Chris Love

By Lindsay Melvin
Special to Millington Appeal
October 13, 2005

A year after their breakup, Chris Love still gets stopped by people who recall him as the lead singer and guitarist of the heavy metal band Loveandwar.

But he's confident that will soon change. Launching his debut album in November, a month later than expected because "I wanted everything to be perfect," Love has left his heavy metal roots behind and is ready to be recognized as a pop/funk solo artist.

His first single, "Not That Ordinary," is a rocking tune with a horn breakdown and a memorable vocal solo. He says the name signifies his journey and his sound.

"I've never been more confident about anything in my life," said the 22-year-old musician.

Writing all his own lyrics and music from his Munford home, Love has been working on the album for the past year. The album will have five tracks, all written by Love, and although it will be sold in local record stores, the primary purpose is to use it as an industry demo to shop around to record labels.

"What I'm doing now is taking the Memphis/Stax recording sound and making it my own with an edge," he said.

The baby-faced artist, with blond spiked hair and clubby threads, performs about once a month in Memphis and Nashville attracting a large college-age following.

"A lot of it is real upbeat and dance music," said Love, who was not shy to admit he likes to party a good deal and it shines through in his music.

His songs about love and lust have summoned a sizable female following as well, which Love doesn't mind.

"When I look out and see a lot of girls it's easier for me to perform because I'm more flirtatious by nature," he said.

At 11, Love and his guitar playing father would hang out watching MTV until one day he said he wanted to learn the guitar. His dad pulled out one of his old instruments and started teaching Love. After that, he recalls playing every day for hours.

By age 13 Love was performing covers at the New Daisy Theater on Beale Street, although most of his friends parents forbid them to come see him play.

Three years later Love entered a guitar competition at B.B. King's on Beale Street, hosted by the Jimi Hendrix Family Foundation. Competing against musicians from all over the country and Canada, he beat all the other contenders and the foundation presented him with '62 Fender Stratocaster reissue.

In addition, he was flown out to Los Angeles to open for Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

"It was my first taste of being a celebrity. Everything was paid for and everyone was catering to me. It was wild," he said.

Forming the band Loveandwar out of high school with a few friends, they became huge local hits. In 2002, their single "Hoping For You" reached the top 15 on MP3.com's national charts and the following year they won the Memphis Dingo Inc. Battle of the Bands competition.

The young band opened for major artists including Maroon 5, Everclear, Switchfoot, Underoath, Die Trying, Calico System, Haste and Billy Talent and Kill Hannah.

Remaining close friends, the metal band broke up in 2004 and Love went solo.

"The band helped me realize it wasn't my thing," he said.

Now he's hired a seven-piece band which he records and tours with.

As a singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and drummer, Love has a wide range of musical skills to pull from. But when he's not performing in front of hundreds of fans he's at his day job as a music instructor at Munford High School and Munford Middle teaching the percussion section, while he works toward a general degree at the University of Memphis.

Although Love blushes when he admits he still lives with his parents, the musician says he wouldn't trade life in his rural hometown for a big bustling city.

"If I wasn't living here I wouldn't be writing the songs I'm writing," he said.

His album will be co-produced by Tim Onder and Adam Hill, an engineer with Ardent Studios. Hill previously assisted in producing albums by North Mississippi Allstars and The White Stripes.

Hill says breaking out from the local scene onto a national level takes a certain type of person.

"It's a combination of luck, talent and making contacts and being on point all the time. Chris has that drive. He's always out doing something," he said.
- The Commercial Appeal

by Brittany Boggan
September 23, 2005

Chris Love will be among the many artists rocking the stage of Bulldog Bash 2005. The Memphis native is a soloist, guitarist and drummer, and will bring a performance to the Bash with energy and lyrics that students can relate to.

"All my songs are pretty much a documentary of the past few years of my life," Love said. "From relationships with girls to the ins and outs of things, my music is basically music you want to have fun [listening] to."

Love said he hopes to connect with the crowd through his high-energy performance from him and his band.

"I feel a lot of emotion from the crowd," he said. "My band is just so ridiculous. When everybody is dancing and having a blast, I feed off of it really heavily."

This is Love's first visit to Mississippi. However, he is no stranger to performing for huge crowds and opening up for some of the most famous faces of music. Love has opened up for bands such as Maroon 5, Everclear, Switchfoot, Die Trying, Code Seven, Egypt Central, Underoath and Dead Poetic.

"I play with all these huge bands and meet all these people throughout the year," Love said. "I am just excited to meet these people that are going to help me better myself and my career."

"I've been given the chance to play in front of thousands of people and get my music heard by more people and be able to express myself," he added.

Love also won the Jimi Hendrix Experience guitar contest, beating musicians from around the world and earning the opportunity to open up for Nole Redding and Mitch Mitchell in Los Angeles.

Besides opening up for chart-topping bands, Love has made a name for himself in Memphis performing in places such as The New Daisy Theatre, Mud Island Amphitheatre, The Hard Rock Caf?, Handy Hall, The Hi-Tone, the Memphis in May Music Festival, as well as performances in California, Texas, Missouri and Louisiana.

Before Love embarked on his solo career, he was in the band Love and War, which made a lot of progress in the music industry. Eventually the band went their separate musical ways, but they still remain close friends.

"It was me and four of my best friends, who are still my best friends to this day," Love said. "We just didn't get along musically, and as the years progressed, we all kind of branched out."

Love said he enjoys the freedom of being a solo artist, where he can write and structure all of his songs himself.

"The band I have now are some of the top musicians in this area. My drummer has won the drum off in Memphis for the past three years, my bass player is a nationally acclaimed bass player and my guitar player is Public Enemy's guitar player," Love said. "The difference between being in a band and being a soloist is great. It lets me express myself completely musically and emotionally. I just do what I want to do as opposed to being a part of a group effort."

Love said the band's hard work pays off when his music can actually reach out and touch the audience on a personal level.

"I have some really pretty ballad-type stuff that reaches your heart," he said. "Everything I do is very soulful. You feel everything that I am singing. That is the main goal."

Bulldog Bash co-coordinator Lauren Burns said this is one of the reasons why Love was chosen to be included in Friday's entertainment line-up.

"I'm really excited about Chris Love because he is an up and coming artist from the South. His type of music is a genre that MSU students can really relate to," she said.

- The Reflector

"On My Way Out" cd review-


Blues mixed with funk and pop-rock in Memphis? Where is this coming from?
Oh wait, with all the new styles that Memphis is oversaturated with, I
almost forgot about the roots. Chris Love takes Memphis back to where it
came from by combining influences from vintage acts like Marvin Gaye and
Stevie Wonder with the modern rock and blues prestige of the Dave Matthews
Band, Jason Mraz, and Maroon 5. There's even a hint of the hip-hop stylings
of Justin Timberlake in the vocals. This is something that hasn't been seen
in this part of the world for a long time, and the calling was way past due.
After conjuring a band of some of the most amazing musicians in the
Memphis area (Cliff "Peewee" Jackson on the drums, Anthony Crawford on the
Bass guitar, Khari Wynn on Guitar, Gary Fite on Trumpet, and Pete Collin on
Trombone), Chris Love has established himself as a solid performer with the
talent to keep a crowd listening.

The latest release from self-proclaimed perfectionist Chris Love definitely
reflects everything that he and his band have to offer. The production
quality is the best sounding independent release I have ever had the
pleasure of listening to, and the songs have structure and solidarity that
is seldom seen in local artists. The first track, "Not That Ordinary" has
the full blues wave to it. The chorus is incredibly catchy, showing off
Chris's vocal range, and the instrumentation is phenomenal. The song has an
interlude after a few choruses that is also quite catchy. The whole song is
definitely easy to move to, which means that the live show is worth
watching. The next track, "On My Way Out" gives more of a general rock and
roll feel to it, not lacking blues influences but leaning more in the
pop-rock direction. Not quite as catchy as the last track, this still has
its hooks. While slower, it shows diversity and proves that this band is
capable of having more than one single sound. "I Don't Love You Anymore"
hits at track 3 and is definitely Jason Mraz and Maroon 5 influenced.
While it's still slower than the previous tracks, this one shows off Love's
song writing talent. Executing acoustic guitars and piano, this song is a
beautiful display of raw talent that could have easily been mistaken for
theatrics and overproduction with the previous two tracks. The lyrics are
very well-written, and the song has a very strong impact on listeners in
comparison to the rest of the album. Following this gem is "The Drug",
shifting back to the blues and soul roots. The song is another structural
masterpiece with a good blend of slow parts and upbeat parts to keep
listeners interested. The chorus is easy to sing along to, and this one
finally has a guitar solo in it. For background information, Chris Love can
play guitar better than anyone I've ever heard in my life, and this solo,
while impressive, just doesn't reflect what he's capable of. This detracts
from my personal view of the song, but it should not impact listeners who
haven't seen his full potential. The final track on the EP is entitled
"Miles Apart". Opening up with an acoustic guitar and a voice, this track
is exponentially different from the rest of the album. It has a certain
elegance to it, but the song doesn't really do much for me. It has
potential, but it sounds amateur after hearing what the band is capable of.

Overall, 4 out of the 5 songs are amazing, and last one isn't bad by any
means, just not up to par with the rest of the cd. These guys have a ton of
talent and could easily be out of Memphis VERY soon, so I'd recommend
checking them out as soon as you can before you have to pay a lot of money
for it. Pick up the album, it's one to groove to, and the bass hits pretty
hard. If you're into blues, R&B, and pop, this will definitely fit your
taste. Check them out, it's well worth it.

By Kyle Segars - The Daily Mississippian

Forbes.com Names Chris Love Memphis' Most Eligible Bachelor

Chris Love, 24
Singer-Songwriter
Love, who has been performing on Memphis' Beale Street since the age of 13, mixes blues with funk and R&B on his debut album On My Way Out.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/3/forbeslife-cx_singles07_Memphis_2851.html - Forbes.com