had a really big, busy summer. How are you feeling after all of that?

Saxsquatch: After all the festivals? I'd say I'm gearing up to [try] to sell these shows out in the fall. You know, last fall, I sold out Chicago, and it got me this really big festival called Riot Fest that I'm playing in a few weeks. I think that I just need to sell the shows out in order to get more opportunities. So I'm just kind of grassrootsing it, trying to sell tickets, you know?

I was very excited to talk about Cryptids for a Cause. When was that an idea for you and something that you wanted to do?

I grew up in Chapel Hill, and when I grew up here, it was just a little bit different, back in the 90s. Like, people were a little bit more expressive and had a little bit more freedom, weren't as afraid of – I don't know, I guess, being judged, or something like that. And so, I was thinking in my head, “I'd love to get involved in making Chapel Hill really artsy,” you know? I lived in Asheville for a while, and loved that. And so kind of was like, I feel like Chapel Hill could be a little bit more expressive. And so I hit up [Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture]. Actually, I followed them on socials, and they followed me back. And one day I messaged them, and was just like, “Hey, I have this crazy idea about something we could do together.” So we met in the Chapel Hill Public Library. 

I basically pitched them this idea that ideally, we could – at the top of Franklin Street, on the corner of Franklin and Columbia [Streets] – do a gigantic flash mob down the street, and have everyone from the town come dressed up as something they believe in, and also bring a can to donate to this company called PORCH. They were like, “Yes, let's do it.” They kind of shared the same vision, [and] because they're the Chapel Hill arts and culture department, they were like, “Yeah, like, we'd love to do some awesome artistic things.” So they were willing to take a chance on it. And it looks like it's happening perfectly. Everything's coming together in a way that's super awesome. So stoked about it.

That's really exciting. Was PORCH something that you always wanted – besides the energy and just excitement that you wanted to bring to Chapel Hill – to include in this event?

When I was thinking about ways to help the community around here, or people to donate [to], we thought about PORCH, and it fit perfectly. It’s kind of, in a way, like a Sasquatch – you know, sometimes you have to believe in yourself if people don't believe in you. And so I wanted to kind of let the people of Chapel Hill know – people who might be struggling, people who might be going through a tough time – that we believe in them. And that we want to bring everyone together to kind of be a community that supports each other. And a food drive is a great way to do that, to help people.

I think it's a very easy thing for people to rally around those two values. And I mean, school at UNC just started up, so I think there’s just, like, a liveliness that's coming back to Chapel Hill around this time, which is very exciting. So I think it's perfect timing.

There's such a fun fusion for you of dance music and almost, like, gaming music, along with the saxophone. I'm very curious about how that kind of formed. Was there anything specific that came first for you or was it all kind of blended together at once?

Yeah, so I grew up listening to, like, Daft Punk and a lot of dance rhythms that were based around earlier electronic music. And when I fell in love with the saxophone at a pretty young age, that's when everyone started calling me Saxquatch, and I was just obsessed with the saxophone. Eventually I blended them. I got in touch with the electronic music label Monstercat, which helped me get some music deals with, like, getting my music into Fortnite and Rocket League, and so a lot of my music on Spotify is kind of those songs, which were made for video games. They don't exactly represent my live shows. My live shows have a little bit more dubstep, a little bit more soul and jazz behind it. It sounds kind of less like a video game and more like a really cool rave.

So you really have a lot going for you. You can't really be cornered into any boxes of any sort.

Yeah, exactly. I haven't released a full album yet, so I'm not pigeonholing my sound in that way, but I am sitting on a lot of music that I have, that I've done, and I do release these mixtapes that are records that are really cool, and I'm pretty proud of that stuff. I think the other day we put a third mixtape online. We were only selling 100 [copies] online, and the rest at shows, and I think they sold out in like, two days or something. So that was cool.

That's really exciting. I know it's different from your live shows, but I do think that a lot of people really appreciate music as, like, soundtracks to gaming and just creating that whole experience. I know at WXYC, we have a few gaming soundtracks that have been in our rotation that we frequently play on air. And I think that's kind of just like a really interesting niche that definitely goes underappreciated.

So, when you're performing live, and even just walking down the street or performing on the street, what has been the reception? What do you see when you're performing? When people see you for the first time?

The reactions are always usually really good. I mean, if you've never heard of me before, Saxquatch, I'm like, a seven-foot-tall Sasquatch that plays saxophone. Either it's kind of a love-hate thing, but either way, there's a big reaction. And ideally, it's love, right? Ideally, it's love, and for [the] people that, for whatever reason, don't like it [or] don't get it – that's fine. But I'd rather have a reaction than like, “Oh, that's good,” you know? Or an average, like, “Oh yeah, that's nice,” you know? I'd rather have like, a “Holy crap, wow,” than just an average response. And generally, shows, to me, are a lot about the audience, and people are encouraged to be what they believe in, or dress up as something cool, enhance the vibes, bring the energy. So I love when people are loud at the shows and they're just screaming. 

The music is what people really want. They want to be rocked at the show. And so that's up to me to bring that. You know, when you're on stage and you're looking at hundreds of people that are just like, “Give me the best you got.” Like, “Rock my world. I'm here to have a good time.” Over the years, I would say I've gotten much better at being able to deliver that, not to toot my own horn. No pun intended. 

I got my laser license from the federal government to operate lasers at shows, doing visuals and crowd participation and playing new music, you know, fresh music. I think the audience can actually tell when you have played a song a certain number of times. So I try to keep the music fresh so it's relevant. They can feel the relevance and the context.

How do you focus on staying connected with your crowd and not being too in your own head about how you look or how you're sounding? How do you deliver that best performance that they're hoping for?

Well, honestly, to me, it's all about the moment, like the second that you're in. And if I look around – I've been playing the saxophone for a while. The way that I play the saxophone, I can try and make it indicative of the moment. And I like to meet the crowd where we're at, you know? And trust me, I played in front of some crowds that are difficult – they're the type to just sit in front of you and not react. With those crowds, you have to physically go out and inject them with the Holy Spirit to get them moving. And then sometimes what it takes – you have to go out and make it happen and start the party so that people feel that it's cool, because you don't want to be the first one dancing, but if you're, like, the [hundredth] person dancing, it's a lot easier.

Yeah, the peer pressure is definitely real when you're at a concert. What's the best crowd reaction, or maybe even outfit, or way that someone's like, shown up at a show, that has really blown you away or made you laugh?

Anyone that dresses up as a bigfoot is really good. I have seen people dress up as an actual foot – like a big, gigantic foot, like a foot costume. It is incredible. I saw the most realistic Daft Punk outfit ever. That was incredible. I mean, there's been so many but those two stick out in my mind. 

I think when I first saw you and heard about you – I'm from New York, so I try to almost avoid Times Square – but it just gave me the the chaotic energy of Times Square, because there's, like, all the characters everywhere, and there's also people just performing and dancing, and it's kind of this chaotic energy. And I feel like you would fit very well into that atmosphere.

Yeah. I mean, as far as street performing, I think I did very early on, start out doing some, and I'm lucky enough that I've developed a show that I really like. I think the last time I was in New York, I played [the venue] Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, so that was really great. I kind of preferred those vibes, but I did take the subway while I was there and, like, a seven-foot-tall Saxsquatch in New York City is normal to people. They’re like, “OK.”

To be honest, if I was on the subway, I would take a glance and be like, “OK,” and then just continue on with my day. I think that's kind of the attitude, which I think is great. I think your whole point seems to be that Chapel Hill needs a little bit more of that. Like, “Hell yeah. This is weird, and I love it.”

Yeah, exactly.

I know you have Cryptids for a Cause, and you have Riot Fest [and The Fruit in Durham]. What are you most excited about for the fall?

[The show at The Fruit] is really the local show. Cryptids for a Cause is a little appetizer for the show that's going to happen in Durham. And The Fruit is just an awesome place. It really is. It's my favorite place in Durham. When I got the connection to play there, I just took it because that's the place to have a rave, you know?

What should followers of WXYC know about your moves for the fall?

The Durham show at The Fruit is on Oct. 12. It’s a Saturday and starts at 9 p.m. My good friends, Future Residents, are opening the show. They're incredible. They will guaranteed start the rave vibes and I would get tickets as soon as you can. I know we're well into the three-digit ticket numbers. So get tickets and dress up and bring the vibes. Bring good energy – typical of The Fruit – that you would see.

It sounds like you will bring that energy right back with two times the power. It sounds like it will be a very good night.

Yeah. Thanks so much.

Just before we go, I’d like to hear maybe just a little bit about your third mixtape that you released, and just a little bit about the creation and release of that.

Yeah, it's called “Missing Mixtape 3: Digital Footprint.” So you know, as you're aware, Sasquatches can make some pretty big footprints, and I've made some pretty big footprints online, but I'm taking that footprint, bringing it into the real world and connecting with people in a beautiful way. The music is a mix of hip hop and electronic and jazz music. There's actually a secret surprise inside the gate fold. When you open it up, there's something in there that – kind of like a treasure hunt – will bring you digitally to a different place.

I really enjoy the sense of fun and enjoyment that you've brought to Chapel Hill. It's fun having someone like you to be from Chapel Hill and show the diversity of arts that we have to offer, so thank you.

Thank you! Also, the place that I'm pressing the records is Pour House Records in Raleigh, so they're local.