You’ve put in the work, paid your dues, and now it’s time to chase those dreams you’ve been putting on the back burner. This is your shot at reinvention. And Side Project Skip proves it every single day – Chris Dickscheid out there crushing it harder than musicians half his age. Retirement? More like Act II of your success story. Time to show the world what you’re really made of.

Side Project Skip (Chris Dickscheid) is an unusual representative of the music world. He only picked up a guitar at twenty years old. And after some brief training, he started writing his own music and songs. But the necessity of making a living outweighed his love for music and desire to create: Side Project Skip worked full-time as a police officer, and only then, if he had the energy, time and opportunity left – would he pursue music.

But such time became less and less each year: family life, raising children, now these children are grown and independent individuals who actively support their father, demanding work – all of this required complete dedication from Side Project Skip. And only ten years ago, when he turned 50, was he able to return to creativity, as he went into well-deserved retirement. And now, since 2021, every one of his tracks and EP’s is proof that if you dream strongly about something, want to show your abilities to the world – it’s possible at any age! The growing love of fans for Side Project Skip and his work is direct confirmation of this.

His new EP “The Friday Night Detour” tackles the real stuff – the kind of raw, honest themes that hit everyone right in the gut. We’re talking about those everyday struggles that don’t care if you’re the CEO or the guy mopping floors at 2 AM. Skip digs deep into the psychological mess we all deal with – like putting people on pedestals they were never meant to stand on, and then watching everything crash and burn when reality kicks in. So, I have something to say about these songs.

“The Lost Generation” is upbeat, energetic and more reminiscent of a turbulent mountain river that with its powerful flow can both enchant and simply sweep away a careless person. Guitar parts play the main role here and set the overall tempo. It’s worth noting a very important point: although this track raises a very important topic – the lost generation of people who are now simply ruining their lives and talents – there’s not a shadow of sadness or anger in it. On the contrary, in the melody and in Side Project Skip’s vocals you can hear hope that despite this problem, there’s a chance to fix everything and give this lost generation a chance for a bright future. Even if the possibility is quite small.

The next track “Dearest Friend” amazes with its warm, almost homey atmosphere and melody. The guitar playing is more reminiscent of evening gatherings either by the fireplace or around a campfire with a large group. The track is so warm and soulful that you want to listen to it over and over again. Important note: on first listen there might be tears if there was a fight with a friend or another not-so-good situation beforehand. This track makes you reconsider the situation and find the strength within yourself to take the first step toward reconciliation, if the situation allows it, of course.

But “Ghosts in The Chair” serves like a hot sudden shower, crashing down on the ears of listeners relaxed after the previous track. From the first minutes, it’s like a fiery whirlwind that “picks up” the listener and carries them away. It’s worth noting an interesting decision from Chris Dickscheid: after the energetic beginning, the transition to a calmer and partly melodic (thanks to piano parts) section of the track is made so imperceptibly that it can only be caught after several listens. But this doesn’t spoil the track – it gives it a special touch that brings delight and rapture, because personally for me, such an imperceptible transition from sharp and energetic parts to calm sections of a track is encountered quite rarely. Side Project Skip’s vocals in this track only amplify the energy that sounds in the melody even in those parts where the guitar hands over the dominant role to the piano.

The closing track “Hero” strikes from the first seconds after it begins. If the first three tracks are a mixture of positive emotions and inner strength that Side Project Skip transmits to his listeners, then the last track is sadness and inner pain that the performer cannot cope with. They sound both in the melody (guitar parts only strengthen and emphasize the indicated emotions) and in the lyrics, despite Side Project Skip’s strong vocals. But here lies a small special touch: roughly from the middle of the track, the melody and vocals gain strength, dispersing sadness and pain. More hope sounds, and strength appears in the melody. And even after the rhythm becomes calmer, the strength doesn’t go anywhere. As if Side Project Skip makes it clear that the problem can be solved, must be solved… The main thing is to understand what it’s all being done for.

In the end, it should be said: the EP “The Friday Night Detour” by Side Project Skip leaves mixed impressions. On one hand – because of the last track, there remains a residue in the form of sadness and melancholy, like after parting with a dream or the destruction of some precious illusions. But this is all fully compensated by the other part of impressions from listening to the record! That’s the mark of a true artist – someone who can make you feel everything and somehow leave you grateful for the experience.

Side Project Skip just proved what life is all about: anyone can make it if they’ve got the drive. Chris is living proof that you don’t need a fancy music degree from Berklee or decades grinding it out in dive bars. He’s out here crushing it as a retiree, showing all those gatekeepers what real talent looks like. This is the ultimate underdog story – and let’s be honest, we live for this stuff. No formal training? No problem. Limited time to perfect his craft? Doesn’t matter. Pure passion and raw talent just steamrolled right over all the “rules” about how you’re supposed to make it in music. Skip didn’t just break into the scene – he owns it now.

And I’ll note once more, each track is a complete story that grabs the soul and makes you look at surrounding problems in a new way, provoking the search for new solutions. This EP is definitely worth re-listening to in order to find fuel for motivation and seek new solutions to problems when it seems that achieving what you really want is impossible. It’s possible. Check it out.

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