Yesterday I celebrated my birthday by sharing some of my favorite videos I had taken myself of some amazing artists. Today, it will be videos I didn't take, but wish I had. And I will start with Christopher Dallman. Several years ago, I was buying some music from CD Baby, and happened across his album, Race The Light. I liked the description and the reviews of others, so o added it to the order. Ever since I took the cellophane off that CD, Chris has had me in the palm of his hand. I am so in awe of his talents. This is from that first album, Driving To You.
I have seen him live, but managed only to take a few crappy pictures, and not video a single note. My loss. He had an EP, Sad Britney, that just floored me. If you haven't already, you should check it out. So here he is, covering Britney Spears' Gimme More. And his stage patter is just near genius...
Recently Chris Dallman posted a compilation from his performance in Los Angeles at the club Show at Barre. It is his entire show reduced to a montage of 7 minutes, and it makes me want to beg for an East Coast show I can attend once again. The show includes his latest material, as well as songs from his first album, Race The Light. The show was shot by Andrew Giordano, and the footage is excellent.
Of course, it begs the question as to whether there might be a DVD of the show in the offing? I mean, if there is, where can I order it, Mr. Dallman? Cause I need a fix! For more about Christopher Dallman, you can check out his official website here, which was recently redesigned and relaunched. Check it out. You can purchase his music on Bandcamp here. I'd offer advice on which to purchase, but they are all great - you can't go wrong!
With his striking good looks, a beautiful voice that can sound both strong and willful as well as haunted and hurt, out singer/songwriter Christopher Dallman became part of my music library on a lark, and for that I will be forever grateful. I was ordering a CD from CD Baby a few years ago, and decided I was getting boring, so I picked a couple of others I wasn't too familiar with, and hoped for the best. The fates were being very kind to me that day, as one of those CDs was called Race The Light, and from the first listen, it became a favorite. So I did some research on the web, and found out a little more about the artist, Christopher Dallman. I also wrote him a note on MySpace, thanking him for the music that I loved. He wrote a gracious reply, and I have been following him since.
After a bit of a respite, Dallman came back on the music scene with a bang, releasing Anthem, a marriage equality single, Sad Britney and Never Was in 2009, and Live in LA in 2010. He is also looking to release more music in the beginning of 2011. All of this makes fans like myself quite happy, cause you can never have enough Chris in your life. But, if it weren't for the great music from Race The Light, I am not sure I would have been following Christopher as closely, and know his music now. So I will be grateful for songs like Mistake.
I love that song, like so many others in Christopher's catalog, so of course I wanted to include him in the holiday series. And I was quite pleased he took the time out of his busy schedule to be a part of holidays on Soundtrack to my Day. So I started off my asking about his own favorite holiday music. "I like the classic holiday music like Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole," he replied. "It makes me feel like a kid at Christmas." Well, I can't argue with that one at all, and only hope to encourage it with a clip of the amazing Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song.
So I wanted to nkow if Christopher had any favorite holiday song he liked to perform live? "I like doing Joni Mitchell's River," he answered, "and my own version of Silent Night. Sad versions, of course." Apparently, sad isn't a word he just associates with Britney. But I have to admit to being intrigued about hearing Dallman performing the Joni Mitchell song. Watch this, and tell me if you you aren't dying to hear Chris sing River, too.
So, Chris Dallman, what are your hopes for the New Year? "I hope my family and friends stay safe and healthy," he said warmly. "And I hope to drink a lot of really nice wine."
Well, while it might be slightly out of sequence, I thought I would slip in another holiday classic, with Bing Crosby singing White Christmas for Mr. Dallman.
Time for my preoccupation with the listening habits of people who are on my iPod. I wanted to know what was his favorite music from 2010. "My favorite music of 2010 is Lissie. She has been around for a while," he explained, "but she blew up this year. I love her album, I love her EP, I love her live show, and I love the song she did with George Stanford on his record Roll Away."
What is Chris looking forward to musically in 2011, since it is so close now? "I'm releasing a new music video for Gimme More from Sad Britney in January," he explained, "followed by a new record produced by George Stanford, and then a short (but hopefully not too short!) US tour. It's going to be a good year."
Now, the idea of Christopher appearing near me on tour soon is enough to make me a happy camper. Near giddy, as a matter of fact. While he may be planning on playing the new music, I also hope he makes time for favorites old and new. One of those is the last video he released for the song Ghosts from Never Was.
For more about Christopher Dallman's music, check out his official website here. You can check in there to find out the latest new on releases and upcoming tour dates. You can also buy some really great music.
Tonight, I am at a live show of Christopher Dallman [website here] at the Rockwood Music Hall, and I hope to reporting back on how spectacular it was very soon. Until then, I will leave you with a couple of performances by Christopher caught on tape. The first is Right On Time, from his debut album, Race The Light. I bought it several years ago, and have been a fan of the man since.
Dallman also released an EP of his own takes on the music of Britney Spears, called Sad Britney. It is really incredible, a collection I still listen to all the time. This is Gimme More.
And, finally, Dallman released Never Was, an EP with original tunes written by this talented man. If you don't have it already, you really should buy it now. This song from that EP is called Ghosts.
The show starts at 9PM, and I cannot wait. It will be the first time I've seen him performing live, and it should be fantastic!
Christopher Dallman shared a picture which was taken as part of the No Hate Campaign. As you can see, Chris is looking great! He is the first celebrity to be photographed with a guitar. He is getting ready to release some new music any day now, and just posted a video of him singing a song from the first CD [that I love], Race The Light. The song is Nighttime In The City, and it is a gorgeous song.
To get updates on when Christopher releases his new EP, go to his website here and join the mailing list.
Christopher Dallman just released a song from his upcoming EP. The song is Subterranean, and it is just beautiful. I have been a fan of Christopher's since I purchased his 2003 CD, Race The Light. I was a little late to that game, only picking it up about 2 years ago, but have been patiently waiting for new music, and lately, Dallman has been prolific. To listen to Subterranean, as well as another new song, Anthem, click here.
Here are the brilliant lyrics to Subterranean.
written by Christopher Dallman
You can barely see me when the sky goes black When the sky goes black But a wind it blew, it drew a line From your heart to mine And my dark went slack
Underground I go I could be so much more than this, I know But instead I disregard this oxygen Go subterranean I go subterranean
I try to leave some kind of map Some sort of trail To let my lovers come, come follow me They follow me and fail Underground I go I could be so much more than this, I know But instead I disregard this oxygen Go subterranean I go subterranean
The first time that I fall I could be down the road Next, I’ve lost it all I could have been something, oh! Keep me on the line You keep me above the ground You can barely see me when the sky goes black When the sky goes black But a wind it blew, it drew a line From your heart to mine And I ain’t going back
copyright 2009 Beauteous Bird Music
Also, I noticed that his first CD, Race The Light, is on sale at CD Baby. For just $5, you can get an MP3 download of the album. All I can say is I bought it at regular price, and it was worth way more than that! Click here if interested.
