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Rising Indie artist ‘Chris Blackwood’ talks to New Sound Express about his new Indie single ‘The Writings on the Wall’

Chris Blackwood is a solo artist from Knaresborough, North Yorkshire and currently based in Manchester.

Chris Blackwood has been performing acoustically around Manchester for the last three years resulting in the release of his debut single  ‘Unwinds’, which was his first foray into electric music.

After this ‘Chris Blackwood’ went into the studio to create his self titled debut album ‘Chris Blackwood’ released in August 2017.

Getting a band together, Blackwood has begun to tour the UK including headlining the Indie Week UK Festival at Jimmy’s and future live events stretching out into Europe and America

The full band line up consists of:

Chris Blackwood – Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Tom Rowbotham – Lead guitar
Nathan Wilson – Bass guitar
Ben Robinson – Drums

His brand new single ‘The Writings on the Wall’ was produced by Dean Glover at Vibe Studios and is released on 1 December 2017. Vibe studios is run by Martin Coogan, former frontman of The Mock Turtles and brother to legendary Manchester comedian, Steve Coogan.

Chris Blackwood’s influences include Oasis, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Arctic Monkeys, Kendrick Lamar, The Smith’s and Car Seat Headrest.

Chris Blackwood’s music has been described as “Modern indie-rock that combines the music of Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes with the more introspective lyrics of Radiohead, Elliott Smith and Car Seat Headrest”.

Chris Blackwood’s self-titled debut album follows a music journey through the life of a young teen growing up in the 21st century. A concept album, every song fits into the grand narrative of a coming-of-age musical journey encompasses the early life of a small town boy.

Single Art-1

The brand new single from Chris Blackwood is ‘The Writings on the Wall’ and is out now from all good digital stores.

 

CHRIS BLACKWOOD TALKS TO NEW SOUND EXPRESS – INTERVIEW 

How would you describe your music ?

Modern indie-rock that combines the music of Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes with the more introspective lyrics of Radiohead, Elliott Smith and Car Seat Headrest. Chris Blackwood’s self-titled debut album follows a music journey through the life of a young teen growing up in the 21st century. A concept album, every song fits into the grand narrative of a coming-of-age musical journey encompasses the early life of a small town boy. Blackwood spent most of his youth writing songs about his experiences about growing up, culminating in his debut album, released this year. Combining somber heartbreak and loss with sweeping melodies and fast indie-rock, it provides a picture of teenage life in the new century.

What is your new single about and where did the inspiration come from ?

The Writings on the Wall refers both to a look into the past and the future. Looking back into what went wrong in the past with friendships, and an ominous look into an uncertain future. It details how close relationships can fall apart with time, and how this can drastically change a person without them knowing at the time. Inspired by early 00’s indie-rock such as Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes and The Libertines, it is a snapshot of an early teen growing up in this era.

What inspired you to start a career in the music business ?

“Sat in front of the TV watching music channels. It started with watching indie channels as a little kid, then eventually picking up albums and listening to them non-stop. At the age of 12, Blackwood started to teach himself guitar and not long after starting to write his own songs.”

What are your fave tracks or artists of all time ?

The first song I can remember really affecting me was Supersonic by Oasis. It’s beautiful simplicity and melodies just set it apart from anything I had listened to before. Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles had the same effect on me a couple of years later. After that, Ask by The Smiths blew my mind with it’s jingling guitars and layers of sound. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan opening me up to world of lyrics, especially combining poetry with lyrics. And recently, Drunk Drivers/Killer Wales by Car Seat Headrest. The way he combines two songs to come together at the end, I want to write a song like that.”

Tell us about your creative process. Who writes and produces your material and what instruments or software do you use in creating your sound ?

“It always starts with me on the acoustic guitar. It always starts with a fragment of a song that develops into something more fully fledged. Most of the time the fragment will come to me and I have to work quickly to ensure I don’t lose it again. In the past, I used to layer up the instruments and sounds on Pro Tools, but now I take it into my touring back who helps me figure out the rest.”

Does singing come natural to you or did you have lessons ?

“It came naturally, but that doesn’t mean I was anywhere near good at singing when I began writing songs. When I listen to my voice on my recordings on my old Zoom console, I shudder. I used to record vocals with a Singstar karaoke microphone! My voice has definitely improved over the years, mostly from listening to how different singers articulate phrases, and me just being more in tune with my guitar.”

Where can we find you online ?

www.facebook.com/chrisblackwoodmusic

www.twitter.com/chrisblackers

www.soundcloud.com/chrisblackwoodmusic

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6pC7BitsNcW8LeinYTGVWu

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/chris-blackwood/353730747

Online:

www.facebook.com/chrisblackwoodmusic
www.twitter.com/chrisblackers
www.soundcloud.com/chrisblackwoodmusic
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6pC7BitsNcW8LeinYTGVWu
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/chris-blackwood/353730747

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