Chris Edwards Returns

Here's an update from the Chris Edwards camp about where he's been and what's up lately! Catch Chris and his band at The Phoenix Saloon this Sunday night for True Audio Outland Presents!

Songwriter follows his arrow

East Texas-based singer/songwriter Chris Edwards is most at home when he is singing his songs of redemption, woe and life’s beautiful losers for folks. From campfires and front porches to festival stages, Edwards says “I’ll play anywhere, man.”

It’s been awhile since Edwards passed through the Hill Country (an area, he says, he feels most at home) but with a stop at the Phoenix Saloon on Sunday, March 23rd, he hopes to be coming back this way more frequently. After a hiatus spent deep in Big Thicket territory, Edwards has a heap ofnew songs, two new records in the works and is working ongetting a steady backing band together.

For someone who has managed to gain a reputation among his musician friends as a fine wordsmith and charismatic singer, Edwards has been quite reclusive for awhile now. Aside from occasional acoustic gigs in East Texas, he’s largely avoided playing out since last fall. He blames a good deal of that to “a funk” that seized hold of him last year, but credits the time spent away from civilization at large to allow him to work through some personal issues and regain a commitment to creating music.

“I’m trying to open some new ears to my music,” he said. “I’ve got some new folks to make music with and two recording projects that I hope will see fruition by the summer.” One of the records, the long-promised Drifter’s Prayer, was put into limbo due to personal issues. “Demons to fight and loose ends to tie-up, some of which are still a bit floppy,” he says. “Right now, I’m looking for investors or sponsors to finish the record and put it out. It’s some of my best songwriting yet.” Edwards noted that the album is more bluegrass and straight-up acoustic oriented than his last studio album, 2011’s The Winter Garden.

Although Edwards’ rootsy vocals cap his sound and references to Texas rivers, trains and bucolic splendor abound in his lyrics, he is not keen on setting specific genre boundaries on what he does. “People ask me all the time, ‘So, what do you play?’ Well, it’s too broad of a question for me to really put a fine point on. I’m a songwriter and musician. I’m influenced by a lot of types of music, and yeah, I live out in the woods, and yeah, I drink beer, and yeah, I play country music, but it’s all relative. Above all, I’m always ready to receive a good melody and some lyrics that carry weight. Sometimes they’re jazzy, sometimes rockin’, whatever, but at the end of the day, I’m looking to create good music,” he said.

In addition to the in-limbo studio project, Edwards and lead guitarist Sean Quigley are collaborating on a yet-to-be-titled album which they are tracking at Quigley’s home studio, which also serves as their practice space. “It was an idea Sean hatched that made perfect sense. We’re putting it together, playing all the instruments ourselves and putting it out soon. Our goal is mid-April,” Edwards said. He hopes that having the homebrew album available for sale at shows will help raise some funds to finish the other project. “It’s a mix of older songs that never found a home, record-wise, and a few new things too. One of the songs I’m really excited about on the project is called ‘Tools of the Trade,’ which I wrote in ’06 or so as a sort of tribute to guys like George Jones and Lefty Frizzell. I dusted it off at a show we did the day that news came out that George had passed. I can’t figure out why I let that song wither on the vine so long. It’s a good one.

Above all, for the time being, Edwards said he wants to play the best shows he can and keep writing the best songs he can come up with. Edwards’ living situation, being deep in the backwoods Big Thicket area of Southeast Texas, has helped bring out even more naturalistic inspiration and imagery in his lyrics. “I’ve always been in tune with nature, but being away from people and apart from everyday drama has really helped me get back to being a more committed writer and brought aspects to the forefront that were lost before,” he said.

“Hopefully I can get out there and draw some folks to what I do,” Edwards said.

Although Edwards isn’t much into social media, he encourages folks to check out and “like” his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/ChrisEdwardsMusic) and take a gander at his Reverbnation site (http://www.reverbnation.com/chrisedwards) . “Even though I’m not on there much, there will be some new music up soon and dates will be posted,” he said.

Chris Edwards’ show at the Phoenix Saloon starts at 8 p.m., Sunday. He will also be doing an interview and on-air performance for KTSW Monday evening at 6.


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