Monarch Artist Feature: Chris “Roadie” Rodahaffer

By Kelsey Knott Photos By Matt Johnson

As one of the most in-demand road musicians and sought-after session players in the city, Chris “Roadie” Rodahaffer earned his nickname after years touring as a guitarist, banjoist, songwriter and pedal steel player before more recently stepping into the spotlight as a solo bandleader. 

An early love for music born from his father’s tape collection, Roadie was 13 when he first picked up the guitar. “The feeling of joy that comes from playing with other people… it got me hooked.” Right out of high school, Louisville’s own Kentucky Shakespeare Festival provided his first paid gig. “We’d rehearse six days a week at Louisville Gardens. I got to write all these little instrumental ditties we were doing for Taming of the Shrew.” Roadie attended Berklee College of Music, living in Boston for four years before returning to Louisville, since making major impacts on the city’s music scene over the last two decades. “There’s just so many great musicians and friendly folks here. I’ve had so much support from the community in my musical endeavors.” He recognizes the great creative community being fostered within The Monarch scene as well. 

In his own band, ROADIE, the songs feel true to that joyful childhood feeling he found in jamming with others. “We’re exploring how to play more openly together. I’m trying to play more melodically and leave more space to have it feel more like a dialogue, instead of trying to be a guitar hero.” Dani Markham on drums, Jose Oreta on bass, and Woody Woodmansee on keyboards complete ROADIE’s sound. “Dani is phenomenal. She’s an instructor at Louisville Leopards and plays percussion for Childish Gambino. Jose is brilliant, and we connected the moment I met him. He and I’ve been playing together for 10+ years now, and he’s actually going back to school to be a lawyer. And I’ve known Woody forever and am glad the stars aligned for him to join the band.” Before ROADIE, he found his place in two other bands: Houseplant and Tyler Lance Walker Gill. “In Houseplant, a long time friend of mine, Tavis Conley, is lead singer and plays mandolin. We also had a band called Slow Down Johnny… I’ve been playing for Tyler Lance Walker Gill’s band for eight years now, and I love that guy. It’s a super fun crew and we do lots of bluegrass stuff.” Ultimately, Roadie hopes listeners feel happiness when listening to his music. 

His method for finding inspiration as a songwriter mimics the easygoing sound you’ll find humming throughout many of his original songs: “Stay open to the world and stay curious about things.” Roadie takes several paths to songwriting. “I practice a lot late at night, just working on a guitar thing and suddenly a pattern or melody will come into my head. I’ll think, ‘let’s latch onto that.’ Or sometimes, I’m walking my dog, and lyrics will pop into my brain.” 

At the Louisville Folk School, Roadie pays it forward as an instructor, floating in and out to work with students of all ages–kids just starting out, older adults working to keep their minds sharp, and people interested in trying their hand at a new skill they always wanted to develop. “Teaching kind of fell into my lap, after working as a chef and hanging drywall for a while when I first moved back. Frankly, I probably wasn’t very good at it for a number of years. But I’ve been teaching for 20 years now, and I feel like the more I do it, the better I get at it.” He enjoys finding different ways to explain similar concepts to meet the diverse needs of his students, emphasizing the importance of reinforcing the basics. “I studied with Craig Wagner, a local guy who I consider the best guitar player in the world. When I came home, I sought him out again–he’s a great friend these days and was an important mentor in my life when I was younger. I asked him what I should work on, and he immediately went back to basics. With teaching, it’s reinforcing all that. The more ingrained that stuff gets, the less you have to think about it.”

Catch Roadie with Houseplant on March 7 at Headliners, with ROADIE in Dani Markham’s undercover series at Galaxie Bar, or at the psychedelic square dance he’s cooking up this summer. Follow him on Instagram @roadie_ky!