Interview with Chase Walsh of Worry Club: From Music to Movies to…
By Julie Simmons
Chase Walsh stands calmly amid the bustling press area at Riot Fest. His gaze penetrates through tinted sunglasses to convey a singular state of mind: readiness. After decades of preparation, everything is rapidly coming together for 27‑year‑old Walsh, from his band Worry Club to his debut acting gig.
Worry Club was conceived in 2020 by Walsh and his friend at Western Michigan University. The two set out to answer a theoretical question about what a band would look and sound like if the visual aesthetics and music were of equal importance. While imagery remains integral, Worry Club seems to pose a different question these days:
What’s the ideal balance between artistic ownership and surrender?
Starting with ownership, Walsh describes an insular approach to his songwriting process. He shares, “I sit in a room and write and record at the exact same time. I can’t get up until the song’s done. If I get up from the chair, it’s all gone. I might come back and add a couple of harmonies, but if I get up, all that mojo is gone, every time.”
Walsh draws from years of experience studying and practicing music engineering. Known for his guitar compositions and vocals, Walsh is a multi‑instrumentalist who also plays piano, drums, and strings.
He jokes, “I played violin all four years in high school. I still never learned how to read music. I was way in the back of the orchestra with the bow going the other way. There are a few distorted violin lines on the album [Same Name]. There’s a sound I really couldn’t get with a guitar, so I recorded it with a violin.”
After Walsh records himself playing all the instruments, he hands it over to his touring band during practice and says, “Do whatever you want.” The handoff basically translates into fans getting a fresh interpretation of the songs they’ve been dissociating to in their bedrooms and cars. At times, recordings feel emo, but in concert, it’s a punk experience punctuated by middle fingers.
For Walsh, music is the epitome of self‑expression, but it’s not the only craft he’s pursuing.
“I was just in a movie recently,” he shares proudly. “I love movies. My girlfriend and I see two movies a week. I’ve always wanted to be an actor. I just shot it in November [2025] in New Jersey. It’s about punk rock, and I pretty much got to play myself. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. It’s kinda like doing live sessions in an empty studio where you just go and play to a vacuum—there’s no crowd. Just the director. So when they say ‘action,’ everyone’s going so fast and I’m fucking up lines. You also have to stay in character. It’s not as easy as I thought it would be, but there are some big actors who said I should keep doing this.”
Although Walsh didn’t disclose the name of the film, research suggests he’s referring to the upcoming And Out Comes the Wolf, a “coming‑of‑rage film” inspired by the legendary punk band Rancid. The film is expected to premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival this October.
When asked if he had to choose whether he’d prefer to pursue music or movies, Walsh lowers his voice as if confiding in himself: “Such a good question. I’ve always wanted to be an actor since I was very young. I would have to try it a couple more times to figure out exactly what avenue I would want to go down. I’ve done thousands of shows now, and it’s still really fun, but I’d like to get a couple more acting gigs under my belt before I have to choose. But there are actors who don’t have to choose [between movies and music]. They can do both.”
Until that nexus event occurs, Worry Club will tour, starting with headlining shows in Europe. After being approached by Kitsuné Musique (the record label associated with the French‑Japanese lifestyle and tastemaker brand Maison Kitsuné), Walsh finds himself saying, “We’re big in France.”
As Walsh has realized, “It’s really cool how so many people get involved. We have different managers and agents, but none of them are allowed on stage. That’s the coolest part. Kinda like ‘watch this.’ We just put earplugs in and have fun.”
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This article was originally published in Reel Chicago.
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