Though local band The Chinchillionaires has been playing together since high school, they didn’t begin playing shows in Tuscaloosa until about a year ago.

The band is comprised of three members – Richard Shepard on drums and vocals, Joey Runnels on guitar and vocals and Will George on bass guitar. They are all originally from Huntsville.

“We started playing backyard parties in Huntsville for beer and tips,” Shepard said.

Shepard’s father owns a music store in Huntsville and therefore contributed both funding and gear for the band when they were first starting out.

The band got its unique name from Runnels’ friend, Matt Miller.

“He’s a really off-the-wall person and a fantastic artist,” Runnels said. “He was just sort of sitting on [The Chinchillionaires] and didn’t know what to do with it, so it eventually became our band name.”

After graduating from high school, the band moved to Tuscaloosa and began playing shows while Shepard and George took classes at the University. Shepard graduated in December and George is a junior majoring in history and political science.

“We began playing together more and going to a lot of concerts and just getting closer to each other,” Shepard said.  “About a year ago, we began playing clubs and getting gigs.”

The Chinchillionaires said they love playing in Tuscaloosa because of the great music scene.

“There’s a lot of people with the same musical interest,” Runnels said.

The band also loves the family-like atmosphere of playing in Tuscaloosa.

“Everyone knows each other, and we get to know all the bar owners,” Shepard said. “Everybody is just so easygoing, and there is always a story to tell at the end of the night.”

The band plays a little of everything, from funk and blues to classic rock. They cover a number of bands, including Phish, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, Dire Straits and others.

“Although we mostly cover other bands, we have a few original jams that are just instrumental,” George said.

“We improvise a lot and we always try to bring our own originality to the music,” Shepard said.

The next step the band may take is to transition into writing and performing original music instead of strictly playing cover songs.

“We are definitely talking about trying to write some originals,” Shepard said. “We just haven’t had the time to write much collectively as a band yet.”

The Chinchillionaires encourage people to check out the music at local bars and to support local bands.

“People should try to get out and see bands in Tuscaloosa cause it’s a really good scene,” Shepard said.

The Chinchillionaires will be playing at Gallettes tonight and at The Booth on Saturday night.