A schizophrenic indie pop/rock excursion from start to finish laced with ethereal vocals, ambient acoustics and 80's-influenced alternative rock. Also serves as the soundtrack to the Jeff Faulkinbury film "Read On."

12 MP3 Songs
POP: 80's Pop, ROCK: 80's Rock



Details:
"Read On"--the highly anticipated sophomore release from Houston-based singer/songwriter Christopher Wilson--is a schizophrenic indie pop/rock excursion from start to finish. While the twelve tracks allude to a variety of alternative sounds, textures and influences from yesteryear, they ultimately reveal an originality all their own. The songs don't meander; they get straight to the point. Replete with timeless lyrics, melodic guitar hooks and piercing vocals that showcase the range of Wilson's voice, each track stands unique in melody, sonic textures and lyrical content: "Out There Eddy" trumpets the plight of runaways; "If Only" touches upon the universal feelings of regret and pining for true love; "Opening The Lotus" exalts love metaphorically as the light that sustains all life on earth; "Facelift" unveils the darkness of deception; "No Such Thing" evokes the disillusionment and rage of the struggling working class--hard rock anthem style. "Read On" is about real people in an unreal world of artifice and selfishness.

"The songs I chose to record for 'Read On' were based solely on their nonuniformity with regard to their overall sound, lyrical theme and vibe" says Wilson, "The juxtaposition of the songs on the CD is totally intentional, taking the listener on this joyride that spans from alternative pop to ambient acoustics to hard rock. A bit capricious yet intriguing at the same time. All of the songs were inspired by real life situations and a few of them are totally autobiographical."

Hailed by Indie-Music.com as "a troubadour from olden times who's just visiting this era," singer/songwriter Christopher Wilson emerged onto the Houston scene in 2001 with the release of his solo debut CD East Mall Daze. The combination of Wilson's dynamic vocals, guitar prowess and pop/rock writing sensibilities has garnered a range of positive reviews: "otherworldly...not from this time...excellent song arrangements;" "triumphantly upbeat pop poetry;" "thought-provoking lyrics reinforced by strong, emotional vocals."

This Pennsylvania native began his musical journey at the age of nine, playing guitar and singing in church in his hometown of Harrisburg. "I learned how to play acoustic guitar from a nun at Catholic school" says Wilson, "She totally rocked my world, until my oldest brother turned me on to Zeppelin!" After a stint in the U.S. Army, Wilson began writing songs while fronting the Baltimore band Blanket Party, eventually setting out on his own in the East Village scene of New York City in the mid-nineties playing such venues as CBGB's/Sidewalk Cafe/The Spiral/Kenny's Castaways. A showcase at the Philadelphia Music Conference soon followed. After a few demo flirtations with industry contacts but no offers coming in, he relocated to Houston. In 2001, his solo debut CD East Mall Daze was released on his indie label Cattle Call Records, eventually hitting the streets via Southwest Distribution. East Mall Daze received airplay in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, Texas, in addition to scattered airplay nationwide through internet, NPR and college radio shows featuring the songs "Calling Kerry," "How Why & When," "Family Function," "Arnold Avenue" and "Wildflower."

In early 2004, while planning his newest release "Read On," Wilson met Houston independent filmmaker Jeff Faulkinbury. Their first collaboration was a music video for the East Mall Daze single "How Why & When." The video went into regular rotation on the Austin Music Network. Next up, Wilson wrote the guitar score for short film "I'm Being Ignored," one of Faulkinbury's earlier films. Upon hearing Wilson's prospective demos for "Read On," Faulkinbury revealed plans for his first feature film: a script he renamed "Read On" after the title song of Wilson's new project. "From the word go, it was synergistic energy with Jeff" Wilson avows, "Jeff totally honed in on the variety-bag-of-tunes theme to my new record which was a moment of pure serendipity, since his script had a very similar theme with its variety bag of characters complete with unique storylines. It's uncanny how the songs fit the characters and the storylines fit the songs so well." Both parties agreed that Wilson's sophomore CD will also serve as the soundtrack to the movie "Read On." Christopher Wilson and his new band--unorthodox pedal steel guitarist Mateo Rhodes, drummer Justin Pace and bassist David Shaffer--are featured in the film performing a live version of "Smoke and Mirrors," an acoustic ditty which pokes fun at those folks who would do anything to be famous, even if it means losing their real self--their true identity. There's that word again: real.