Chris Beyer

Once in a rhythm guitarist of a pop/punk/alternative group called For What It’s Worth, Chris Beyer decided to launch a solo career with a mission to get young listeners to appreciate older music and older listeners to branch out to modern pop music. This mission will come in a form of a seven-track EP, “Distances”.

Set for release on 8th January, his debut offering alternate between almost acoustic and intimate performances, adopting the smoothness of Ed Sheeran and raging pop/rock spirit of Maroon 5 and arguably a hint of Jimi Hendrix.

Although the EP could be widely described as a mainstream pop and rock set, Beyer has incorporated different genres. “Bad luck” is probably the best track of the EP and possibly a great contender for the mainstream charts. The intricate guitar riffs create a hint of a bluesy feel before erupting into intervals of volcanic sensations throughout the song.

“I Hope So” gives the opportunity for a modern take on folk music to make an entry in the EP, perfectly seeping through a feather light and slight racy rock fusion. Like “Bad luck”, final track, “Medicine” could easily find its way to the mainstream charts and radio stations, thanks to a lick of funk, injecting straight through the attention-grabbing rock/pop arrangements that’s similar to a cross between Maroon 5 and Jimi Hendrix.

This Long Islander is definitely onto something here: “Distances” EP has that worldwide appeal and has all the ingredients to appease listeners of all ages. - Music Crowns

The pop-rock genre has seen an influx of musicians over the years, now it seems almost everyone with a guitar thinks they can sing like John Mayer or Ed Sheeran, good thing for Chris Beyer on his upcoming album Distances, he actually can.

The first track Sway is straight out radio, and this isn’t an insult like many hipsters would suggest. The song is smooth and well executed. The production is slick and well thought out, and the most important aspect, the vocals, are on point the whole time.

The next track She’s On Fire doesn’t skip a beat or miss a step at all, it would be what you might expect a song to be is Death Cab For Cutie and Maroon 5 collaborated on something. I haven’t checked to see if this has been released as a single, but my guess is it will be.

Digging deeper into the album I was truly impressed by the amount of great tracks within in. Song after song Chris Beyer shows us why he deserves to be here, and why he deserves to be heard.

The final track titled Medicine invites us in with a happy guitar riff right from the Jamiroquai playbooks, and it is paired very well with Mr. Beyers controlled and pleasant voice. If it was my decision, I wouldn’t even think twice about trying to hype this track up around summer, because this song is the equivalent of sunshine-in-a-bottle. Yet another single-worthy track.

After listening to the entire Distances album I can tell you with confidence that if you like any of the bands I mentioned above, then you will like Chris Beyer as well. The album was obviously created with passion, honesty and skill. Distances is set to start 2016 out on a high note.

Written By: Ryan Donnelly - VENTS Magazine

Chris Beyer is a pop-rock treat. The Long Island musician strives to bring old styles to the young and modern sounds to the older, and his sound is definitely accessible enough to allow this dream to come true. Listen, for example, to “Medicine” one of two tracks currently available to the public from his upcoming release, Distances. The song is sweet pop with a great energy. Fun and honest at once, and boasting a grand guitar solo that catches you almost off-guard.

The album — though not publicly available until January 8th, 2016 — plays with big and small, gentle and wild, joy and melancholy. Chris Beyer hits on something incredible when he bursts into the full rock-out chorus of “Bad Luck”, or in the construction of melodic webwork on “I’ve Had Enough”.

“She’s On Fire” is the second public track, which you can listen to here. It’s darker and subtler with a killer of a guitar riff. Taken together, “Medicine” and “She’s On Fire” succeed in giving a sample of Distances. - newsickmusic.com

Chris Beyer is solo musician and songwriter from Long Island, New York, whose music you could categorize as pop but it also encompasses a lot of vintage elements that bring in details about what made popular music good to begin with. There’s bit of a blending going on that he hopes will interest people of all age groups. He says:

"Hopefully I can get younger listeners to appreciate older music and older listeners to branch out into modern/pop music. I represent an open mind and open perspective on music culture. I want all types of individuals at my shows to forget genres, cliques, and scenes and to remember one thing -- we all love music and that's why we're here."

Chris started out playing rhythm guitar in a pop punk/alternative band called For What It's Worth, but now he’s moved into solo territory and holding his own.

Chris’s new album, Distances, dropped last month, and when it came to recording the album, Chris did vocals and played the guitar, but he was also joined by Michael Delillo on the drums and Nick Zinnanti on bass. Nick also did the engineering, mixing, and mastering.

The 7-song album includes an intro and a few different songs with slightly different feels. “Sway” has a bit of an alternative rock vibe but vocals that take it into the pop range. “She’s On Fire” has a bit of an easy listening feeling, while “I’ve Had Enough” almost has some folk elements. Overall it’s light but has depth, which is appealing across the board.

Check out Chris and Distances on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Twitter, and Facebook - Young Hollywood