Chris Moore

Story

I’m a keys player, songwriter and vocalist based in Somerset, UK - also play a bit of guitar from time to time. Been playing since I was four years old, and that’s a long time ago now. I was a pro for a while in the eighties then did other things for a long while. Been writing for the past fifteen years, developing my skills and vocal style and learning recording techniques and production. I play or programme everything on my tracks myself and then mix and master using Sonar Platinum tools and plug-ins. Hope you enjoy what you hear and I’m looking forward to making a lot of new friends here!

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What is music to you? What does it give you?

Music is the biggest constant in my life. It is always there as it always has been, as far back as I can remember. It has been a love, an addiction, my main source of income for a while and also a refuge, an escape from the world. I'm not the greatest at putting feelings into words, but putting them into music... that's a different story.

What is your music dream?

I want to create a song that is universal, that touches everyone - no matter what race, colour, culture or creed - if I manage to do that, to bring the world together with one music, I will feel that this life has been worthwhile.

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

I would try to focus on harmony in the current climate of division. There are people we can never reach, who, because of their upbringing or their fervent beliefs, will not listen, but we can try - I can try - to find something that is common to everyone, and to make them feel at one with the world and everybody else in it. The direction we seem to be headed in will result in a majority of poor people scratching for a living and a minority of the richest exploiting them. It doesn’t have to be that way!

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

From my childhood...? I was born in 1960. I guess “Let it be”, which came out when I was ten years old, is probably the song, that or John Lennon’s “Imagine”. And yet I’m not really a Beatles fan - Elton John’s “Your Song” was the first song I felt moved enough to want to play.

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

Coldplay, obviously, if you listen to my music. Seal - an incredibly talented songwriter and musician, and Todd Rundgren, who seemed to have a musical IQ of 200+. Peter Gabriel is in there too, and a French guy called Benjamin Biolay, whose music is so varied I can listen to him whatever mood I’m in.

What inspires you to make music?

Everything I see, everything I hear. I was born into a house where I fell asleep every night listening to my father playing Chopin or Rachmaninov on the piano downstairs. I learned to play from when I was four years old. Life does not exist for me without music. To me, music is a language as familiar as English - I think in music, I see in music, the world is music.

What is the message you want to send with your music?

Some of my songs have a message in them. The ones that don’t try to evoke a mood, or even just a wry smile. I write songs for me, not for other people, writing music is my release - it’s what keeps me sane. I guess my overall message is that this world is fabricated - our emotions are fabricated - to make money and success for others and we need to be aware of that. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but so many people these days seem to live their lives like sheep. Wake up!

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

Humbled, aware or all the eyes on me and wanting to give them my best. To be honest, I’m past my best. I can’t hit the notes that I used to with my vocals, my playing is less perfect than it was when I gigged four nights a week and practised every day. But all in all, I still love being on a stage, and captivating people. There is no other feeling like it in this world - singing to people and feeling the love, that is so addictive.

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

I was lucky. In the eighties and nineties, you could earn a respectable living from being a gigging musician in the UK and it paid my bills very well These days, it’s all about streaming and promotion, to the point where bands actually pay to play venues. The internet and computer technology have brought quality recording software and distribution possibilities to the masses, but the result is that it's now even harder to get paid. Whilst the music scene has the air of being more accessible for artists, the rewards have all but gone. I don’t think there’s anything we can do to fix that, we just have to be part-time musicians and have another source of income in order to scratch a living.

What do you think of Drooble?

I’ve only been here a few days but I’m hugely impressed so far. I’ve been mostly sharing my stuff through an indie music site and community where most of the musicians are rock-oriented guitarists. This is very different - fresh music that pulls me in, and interested reviews that go further than mutual back-slapping. Looking forward to getting more ideas, and more up to date.

What frustrates you most as a musician?

To be honest, nothing much. I don’t need to earn stacks of money, I did something else for a long time that has given me at least a floor of security. I watched my brother play with huge names on every major stage in the world (and once live to a million people) but I wasn't jealous - I had other talents too and I made the most I could of them. If music was frustrating then I wouldn’t do it. Being a musician is a gift, an escape from the humdrum of the world. If we can include our view of reality in our music, then what can be frustrating about that?

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

There isn’t much of a local music scene where I live, apart from covers bands playing the same old same old... I’ve made a few contacts with local musicians and jammed with them a bit, but I’m more of a recording artist than a live performer these days so I don’t tend to seek out live music any more. Been to a few open-mic nights but not felt the urge to perform at them.

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

A brand.

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

Benjamin Biolay - a French artist who’s impressed me hugely, and also Art Mengo from that side of the channel. And you’ve never heard my band - Atlantica - a joint venture with a virtuoso metal guitarist from Texas. Maybe I’ll set us up a page here ?