Chris Chartier

Chris Chartier started playing in bands and writing his own music years ago, even performing in some of Boston’s premier venues before the age of 16! “We used to skip school all the time because we were out, you know playing until 3:00 in the morning. And we had the biggest following around but of course all our fans were like 16 too, so we could never get anyone in the room, but we kept doing it for years”

Today things have not changed…in recent years Chartier fronted one band that really stood out in his musical resume…”East of Autumn” who after 4 years amicably split in December 2006. East of Autumn had played everywhere from The Paradise Rock Club in Boston to the famed Bitter End in Greenwich Village and the WNEW outdoor concerts series between tower 1 and tower 2 of the world Trade Center with Ray Romano as the opening act. They even had a knock-out performance at the House of Blues Music Hall in Las Vegas. . That performance secured the band a deal with the up and coming indie label Rev-Up Records. It also caught the ears of (renowned Grammy -winning music producer Greg Ladanyi (Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Fleetwood Mac, Don Henley etc.), who signed on and mixed the bands debut recordings. Rev-Up Records released East Of Autumns debut CD What It Is And Where It Ends in February 2004.

And all the while Chartier’s music was being played all over the TV airwaves. Day time shows like “One Life to Live” The Young and the Restless” and Prime time spots on “Men in Trees” “Jag” and “That’s Life” over 50 TV placements in all! “I was always focused on writing songs, I wanted to be good at that…I wanted to write lyrics that didn’t make me cringe…I wanted to write like my hero’s wrote”

It was at this time John Gonsalves President of Homes For Our Troops (www.homesforourtroops.com) approached Chris about writing a song about a severely wounded veteran of the War on Iraq returning home. “When John asked me to write the song…I just said yes but I didn’t think about it much, I mean here I am sitting in the comfort and safety of my home trying to imagine what it’s like for these men and woman coming home without everything they left with. All I could picture was this guy not being able to feel the sensation of holding his baby or his wife in his hands…because his hands weren’t there anymore. My biggest challenge was to not make it too literal and direct I wanted it to be metaphoric to some degree so it could apply to all veterans not just one.” The song will be available soon from Homes for Our Troops, with all proceeds going to the cause.

After East of Autumn split Chartier decided to take a few months off and do some writing while most of the other members found other outlets and side projects to pass the time. ”I decided I wanted to get back out and play real quick…but I didn’t want to go the band route again. I wanted to have the choice of going out just me and a guitar if I felt like it…and not have to worry about changing band names and line ups all the time. My preference is to play with a rock n’ roll band and that’s what I do, but now I can do both, and it keeps me focused on the songs and the music, and I still think that matters most.”

Chartier is blessed with one of the best most seasoned rock bands around including former East of Autumn members Matt Smith (Hammond B-3/ Piano player) and Rick Hiller (Bass Guitar). Thom Hiller formerly of “Bob’s Day Off” (Guitar) and drummers are on a rotation at this time. Also sitting in from time to time live and in the studio is multi-instrumentalist Steve George (EastOf Autumn)playing mandolin, guitar, and banjo.

With the power and emotion of the bands live show, plus songs audiences instantly connect with, Chartier provides the rock-weary a new reason to believe, a renewed faith in modern rock and its umbilical connection with its roots. With lush melodies, provocative arrangements and lyrics rich with imagery and insight, Chris Chartier and his band will fill the void that so many modern rock fans young and old crave.