By Rich Monetti****Chris Saunders grew up in Manhattan and lived in a home filled with music. His Jamaican father blasted the Bob Marley, and his mom elevated the audio with Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, the Beatles and Marvin Gaye. The variety did lead to a few lessons on the trumpet, piano and the flute and eventually he taught himself the guitar. However, music was definitely not in step with his real interest. “I played basketball,” he says. “That was what I wanted to do.” Of course, recruiters did not line up after his senior year and reality meant a major in International Business at Lafayette College. But when rejection came around the other way, Saunders’ music career got the kick it needed.
In a long-term relationship in 2005, he got his first taste by writing a bunch of “sappy love songs,” but the main course awaited when he ended the relationship four years later. “A lot of music just came pouring out,” Sanders remembers about that very confusing and painful time. The result, Almost Home, reflects the early quality of his passions and still stands out as a fan favorite. A bar-hopping jaunt around that time in Hoboken would give him public voice for the first time in an open mic. A push was once again required, though. “I was very resistant because I’m a very nervous performer—even now,” he reflects. So Saunders hoped time would prevent his name from being called. But fortunately fate did not run out the clock. “You’re next;” the owner’s words broke Saunders’ fourth wall for good. He has since appeared at major night spots such as The Bitter End, Pianos, The Red Room and The Delancey.
His first live gig took place in 2010 as a solo and the diverse tracks his parents laid out at home filled Saunders bill from the outset—Rock to Reggae and Funk. In the process, Saunders has picked up numerous musicians to form The Eleventh Ward, and while players have come and gone, the two years that his drummer spent touring with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul helps provide street cred. “He still plays with us and is kind enough to grace me with his presence,” says Saunders of Mark Bell. Saunder’s fiancé provides inspiration for the life soundtrack he continues to write. “Everything I write now is about her,” he says.
His most recent EP, Liquid Therapy, has Saunders going solo and leaving the folksy singer/songwriter sound of his band for an R&B mixture. Of course, he’s not alone in the studio; his lady performed on two tracks and Saunders singles out Falling in Love specifically. “The song itself is expressing the way we met,” says Saunders. “We were dancing and a big part of the song is that imagery. So it’s a really cool collaboration.” Yet, even though the song was actually written before he met her, the future Mrs. Saunders hasn’t made any objections about the make up and break up songs from the past. Ghost is among them and laments loss. “It’s about being in my house alone after a breakup,” he explains. “The ghost of the girl that used to be there.”
Saunders doesn’t just go under on relationships, and the solo EP reflects the watery part of his life that doesn’t shed a tear. In other words, the liquid part remembers growing up in New York, going out with friends, meeting women and joyfully drinking at parties and bars. “If I was ever having a bad time, the combination of music, alcohol and friends was the perfect remedy.”
But promoting shows, worrying about CD sales, directing people to iTunes and figuring out google ads has no easy prescription for any independent musician. “I really just want to write and play,” he says. “I’m sure a lot of artists have the same problem.” This means he’s realistic about the long prospects of leaving the day job behind. But 5 O’clock always brings hope and he’s looking forward to his Sept 20th show at Arlene’s Grocery. “I played with the same band as last time, and just watching the video, it’s three guys that are at the top of their game,” Saunders says. And Arlene’s Grocery as a venue plays perfectly for the riffs Saunders and crew plan to rip. “It’s just kind of that classic New York Rock bar,” he says.
Chris Saunders also appears at The Bitter End on Saturday, November 16. For more information, click here.
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