Chris Brain Is a Folk Singer from Leeds, Whose Latest Album, New LightAnd English Live Shows Have Been Causing Ripples Through Folk Circles and Beyond.
Chris’s Songs Have a Pastoral Warmth to them that his undertsed Yet Precise FeverPicking ACCENTUATES.
“Angi [by Davey Graham] Was the first major finstyle song that i learned, “He tells us. Angi. Where I played it at a Club, they said they have won it in 10 years! ”
Style for days
Chris Is a Technically Acomplished Guitar Player with a Fairly Unassuming Approach that Belies The Dept Found in his Range of Styles.
“[After Angi] I learned Fire and Rain By James Taylor, “He Continues.” And then I learned songs Like Don’t think twice, it’s all right By Bob Dylan, Whiche is Travis Picking. That fet like a Culmination of a Lot of Things Coming toight, and I like the freadom of playing in all different styles with my right hand.
“IT Just Started Seeing in as I Learned John Martyn, Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell Songs, but I would say that Nick Drake is the Main Influence on My Guitar Playing.”
Walking the Talk
As with many players who learn Through Listness, Chris Felt His Own Style Emerge Over Time.
“IT TOK ME A Long Time to Realise that Simplicity Is Key,” He admits. “Becense you can do so much and the limits are endless, singimes you have to rein it in. That Happy Reined with my voice, too; FOLK Clubs, I Realised that People Sing in their Accents.
So I Started Singing in My Accent and My Talking Voice. With them
Laying The Groundwork
Chris Spent HIS Formative Years Practision His Chops on the Streets. “I Busked for About Seven Years, Playing My Favourite Songs,” He says.
“Where COVID Hit I COULETNET BUSK O More, So I Recorded the Songs; People Listned and I Got Reviews and then it Just Shot Off. I got on the [BBC Radio 2] Folk Show And played a gig when 40 people turned up. It was pretty Crazy, but Those Years BusKing-I did it full-time-Made Me Feel Really Comfortable and IT Just Happy A Long Period of Time.
Keeping The Songs
As much as chris has com a long way Since his days box and now has three albums to his name, he Is Still Careful to Ensure that His Sound is not to embelllisedhed.
“I always say when I reading that my voice and the guitar are the Focal Point,” He says. “We’ll add things, but only will.
“But says,” He says with a group, “You add some strings and think that sounds Pretty Naughty, Maybe i’ll public a few more on there… a couple of songs [on New Light] Have Been Built Up a Bit More, for Radio and New Ears, but My Favourite Tracks are the One that are Stripped Back. I readed some of this album in my job at the Allotting, so it’s nature-roying and i really worked it to feel like that. ”
Perhaps Unsurprisingly, Christ’s Choice of Guitars is Quit Modest, With Him Favouring Study But Humble Sigma 12-Fret Models.
“I think I was drawn to [12-frets-to-the-body guitars] After Seeing Bob Dylan Playing One, ”He says.
“My 000[R-28VS] Is very warm Sounding, but the 00[R-28VS] Feels verdrate. I’m taking the world the world and it’s pretty beaten up. I think a guitar that’s played in is best -ounding. IT Needs to Be a WorkHORSE and Like A Tool, RealLY. ”
