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chris brandon is a passionate singer-songwriter whose music fuses the lyricism of acoustic music with the energy of folk-rock. Known for his song cycles, his lyrics explore identity, inner conflict, relationships, and life paths. The song cycle that unfolds in chris' new CD, Whispers in My Mind, chronicles a character's precarious journey into life marked by trouble, decline, and eventual redemption.

chris has performed in Northeastern venues from Montreal to New York City and from Buffalo to Boston. He performs live on acoustic guitar and, depending on the size of the venue, includes a multi-instrumentalist and/or a percussionist in the mix. While he's played such premier clubs as The Limelight, TT the Bear's Place, The Wetlands, and Maxwell's, chris is also at home in smaller acoustic venues. Sizeable followings have been established in New York City and the Mid-Hudson Valley with others building throughout the Northeast.

The new CD, Whispers in My Mind, was released in 2004. Recorded by Robert Bard (Eric Andersen, Susan Werner) and mastered by Dr. Toby Mountain (David Bowie, Beach Boys, Brooks Williams), Whispers has a spare and textured production that accentuates chris' classic songwriting and soulful vocals. chris is accompanied on the CD by seasoned acoustic session players including Gary Burke (Bob Dylan, Livingston Taylor) on drums, Joe Bonadio (Martin Sexton) on percussion, Steve Gorn (Paul Simon, Ritchie Havens) on bansuri flute, and Mindy Jostyn (Carly Simon, John Mellencamp) on harmonica.

Prior to launching his solo career, chris recorded and toured with the European alt-rock band H.P. Zinker on Thrill Jockey and Energy Records. The band was featured in Sassy Magazine's "Cute Band Alert" and reviewed in Rolling Stone, Q Magazine, and Trouser Press among other publications. After gaining invaluable music industry experience with the band, chris began to write lyrical and introspective songs that were more attuned to the acoustic music scene in New York City.

What makes chris brandon stand out from other singer-songwriters goes beyond his emotive voice, imaginative songwriting, and energetic performances. It's in the storytelling. chris creates shows and recordings based on song cycles where each song tells part of a larger story. chris' audiences are entertained by storytelling on several levels: with each song, by anecdotes connecting the songs, and over the course of the set as the song cycle unfolds.

Raised in a nomadic family in Chicago, Austin, and Boston among other places, chris was exposed to blues, country, folk, and rock early on. His own travels through Canada, England, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and Tunisia sparked the desire to be a traveling musician. Most of Whispers in My Mind was conceived on a 3-month tour around the U.S. in a pick-up truck. chris returned from that adventure with his vision for song cycle music.