CHANTLER|NMR (NewMusicRace)
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"[Chantler] is built like an athlete and speaks with a soft voice. He sits back in the chair at the recording studio, writing lyrics in his notebook, while to the side of him, members of the band practice the melody they have been working on for the last hour. The band’s music has elements of funk, soul, and gospel to it, giving it an almost otherworldly feel. Townsend’s smooth yet high-pitched singing voice is reminiscent of musician Cee Lo Green from the music groups Gnarls Barkley and Goodie Mob. His lyrics usually carry messages about relationships and social justice." - Richmond Confidential
Discography
Dance On The Moon - Arrival
YoBodTech (Your Body Technich) - Arrival
Y.O.U. (Your Opulent Universe) - Arrival
Photos
Bio
After nearly five years with the 4-member soul band ThrowBack, the bands lead guitarist Lucian Smith (Black Rebel Indians), and lead bass player Raymond Anderson (The Vampires), would depart in search of their own musical paths. And the bands prodigiously soulful, 4-ouctive range, lead vocalist CHANLER, would find his. The next two years would be spent out of the front-man spotlight and in the dim lights of a recording studio learning as much as he could from producer, band manager Craig Tindel about the music producing process, writing, recording, and mixing. Mr. Tindel continued writing and producing new material for CHANTLER as the soulful singer’s own songwriting voice began to take shape.
“ I struggled for a period with whether or not I even had something to say as a songwriter. I didn’t want to simply take the popular road or write what was trendy. Nor did I want to feel like I was forcing myself to create or be different just for shock value. I truly, genuinely wanted to be inspired, compelled to write whether it was about social ills, a powerful love, or something as everyday as putting on my shoes. I wanted whatever I sung about in my music to be a genuine expression of how I’ve been moved. Being a big listener of instrumental works, (orchestral, film soundtracks) I would compose a melody that was inspired by something I saw or a situation I was in or coming out of and then spend days just listening to the melody with no ideas for any lyric. More times than not that’s when my songwriting opened up. I had to learn that for the most part music itself holds the feelings of its creator at the time they composed it and sometimes the music is speaking the lyrics right there. You just have to listen; I just had to listen to my music, my feelings”.
In an industry with more than its share of formulaic rhythms and voices, who was CHANTLER? R&B singer? Soul singer? Pop? Hip hop? During this musically uncertain period of discovery what resonated clearly was that CHANTLER’s vocal range, flexibility, and falsetto dynamics, while referencing back to voices like Eddy Kendricks, Al Green and even the eclectic power-house voice of the late 70’s recording artist Sylvester, had a distinctive style all it’s own not common among his male contemporaries. Likewise CHANTLER’s soulful songwriting sensibility showed an organic instinct and unique conflux of the pop, rock, and soul genres, with a neo-funk edge, hence his music’s now aptly coined style description “Neofunkyrocksoul”.
Producing CHANTLER’s voice within one musical type only seemed to confine his vocal strengths. Songwriting with a fearless (and innovative), use of the best of pop, rock and soul, would give the kind of space CHANTLER’s unique and flexible vocal instincts needed. CHANTLER’s enthusiasm to this “think-out-of-the-box” approach fostered collaboration with multi-genre savvy, urban pop/rock New York producer Thomas Piper who would produce CHANTLER’s first single “GrooveTrek”. With this now artistic trust connection CHANTLER would introduce Thomas to his own writings. Realizing there was more than just a vocalist in CHANTLER, Thomas saw that the right music for him was only going to come from the writer who knew his voice best, CHANTLER. So as Thomas encouraged more work CHANTLER’s singular songwriting approach would find his genre-synergic voice, writing, arranging, and co-producing his first single “Dance On The Moon” one of his featured singles off his upcoming concept EP “ARRIVAL”.
Insisting on hearing more songs from him Thomas offered to co-produce material exclusively written by CHANTLER. Thomas’s producing method of pushing CHANTLER believe in his own songwriting powers set the path clear for CHANTLER to trust his musical instincts. Within a few months CHANTLER had songs in production for two albums, (ARRIVAL coming Fall of 2012 and DESIRE LOVES POWER scheduled for a spring 2013 release). His band vision, CHANTLER|NMR (New Music Race) has now been given life and is in rehearsals and recording, with a live showcase in the works. Soon to bring CHANTLER’s world of music to the stage. The rest will be CHANTLER|NMR history. A New Music Race history in the making! GET READY!
WWW.CHANTLERTOWNSEND-NMR.COM
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