Chris Hawley

Christopher Hawley's haunts are ski towns, artist communities, beach bars, and college towns, and with the much-anticipated second album, The Roots of the Tree, the open-hearted troubadour will bring his feel-good music to an even wider audience. With a soulful, resonant voice evoking the likes of John Fogerty, Johnny Cash, and Bob Weir, Hawley is poised to augment the extent of his foray into American music consciousness and continue to warm hearts everywhere. A consistent tour schedule has helped spread his feel-good vibes all over the American West, Rocky Mountains, and parts of the Midwest, Northeast, and Europe.

This Venice, CA-based avid skier, surfer and yogi has mastered the art of uplifting spirits through music with a perfect combination of genuinely positive attitude, inspiring lyrics, and danceable grooves. Hawley's unique abilities are drawn from influences like Willie Nelson, J.J. Cale, Grant Green, the slide work and vocals of Lowell George, and the fingerstyle techniques of Leo Kottke. His guitar skills and sense of melody come through in the song arrangements, and improvisation is a huge part of the music. Lead guitar and slide breaks a la Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, and Jerry Garcia enhance shows so that each performance is singular in many ways.

Christopher has been on the road on average for about six months out of each of the last five years, playing countless shows in the SoCal area with his band, The Rollers, in between, and you can hear it in his music. Timeless songs, original, yet echoing elements essential to the classic appeal of Taj Mahal, the Band, Bob Marley, Little Feat, and other artists of the last several decades, increasingly populate Christopher's repertoire. His lyrical and melodic ideas sometimes paint a picture or reveal a philosophical ideal, and are usually aimed at creating a heightened sense of awareness in the listener.

Songs about friends both far and near, places visited and revisited, and moments past and future are in abundance. The new record includes three songs about Love, two songs about Friends, one song about Gratitude, and a song about robbing banks and trains. They come across as classic American tunes, sung in a strong voice described as "inviting" and "amiable."

With the release of "Red Lights Green" in 2006, and now "The Roots of the Tree" in 2009, Christopher continues to expand his catalogue of songs. He is based in Southern California with his band, the Christopher Hawley Rollers.