I can’t wait for this show!! I’m going to be debuting songs off of the Shades of Jackson record that’s scheduled for release in February. This project has been a lot of fun. It’s different from my other stuff in that it travels in more of a folk/alt country vein. It’s also much darker than anything I’ve done in the past. My good friends Jon Sosin and Drew Taubenfeld will be joining me for this show as well as a couple special guests. Below is a demo’d version of one of the tunes. Paris Carney plays at 8pm so if you’re around you should check out her show as well. You won’t be disappointed. Hope to see you there!! Follow us at @shadesofjackson for info and updates.

Room 5 – Jan 6th – 8:30pm

143 N. La Brea

Los Angeles, CA 90036

-Christopher

When I was in Norman, OK tracking the Shades of Jackson project, Kelsey Self came down to the studio one afternoon to interview me for Twenty Something magazine. She was amazing and I had a great time talking with her. To check out the interview click on the link below. The interview is in the December issue on page 77.

Twenty Something Magazine

I’m so excited to be a part of Anthony Hamilton’s new album “Back to Love”!! I saw on Twitter this morning that the album came out so I downloaded it instantly. I interned for Arista records in NYC when I was 19. I bumped into a guy in the elevator who was the nicest person I had met since I’d been there.  I asked my boss who he was and he said, “That’s Anthony Hamilton”. I asked how long he’d worked for Arista and my boss said that he was a new artist who’s first album was about to come out. I grabbed one of the samplers with 4 or 5 tunes on it from “Comin’ From Where I’m From” and listened to it obsessively until the full album came out. I was a huge fan instantly. I got the chance to tell Anthony that story at the Grammy’s in 2006 and he and I have been good friends ever since.  When I’ve had some down times he’s been the first one on multiple occasions to lift me up in prayer with a thoughtful email.  I feel very blessed to be a small part of this album. Andre Harris produced the track I played guitar on called “Broken Man”. Download the album from iTunes today so we can take it to Platinum status!!

Broken Man - 

iTunes Link to “Back to Love” 

I couldn’t be more excited to go into the studio next week. I’ll be recording a full album’s worth of material at Blackwatch Studio’s in Norman OK for a project I’ve named Shades of Jackson. It’s a collection of singer songwriter, alt-country, rootsy tunes I started writing last November. The band will be Chad Copelin on Key’s, Jarod Evans on guitar, James McAlister on Drums, John Spiker on Bass and myself on guitars and lap/pedal steel guitar. I’ll be doing posts over each band member in the following days as well as posting a couple of the demo’d tunes. This record will represent exactly where I am as a writer and musician right now. I love these guys and can’t wait to make some music with them.  I look forward to sharing it with everyone once the project is finished which is slated for somewhere around the beginning of January. In the meantime, I just created a twitter page for the project (@shadesofjackson) so if you’de like to follow what we’re up to you can do it there. Thanks!!

-Christopher

“Better Than Before” Demo - 

Graham Colton re-released his latest record “Pacific Coast Eyes” with 6 additional tracks. The entire compilation (18 songs) is $5.99 on iTunes and can be found HERE. Lets help him break the Top 10 on the singer songwriter chart!!

I couldn’t be more excited for this show/night!! A while ago one of my best friends called me and asked me if I wanted to do a little album release/listening party at his place. That has turned into this philanthropic “House” party that will be held at El Sibil studio’s. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Stewpot which is a local organization in Dallas that helps at risk youth and the homeless. If you haven’t ever heard of HOP make sure you check out their blog, especially the Tunes ‘N Spoons section. Their interviews and hang time with Best Coast, Girl Talk, and Matt and Kim are posted now. They’re doing amazing things. I could go on about the details for the rest of the night but it’s all in the flyer. If you’re in the Dallas area I’d love to see you at this show. It’s a good cause and the night will be something you don’t want to miss out on. Buy tickets HERE to ensure entry. Space is limited. Make sure you follow me (@cwraymusic) and HOP (@houseofplates) on twitter for updates!! Looking forward to being back in Dallas!

What do you do when your country is in the middle of a recession and you’re graduating college and jobs are almost nowhere to be found? If you’re as talented as Spencer Nikosey you start your own company. He manages to make all of his bags, backpacks, etc. from his space in downtown LA. You won’t find any “made in China” labels there. And the quality of his work is second to none. I’ve been on the search for a soft but strong case for my pedal board. Flying with a hard case is such a pain so I started looking for someone who could build/design me what I’m looking for. That search led me to KILLSPENCER. I reached out to Spencer and he invited me to his warehouse in downtown LA to talk about the project. Spencer is a visionary so if you find yourself at his space you might pick up one of his bags, and beside it a pair of shoes that he made, or sketches for some new technological breakthrough. His bags are just one extension of his creativity and I was excited to work on one with him. He and his team were working on the sketches for my bag on his ping pong table. It didn’t take long for us to start talking pong and the next day we battled it out. …He’s got game. My favorite of his production bags is the weekender. I hope to pick one up soon. It would be perfect for when I’m catching a flight for a quick gig. A pair of jeans, a few shirts, a couple effects pedals and I’m good to go.  Check out his site HERE and get yourself a bag that will last your entire life.

I was flipping through the booklet for the Green Lantern soundtrack today and was really stoked to see that I got a Scoring Asst. credit!! James Newton Howard did the score so I have him to thank. I still haven’t seen the movie all the way through so it looks like I have something to do this weekend.

I saw Bon Iver at the Gibson Amphitheatre last night and all I can say is WOW. I was blown away with how well the songs were arranged, and how tight his band was. I could go on for five pages so I’m just going to stop now. If they come through your town do not miss it.

I spoke with Dontae Winslow the other day and he told me that he just released his new album. I checked it out and wow! For those of ya’ll that don’t know, Dontae is currently touring with Jill Scott and has played with just about everyone from Stevie Wonder to Eminem. He’s a trumpet virtuoso, MC, Producer, Writer, and an amazing friend who’s been there for me on more than one occasion when I needed a little encouragement. His beautiful wife is on vocals so it’s pretty much a family affair. You won’t be sorry for picking this one up.