A valentine to his youth, U-Turn is Scanlon's personal snapshot of New Jersey from his very own family album, reminding us what we take with us when we leave home, and what we struggle to leave behind.

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Folk Rock, ROCK: Emo



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Chris Scanlon would like us to believe that he has a unique perspective as a New Jersey boy, but in fact many of the themes expressed on his debut solo CD U-Turn are universal. (Or perhaps itâs just that so many of us have passed through New Jerseyâs portals that they just seem so?) A songwriter with an enthusiastic following in the competitive Northampton, MA, market, Scanlon moves easily from rock to punk, ballads to anthems, with a little scat and funk thrown in. In other words, Chris Scanlon is not your usual singer-songwriter.

Chris Scanlon began his music career at the age of 5, performing along with his familyâs copy of Magical Mystery Tour on his brotherâs tennis racquet, which earned him recognition is his household as âthe fifth Beatle.â His brushes with greatness include almost having met Bruce Springsteen five times; cooking dinner for Clarence Clemons while working in a natural foods restaurant; and a chance backstage encounter with the late Michael Hedges, an influential moment which inspired him to write songs himself.

As a solo artist, Chris has won wide recognition in the area, having been invited to compete in the singer-songwriter contest juried by WRSI 95.3 The River in 2003 and 2004 (itself named one of Rolling Stoneâs top ten radio stations), and scoring gigs with Dayna Kurtz, Pete Seeger, Peter Siegel and more. His achingly confessional voice, combined with his electric bassist-turned-acoustic guitarist musical sensibility, enable him to move confidently across the musical spectrum.

Prior to his solo career, Chris was a founding member of Plump, a folk/rock/pop combo based in Northampton. Between 1998 and 2005, the band released 3 EPs; shared the stage with Melissa Ferrick, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, Erin McKeown, Tin Hat Trio, Philip Price and more; and gained a strong fan base and critical acclaim throughout the area. The Daily Hampshire Gazette lauded their âdraw-you-in-soundâ and WRSI predicted, â(these) guys should make an album and become famous and rich.â In 2001, Plump placed in the top 3 in the Skiffle Sessions band contest.

U-Turn (2007, Plaid Jacket Records) is Chris Scanlon's first full-length solo album. Recorded at Sowâs Ear Studios with engineer/producer Scot Coar (Angry Johnny and the Killbillies, Melodram), it features New York jazz trumpeter Greg Glassman, Afro-percussion master Tony Vacca, and singer-songwriter and fellow Plump alumni Carrie Ferguson. A valentine to his youth, U-Turn is Scanlon's personal snapshot of New Jersey from his very own family album, reminding us what we take with us when we leave home, and what we struggle to leave behind. This is his Jersey shore, full of old ghosts, tired battles, disrupted homes and strong bloodlines. U-Turn is about achieving our goals and dreams despite the hypnotic pull of the past.