For Rod Elkins, two of his favorite places to take a seat are on his 2010 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL Denim and behind the drum kit as part of country star Tyler Childers’ powerhouse band.
“There’s definitely some overlap. Firstly, I think it’s respect — respect for the music, respect for the machine and what it can do,” Elkins said. “I get lost in both worlds for the better. I find pieces of myself that I either forgot about or am just now finding for the first time.”
Whether it’s sharpening his skillset on the bike or with drumsticks in-hand, Elkins finds a deep, intrinsic appreciation for these two realms of symbiotic inspiration and in-the-moment exhilaration.
“There’s power in knowledge, but also I think both worlds will benefit you greatly when you pay attention and get knowledge from those who came before you,” Elkins said.
Raised in Salt Rock, West Virginia (population: 388), an unincorporated community southeast of Huntington along Route 10 in rural depths of Appalachia, Elkins has fond memories of being a kid and getting dropped off at his grandparents’ house while his folks went to work.
“The day would always begin with what seemed like endless egg salad sandwiches followed by a stop at the drawer belonging to the decorative microwave stand for a Hershey bar,” the 35-year-old Elkins recalled.
Candy bar in tow, Elkins would sit down on the floor in front of the TV and watch reruns of the hit NBC show “CHiPs,” a crime drama that ran from 1977-1983. Regardless of the plotlines or characters portrayed, the real star of the program were the motorcycles ridden by the officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
“And (I’d) watch ‘CHiPs’ until my pawpaw would take me down into his work basement and let me pound nails into random pieces of wood while he tinkered about,” Elkins said.
Also housed in that basement was Elkins’ grandfather’s Harley-Davidson Sportster “from the AMF years, red, always on a trickle charger, but had a hard time starting most times.”
“I would dawn his white faceless helmet, black gloves because (‘CHiPs’ Officer) Frank Poncherello wore black gloves and the coolest glasses I could find — normally safety glasses — and sit on that bike and ride the freeway like the California Highway Patrol,” Elkins reminisced.
Even to this very day, Elkins still holds tightly the vivid memories of his grandfather taking him for rides as a youngster.
“We’d ride over to the little air strip in Chesapeake, Ohio, and watch the planes take off and land — that’s when I knew I would have my own bike someday,” Elkins said.
The first motorcycle Elkins purchased is the same bike he proudly rides now — 2010 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL Denim. Initially, being a taller, rather barrel-chested person, Elkins was apprehensive of the machine.
“I was honestly kind of terrified when I first got it, really a ‘fat guy little coat’ aspect going on and I didn’t think I’d be able to lean properly without tipping over,” Elkins said. “It was very liberating to get the hang of it and actually have control over the machine and respect what it can and can’t do.”
To that point, the wise words of Elkins’ father echo loudly during each ride.
“My dad once told me, ‘Once you think you can ride a scooter, it’ll ride you,’” Elkins said. “I keep that in the back of my mind for some reason — seems like solid advice.”
Beyond motorcycles, Elkins other family tradition is playing music. His father plays, so do his brothers. There was even a family group, The Elkins Brothers Band. Young Rod would go to the gigs to watch his siblings perform, with the drums always the center of attention for him.
“Everyone had electricity and cables, but there was one guy who didn’t have that stuff. [He] was surrounded by giant resonant circles that varied in volume depending on how hard you hit them — that spoke to me, you are in control over it,” Elkins said.
Elkins soon found himself behind a drum kit, ultimately sparking this whirlwind musical journey at age 12, whether it be touring in The Elkins Brothers Band, his award-winning high school drumline or numerous jazz ensembles while attending Marshall University College of Music.
With Elkins, there’s this fine balance he’s developed, a unique percussive tone that weaves seamlessly between the thunderous roar of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, the tenderness of The Band’s Levon Helm or the unknown depths of Miles Davis’ anchorman Jimmy Cobb.
“Today I realize how lyrical the drums can be,” Elkins said. “You can speak with them, you can tell stories with them. Levon Helm could make his drums sound like the melody and that, I believe, comes from within — that’s how we speak, that’s how we express ourselves.”
And for several years now, Elkins has been part of the rocket ship trajectory that’s country juggernaut Tyler Childers. Elkins is also part of rising alt-country act El Dorodo alongside his Childers’ bandmates, bassist Craig Burletic and guitarist James Barker.
With Childers, Elkins has played some of the biggest and most sacred stages on the planet — Red Rocks Amphitheater, Grand Ole Opry, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Stagecoach. Sold-out arenas concerts coast-to-coast. Touring with the likes of Willie Nelson and Sturgill Simpson. Appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” But, one venue in particular sits highest on the walls of Elkins’ memory.
“Radio City Music Hall — that’s all there is to say about that really,” Elkins said. “The most beautiful sounding space I’ve ever been in. One of those gigs where everything you did was right. Those are the dragons you chase, the near-perfect moments, the ones that seem to be fake. And we did it two days in a row — same feeling, same exact moment twice — with my best friends. I’ll remember it forever and it continues to inspire me to this day.”
When he’s not on the road and on tour, Elkins returns to Appalachia and hops on his Sportster to decompress, whether it’s cruising up to his native West Virginia or around the backroads and highways near his current home just over the state line in Kentucky — the latter offering up Route 23 along the Country Music Highway where “it’s big and wide and little traffic for the most part.”
“I enjoy Route 2 in West Virginia and Route 7 in Ohio, which run parallel to each other. It just depends on what side of the river you’re on,” Elkins said. “[Route] 2 gets you to Point Pleasant and can get you over to Marietta and all the way to Athens, Ohio, and [Route] 7 gets me as far as the Shake Shack for a burger and vanilla milkshake.”
Regardless of where the road takes him — whether literally or figuratively, whether onstage or on his motorcycle — what remains for Elkins is this machine that can roar to life, only to bring back such cherished moments in his life, onward towards the creation and cultivation of new, unknown ones, too.
“[Riding is] a connection to my pawpaw. It’s partly why I ride a Sportster. Emotionally, I’m good, I’m relaxed, but alert [on the bike]. I’m a worrier by nature, and I wonder if everyone is paying enough attention, but it passes quickly as the wind hits my face,” Elkins said. “[Riding] calms me. It makes me feel alive in the same breath. Nothing better than stopping for a soda pop or a burger after riding for however long and leaning on the seat enjoying the bounty and reflecting — even better with friends, but never a deal breaker.” y
