Check Out Christian Whittington’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Whittington.  

Hi Christian, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Home for the Day officially began in September of 2014 with a small batch of songs. Through multiple lineup changes, stability wasn’t really found until 2019, where the beginning of our current lineup was established. Since then, we have released two albums, two EPs, and several singles. Over the last couple of years, we have solidified our presence in the punk and rock communities, showcasing ourselves with high-energy live performances that incorporate a lot of crowd participation, as well as beach balls. At the end of 2021, we started touring the eastern half of the country, playing as far as Rochester, NY, and Denton, TX, alongside bands like Come Clean and Seneca Burns. 

In September of 2019, we also started our nonprofit organization House Shows for Hope. We had several successful shows, collecting donations for different charities through shows that welcomed artists of all genres. March 14th, 2020, was the last one we got to host before Covid sent us into full lockdown. During that time, we relocated the Hope House, built our own venue and studio, and found a way to host these same charity shows over Twitch while allowing people to participate from the safety of their own homes. At the beginning of 2021, we came back to quarterly charities, hosting shows every two to four weeks and donating everything at the end of the quarter. In that time, we’ve worked with Toys for Tots on multiple occasions, helped save venues, helped animal shelters, homeless shelters, school systems, and even families with medical expenses. Everything we do is to help bring the community through music. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would say the two largest obstacles we’ve encountered were lineup changes and the pandemic. Over the last nine years, we’ve had somewhere around 17 members, with the current lineup becoming finalized just over a year ago. Covid, however, really pulled the brakes for everyone those first few months. Figuring out how to stream the shows on Twitch saved us as well as a lot of other bands. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, we’re a band of many different influences, but we pride ourselves in creating a sound we have dubbed “Dad Punk.” We specialize in high-energy performances and are probably most known for our pool inflatable budget. I think we, as a group, have three things that we are the most proud of. 

1. All of the success with House Shows for Hope, especially the total of donations for Toys for Tots over the last four years, The last two years alone saw almost $2500 worth of toys going to less fortunate children for Christmas.

2. We got the opportunity to play The Fillmore Underground last year with Emo Night Karaoke and our dear friends in Oh! You Pretty Things. That show had about 800 people in attendance, and it was one of the most surreal things we have ever experienced.

3. In March of 2022, we went on a two-week tour through the northeast and brought Seneca Burns along with us. That was our first time on the road for more than a couple days, and we considered it a great success. We made a lot of good friends and memories on that tour.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a shy kid; I played a lot of video games and had just a couple of friends. But once I got to middle school, I loved being involved in music. I was in band through the end of high school. When I was 15, I made it onto the drumline, and that’s when I got my first drum set from my mom as a birthday present. It seems like ever since then, all I’ve ever wanted to do was perform. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hftdnc.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hftd_official
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HFTDnc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HomefortheDay
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/hftd
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CoixySSESj2tPZ4aZqvlX?si=kW4e5m6kSFu6nx_Qix3vzQ&nd=1