Biography
Chuck Ragan first earned recognition through his raw, gravelly vocal delivery and guitar work as one member of Hot Water Music, the post-hardcore band rooted in Gainesville. He assembled the group in the early 1990s with Chris Wollard, Jason Black, and George Rebelo. A string of well-regarded releases on No Idea, Doghouse, and Epitaph, paired with nonstop grassroots touring, helped the quartet earn respect and influence across the underground circuit. Ragan also pursued parallel projects during this era, including the acoustic-driven Rumbleseat and the punk-leaning Cro(w)s.
Hot Water Music entered an indefinite hiatus in spring 2005, driven largely by Ragan’s wish to focus on his growing family. The other three members kept performing together and soon launched the Draft, while Ragan devoted himself to home life before turning to acoustic songwriting. The band formally disbanded in May 2006, freeing Ragan to perform alone; by year’s end he had shared bills with Dustin Kensrue, Flogging Molly, the Lawrence Arms, Rob Huddleston, and Tim Barry. Still working days as a carpenter, he signed with SideOneDummy Records early in 2007, and his debut solo album, Los Feliz, appeared that May. The intimate set was captured live on February 19 at Tangiers in Los Feliz, California, with Ragan on acoustic guitar and harmonica and occasional support from Ted Hutt and Jon Gaunt.
Through No Idea he also ran a singles club that mailed subscribers a new 7-inch roughly every month from September 2006 to June 2007, issuing six records in total. In 2008 Ragan started the Revival Tour, a long-running international acoustic series that has since featured rotating players drawn from alt-country, bluegrass, and punk. Gold Country, his second solo album, followed in 2009; Christopher Thorn produced the 2011 release Covering Ground. Hot Water Music reunited in 2012 to record Exister, and Ragan issued his fourth solo album, Till Midnight, in early 2014. A year later he and Rocky Voltolato released the split EP Kindred Spirit on Side One Dummy.
Hot Water Music entered an indefinite hiatus in spring 2005, driven largely by Ragan’s wish to focus on his growing family. The other three members kept performing together and soon launched the Draft, while Ragan devoted himself to home life before turning to acoustic songwriting. The band formally disbanded in May 2006, freeing Ragan to perform alone; by year’s end he had shared bills with Dustin Kensrue, Flogging Molly, the Lawrence Arms, Rob Huddleston, and Tim Barry. Still working days as a carpenter, he signed with SideOneDummy Records early in 2007, and his debut solo album, Los Feliz, appeared that May. The intimate set was captured live on February 19 at Tangiers in Los Feliz, California, with Ragan on acoustic guitar and harmonica and occasional support from Ted Hutt and Jon Gaunt.
Through No Idea he also ran a singles club that mailed subscribers a new 7-inch roughly every month from September 2006 to June 2007, issuing six records in total. In 2008 Ragan started the Revival Tour, a long-running international acoustic series that has since featured rotating players drawn from alt-country, bluegrass, and punk. Gold Country, his second solo album, followed in 2009; Christopher Thorn produced the 2011 release Covering Ground. Hot Water Music reunited in 2012 to record Exister, and Ragan issued his fourth solo album, Till Midnight, in early 2014. A year later he and Rocky Voltolato released the split EP Kindred Spirit on Side One Dummy.
Albums
Singles
