Chris Naish

Chris Naish releases his new album, Light a Cigarette, with a show tonight at Bonavista Baptist Church (1507 Acadia Dr. SE).

It may have been a somewhat inauspicious start to his performing career, but local singer-songwriter Chris Naish can at least laugh about it now.

He was in his early teens and a member of a punk band called Shove Off, a group he admits that had no talent and very little clue, who spoke in fake British accents after seeing a Sex Pistols documentary, and whose musical proficiency was as questionable as its repertoire and preparedness.

"We were booed off the stage of the Multicultural Centre," he says of that first show, which featured the hapless band without a drummer, as he'd been fired the night before for, Naish vaguely recalls, "bringing his own pop to practice or something like that."

You could chalk that event up to youth, sure, but it's probably also pretty much in keeping with a common theme in Naish's life that he admits to a little later on in the conversation: "I run before I can walk a little too much."

Well, if that's the case, consider him now, a decade later, clearly and comfortably in full musical stride with the release of his new six-song CD, Light a Cigarette. The album, the musician's third and first actually recorded in a studio, finds him in firm control of a solo sound he's been honing over the past five years while winning audiences, earning praise and even radio airplay. Part folk, part rock, part punk, part rap, the half-dozen songs make confident use of his varied influences that range from Bob Dylan and Tom Waits to the Ramones and The Strokes.

"In terms of the genre-bending, I wouldn't say that it's intentional that I set out to do that," he explains of his eclectic sound in a singer-songwriter package. "But I think that, especially nowadays when everybody has an iPod on shuffle, you don't listen to one type of thing. You don't even listen to an entire whole album. So I think that being influenced by different things comes out in that. . . . At the end of the day, it's all music."

And at the end of the day, Naish is just happy to be making it again. The album actually marks his return to doing what he loves after a six-month hiatus at the beginning of the year due to "writer's block, creative block - every block that you could think of. It was like Tetris there were so many blocks." But instead of holing himself up and shutting down completely for that half year, he set out on another performance path which ultimately led him back to music refreshed and ready to go.

"I still needed to do something on stage, because that's who I am, so I started doing standup, and that was awesome. But I found that I missed the music part of it. I found that the more I did standup the more I realized what was important about art and creating. . . . That's what comedy did for me."

And, he says, those comedic skills should also improve his between-song-banter - something hopefully everyone else will be able to laugh about. "I'd be funny maybe five out of 20 times," Naish says of the past, "so I thought if I go back to music after doing standup I'll be funny 10 out of 20 times."
- The Calgary Herald

Chris Naish releases his new album, Light a Cigarette, with a show tonight at Bonavista Baptist Church (1507 Acadia Dr. SE).

It may have been a somewhat inauspicious start to his performing career, but local singer-songwriter Chris Naish can at least laugh about it now.

He was in his early teens and a member of a punk band called Shove Off, a group he admits that had no talent and very little clue, who spoke in fake British accents after seeing a Sex Pistols documentary, and whose musical proficiency was as questionable as its repertoire and preparedness.

"We were booed off the stage of the Multicultural Centre," he says of that first show, which featured the hapless band without a drummer, as he'd been fired the night before for, Naish vaguely recalls, "bringing his own pop to practice or something like that."

You could chalk that event up to youth, sure, but it's probably also pretty much in keeping with a common theme in Naish's life that he admits to a little later on in the conversation: "I run before I can walk a little too much."

Well, if that's the case, consider him now, a decade later, clearly and comfortably in full musical stride with the release of his new six-song CD, Light a Cigarette. The album, the musician's third and first actually recorded in a studio, finds him in firm control of a solo sound he's been honing over the past five years while winning audiences, earning praise and even radio airplay. Part folk, part rock, part punk, part rap, the half-dozen songs make confident use of his varied influences that range from Bob Dylan and Tom Waits to the Ramones and The Strokes.

"In terms of the genre-bending, I wouldn't say that it's intentional that I set out to do that," he explains of his eclectic sound in a singer-songwriter package. "But I think that, especially nowadays when everybody has an iPod on shuffle, you don't listen to one type of thing. You don't even listen to an entire whole album. So I think that being influenced by different things comes out in that. . . . At the end of the day, it's all music."

And at the end of the day, Naish is just happy to be making it again. The album actually marks his return to doing what he loves after a six-month hiatus at the beginning of the year due to "writer's block, creative block - every block that you could think of. It was like Tetris there were so many blocks." But instead of holing himself up and shutting down completely for that half year, he set out on another performance path which ultimately led him back to music refreshed and ready to go.

"I still needed to do something on stage, because that's who I am, so I started doing standup, and that was awesome. But I found that I missed the music part of it. I found that the more I did standup the more I realized what was important about art and creating. . . . That's what comedy did for me."

And, he says, those comedic skills should also improve his between-song-banter - something hopefully everyone else will be able to laugh about. "I'd be funny maybe five out of 20 times," Naish says of the past, "so I thought if I go back to music after doing standup I'll be funny 10 out of 20 times."
- The Calgary Herald

It took severe culture shock for Chris Naish to finally start dealing with his depression.

The 25-year-old Calgary singer and songwriter suffered with the condition throughout his teenage years, but it wasn't until he went on a missionary trip to India and England in 2004 that he finally found a way to manage it.

"We rented an apartment for a month and we would tour the poorest parts of India," he recalls.

"So I'm dealing with that and then dealing with depression. But then I was like, 'I'm depressed but I'm such a privileged person living in Canada. There were all these emotions going around and I needed an outlet.' "

That outlet was Naish's guitar.

Though he'd played in a series of 'terrible' punk bands as a drummer and bass player, Naish had never written his own songs.

After returning to Canada, he found himself purging his deepest, darkest thoughts through music.

"I used to do mostly depressing stuff," says Naish.

"When I played at a restaurant, they'd have to hide the cutlery. That's how depressing it was." As Naish s songwriting journey, the glumness of his initial tunes was replaced by a more positive attitude.

He also became increasingly confident as a performer. He's been known to crack a few jokes during shows, a talent which he honed for six months this year on the stages of Calgary's comedy clubs.

"At the end of 2010 I was at a dead end creatively and I was stressing out," he says.

"So in January of this year I said, 'OK, no gigs for six months.' But I still needed to perform because I'm just built that way. So I did stand-up comedy with a friend of mine. Every week I'd be going to the open mics.

"I have a lot more confidence and I'm more able to talk to the audience. I think what you can expect at my show are a lot of different songs, but also a lot of joking and banter and stories. I try to make every show like you're just visiting my house and I'm trying to entertain you."

Naish's 'home' for his next show is the Bonavista Baptist Church, 1507 Acadia Dr. S.E., tonight where he'll celebrate the release of his debut studio album, Light A Cigarette.

While his 'garage-folk ' songs don't quite fit in the Christian music category -- he's closer in style to charismatic British tunesmith Pete Doherty -- Naish is active in his own church and there are moments when his faith comes through in his songwriting.

"I'm not going to shy away from it if a line works," he says.

"There's a line in Be The Road that says, 'I want the Lord to flow through me.' It's pretty straightforward. But it comes out honestly."

Tickets for Naish's CD release show are $10 and come with a copy of Light A Cigarette. - The Calgary Sun

It took severe culture shock for Chris Naish to finally start dealing with his depression.

The 25-year-old Calgary singer and songwriter suffered with the condition throughout his teenage years, but it wasn't until he went on a missionary trip to India and England in 2004 that he finally found a way to manage it.

"We rented an apartment for a month and we would tour the poorest parts of India," he recalls.

"So I'm dealing with that and then dealing with depression. But then I was like, 'I'm depressed but I'm such a privileged person living in Canada. There were all these emotions going around and I needed an outlet.' "

That outlet was Naish's guitar.

Though he'd played in a series of 'terrible' punk bands as a drummer and bass player, Naish had never written his own songs.

After returning to Canada, he found himself purging his deepest, darkest thoughts through music.

"I used to do mostly depressing stuff," says Naish.

"When I played at a restaurant, they'd have to hide the cutlery. That's how depressing it was." As Naish s songwriting journey, the glumness of his initial tunes was replaced by a more positive attitude.

He also became increasingly confident as a performer. He's been known to crack a few jokes during shows, a talent which he honed for six months this year on the stages of Calgary's comedy clubs.

"At the end of 2010 I was at a dead end creatively and I was stressing out," he says.

"So in January of this year I said, 'OK, no gigs for six months.' But I still needed to perform because I'm just built that way. So I did stand-up comedy with a friend of mine. Every week I'd be going to the open mics.

"I have a lot more confidence and I'm more able to talk to the audience. I think what you can expect at my show are a lot of different songs, but also a lot of joking and banter and stories. I try to make every show like you're just visiting my house and I'm trying to entertain you."

Naish's 'home' for his next show is the Bonavista Baptist Church, 1507 Acadia Dr. S.E., tonight where he'll celebrate the release of his debut studio album, Light A Cigarette.

While his 'garage-folk ' songs don't quite fit in the Christian music category -- he's closer in style to charismatic British tunesmith Pete Doherty -- Naish is active in his own church and there are moments when his faith comes through in his songwriting.

"I'm not going to shy away from it if a line works," he says.

"There's a line in Be The Road that says, 'I want the Lord to flow through me.' It's pretty straightforward. But it comes out honestly."

Tickets for Naish's CD release show are $10 and come with a copy of Light A Cigarette. - The Calgary Sun

A really good album must be three things: unique, diverse, and intelligent. Most releases have one or two of these qualities, but finding an album with that mythical third quality is quite rare. When we find it, the album is absolutely unforgettable. Fitting this description and introducing a distinct new sound is “Light A Cigarette”, the newest release from Calgary’s Chris Naish. The self-described “garage folk practitioner” has created something that is heartfelt, emotional and completely different, and that is pretty special.
Showing the inspiration of the legendary Bob Dylan, Neil Young and some Johnny Cash, Naish has a raw and unpolished sound that evokes images of dimly lit lounges, whiskey saloons, and someone who would sound incredible live. His talent is natural and untraditional, restoring faith in the artist who makes music just for the love of it and whose passion is worn on his sleeve. Each of the album’s six songs shows a deeply personal and spiritual side of Naish, with so much more left to be discovered.
With a mournful voice and lyrics like “I don‘t think I should have to fall to make my friends seem so tall”, the more you listen to “Be The Road”, the more you want to love and protect Naish. Between this and the final track, “See New York”, Naish’s album paints a sometimes heartbreaking picture that becomes even more powerful on repeat – and this truly is an album that must be listened to again and again to really be appreciated. Crisp guitar, soulful harmonica and what can only be called a one-of-a-kind voice create a captivating album that few other musicians could successfully pull off. - Indie 403

A really good album must be three things: unique, diverse, and intelligent. Most releases have one or two of these qualities, but finding an album with that mythical third quality is quite rare. When we find it, the album is absolutely unforgettable. Fitting this description and introducing a distinct new sound is “Light A Cigarette”, the newest release from Calgary’s Chris Naish. The self-described “garage folk practitioner” has created something that is heartfelt, emotional and completely different, and that is pretty special.
Showing the inspiration of the legendary Bob Dylan, Neil Young and some Johnny Cash, Naish has a raw and unpolished sound that evokes images of dimly lit lounges, whiskey saloons, and someone who would sound incredible live. His talent is natural and untraditional, restoring faith in the artist who makes music just for the love of it and whose passion is worn on his sleeve. Each of the album’s six songs shows a deeply personal and spiritual side of Naish, with so much more left to be discovered.
With a mournful voice and lyrics like “I don‘t think I should have to fall to make my friends seem so tall”, the more you listen to “Be The Road”, the more you want to love and protect Naish. Between this and the final track, “See New York”, Naish’s album paints a sometimes heartbreaking picture that becomes even more powerful on repeat – and this truly is an album that must be listened to again and again to really be appreciated. Crisp guitar, soulful harmonica and what can only be called a one-of-a-kind voice create a captivating album that few other musicians could successfully pull off. - Indie 403

The latest release from Canadian ‘garage folk’ artist Chris Naish is entitled ‘Light a Cigarette.’
The 6-track EP is filled with personal material from Naish that captures the ups & down parts of his life including a spiritual aspect that also comes through in his music.
Things get started with the Neil Young sounding acoustic guitar and harmonica filled, folk rock track, “Be the Road."
Other highlight tracks include, “Never Stop,” that offers up almost rapping vocals on it. The title track, “Light a Cigarette” is a nice story telling styled folk song. “See New York,” offers up sharp crisp notes and passion filled vocals.
Review Takeaway: It’s been probably 4-5 years now since I first heard Naish’s music. Over those years I’ve reviewed his music for different music sites that I’ve run and have grown to appreciate his music that offers up what’s good about Indie music. His music is driven by personal goals and talent and not by greed or the search for a fast buck. - CW's Place

The latest release from Canadian ‘garage folk’ artist Chris Naish is entitled ‘Light a Cigarette.’
The 6-track EP is filled with personal material from Naish that captures the ups & down parts of his life including a spiritual aspect that also comes through in his music.
Things get started with the Neil Young sounding acoustic guitar and harmonica filled, folk rock track, “Be the Road."
Other highlight tracks include, “Never Stop,” that offers up almost rapping vocals on it. The title track, “Light a Cigarette” is a nice story telling styled folk song. “See New York,” offers up sharp crisp notes and passion filled vocals.
Review Takeaway: It’s been probably 4-5 years now since I first heard Naish’s music. Over those years I’ve reviewed his music for different music sites that I’ve run and have grown to appreciate his music that offers up what’s good about Indie music. His music is driven by personal goals and talent and not by greed or the search for a fast buck. - CW's Place

This is a wonderful album.
Hailing from Alberta, Canada, Chris Naish plays a style of folk music that is equally reminiscent of Neil Young and Daniel Johnston, but only superficially. In reality his material is crystal-clear in its transparency and originality, giving you a very strong sense of “who” Chris is from his perspective through a very unique and beautiful narrative.
Chris’ upcoming album Light a Cigarette embodies this persona perfectly. The record opens with “Be the Road,” a hauntingly sad song separated in to pieces by some wonderful harmonica melodies. It is absolutely gorgeous and deserves to be carefully listened over and over again. The rest of the album is a beautiful and unpredictable ride; to dissect or analyze each song would only distract and minimize their meaning and significance.
We’ve all seen “singer/songwriter-guy” at various coffee shops or being characterized and made fun of on television. Chris Naish is not “that guy.” There isn’t a hint of pretentiousness or “cheesiness” anywhere. If anything, it somehow sounds relatively uncertain in theme in spite of the fact that each song is so well executed. The guitar playing is consistent in tempo, clarity and volume. When played, the harmonica somehow manages to stay at the same volume as the vocals, something to be carefully considered when both are recorded with the same microphone in a live take.
The whole essence of this record is a sense of reflective empathy from the listener’s perspective, perhaps not even intentionally. It sounds just like someone playing right in front of you and doesn’t offer any distractions from the intended message. There are lots of accurate ways to describe this record but if only one adjective could be offered, it would have to be “honest.” This is a painfully honest record, in every sense of the word. You finish every song understanding the exact message that has been conveyed, only to be redirected all over again.
Chris Naish is a rarity in the music world. Every so often, artists with an interesting and off-kilter persona manage to grab someone’s real, honest attention in a world full of distractions. Chris sounds like himself, and that is what every artist ultimately strives for. Perfect pitch is thrown by the wayside and the focus is instead on lyrical content and delivery.
This record is an emotional and hypnotic treasure. It is an artistic masterpiece that is just short enough to let you reflect on its message, but feels just as complete as any other full length album out there that is twice as long. Get this record and show your friends. 5/5 stars - Indie Music Reviewer

This is a wonderful album.
Hailing from Alberta, Canada, Chris Naish plays a style of folk music that is equally reminiscent of Neil Young and Daniel Johnston, but only superficially. In reality his material is crystal-clear in its transparency and originality, giving you a very strong sense of “who” Chris is from his perspective through a very unique and beautiful narrative.
Chris’ upcoming album Light a Cigarette embodies this persona perfectly. The record opens with “Be the Road,” a hauntingly sad song separated in to pieces by some wonderful harmonica melodies. It is absolutely gorgeous and deserves to be carefully listened over and over again. The rest of the album is a beautiful and unpredictable ride; to dissect or analyze each song would only distract and minimize their meaning and significance.
We’ve all seen “singer/songwriter-guy” at various coffee shops or being characterized and made fun of on television. Chris Naish is not “that guy.” There isn’t a hint of pretentiousness or “cheesiness” anywhere. If anything, it somehow sounds relatively uncertain in theme in spite of the fact that each song is so well executed. The guitar playing is consistent in tempo, clarity and volume. When played, the harmonica somehow manages to stay at the same volume as the vocals, something to be carefully considered when both are recorded with the same microphone in a live take.
The whole essence of this record is a sense of reflective empathy from the listener’s perspective, perhaps not even intentionally. It sounds just like someone playing right in front of you and doesn’t offer any distractions from the intended message. There are lots of accurate ways to describe this record but if only one adjective could be offered, it would have to be “honest.” This is a painfully honest record, in every sense of the word. You finish every song understanding the exact message that has been conveyed, only to be redirected all over again.
Chris Naish is a rarity in the music world. Every so often, artists with an interesting and off-kilter persona manage to grab someone’s real, honest attention in a world full of distractions. Chris sounds like himself, and that is what every artist ultimately strives for. Perfect pitch is thrown by the wayside and the focus is instead on lyrical content and delivery.
This record is an emotional and hypnotic treasure. It is an artistic masterpiece that is just short enough to let you reflect on its message, but feels just as complete as any other full length album out there that is twice as long. Get this record and show your friends. 5/5 stars - Indie Music Reviewer

Chris Naish puts this spin on the recipe for his music- “thrilling garage folk, raw real-life lyrics, wild vocals and you put ‘em on a stage and you’re just getting started.” Sounds good, in print. This Canadian fellow has made sure that his work is available at most Web locations, so those who want to experience NEVER STOP will just have to go to one of their music bookmarks for a sample or a download. Here you will find, as Naish writes, “foot-stamping solo acoustic songs, two broken bottle blues numbers and one Joe Cocker meets Joe Strummer soul shouter.”

So that’s what this listener did – go to one of the sites to experience Chris Naish. The first tune we stumbled across, “Sleep When You’re Dead,” is kinda rap in the lyrics, kinda blues in the feet, and sort of rock in other parts of the body/song. Not bad stuff at all. Apparently the folks around his home area of Alberta in Canada are screaming for him to be played on the local stations and reviewed in print and on the Web. Remember that Naish is (or was) a folk player at times. That’s the news, but then, what is “folk” in this day and age. He pounds some stuff on his CD. He is assisted by the Wasted Nights: Brian Merritt – drums and Morgan Uxbridge – bass. It seems Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of his influences. That’s kinda nice too. - Indie Update.com

Chris Naish puts this spin on the recipe for his music- “thrilling garage folk, raw real-life lyrics, wild vocals and you put ‘em on a stage and you’re just getting started.” Sounds good, in print. This Canadian fellow has made sure that his work is available at most Web locations, so those who want to experience NEVER STOP will just have to go to one of their music bookmarks for a sample or a download. Here you will find, as Naish writes, “foot-stamping solo acoustic songs, two broken bottle blues numbers and one Joe Cocker meets Joe Strummer soul shouter.”

So that’s what this listener did – go to one of the sites to experience Chris Naish. The first tune we stumbled across, “Sleep When You’re Dead,” is kinda rap in the lyrics, kinda blues in the feet, and sort of rock in other parts of the body/song. Not bad stuff at all. Apparently the folks around his home area of Alberta in Canada are screaming for him to be played on the local stations and reviewed in print and on the Web. Remember that Naish is (or was) a folk player at times. That’s the news, but then, what is “folk” in this day and age. He pounds some stuff on his CD. He is assisted by the Wasted Nights: Brian Merritt – drums and Morgan Uxbridge – bass. It seems Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of his influences. That’s kinda nice too. - Indie Update.com

How You Can Help Support Indie Music and Depression Charities
Tuesday February 17, 2009

Chris Naish from the indie band The Wasted Nights had a unique idea for promoting his band: post a viral video on Youtube offering to donate 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the band's single "Sleep When You're Dead" to depression and suicide prevention charities.

The song, written by Chris, is about his struggles with depression so you know it's a sincere effort from his heart. While I haven't been able to locate any samples of the song, there is a Youtube video from one of their live performances of another song called "Never Stop" and I'd say, at only 99 cents a download, it's worth taking a chance downloading "Sleep When You're Dead." - Depression. About.com

How You Can Help Support Indie Music and Depression Charities
Tuesday February 17, 2009

Chris Naish from the indie band The Wasted Nights had a unique idea for promoting his band: post a viral video on Youtube offering to donate 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the band's single "Sleep When You're Dead" to depression and suicide prevention charities.

The song, written by Chris, is about his struggles with depression so you know it's a sincere effort from his heart. While I haven't been able to locate any samples of the song, there is a Youtube video from one of their live performances of another song called "Never Stop" and I'd say, at only 99 cents a download, it's worth taking a chance downloading "Sleep When You're Dead." - Depression. About.com

Chris Naish takes the lo-fi route to success!

Calgary acoustic-folk rocker Chris Naish was forced to do some homework after receiving the first glowing review for his collection of sad, post-punk pop tunes.

It was in a freebie Calgary magazine and the reviewer compared the songs on Naish's lo-fi debut Dog in Bombay to those of Paul Westerberg -- former leader of the Replacements and the undisputed granddaddy of sad, post-punk pop tunes.

The comparison should have flattered the 21-year-old songsmith. Instead it sent him scurrying to YouTube to find out who this Westerberg character was.

"Once I found out who he was, it was cool," says the soft-spoken Naish. "I listened to the Replacements and stuff. It was really good. But I would say my main influences are Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Shane McGowen."

Naish's discovery of Westerberg is part of the young writer's continued self-education in the ways of the song. It began as a means to expand his musical vocabulary past the punk rock he grew infatuated with as a teen battling what he matter-of-factly describes as "suicidal depression."

Soon, he had travelled far beyond the severe limitations of his first musical hero, Sid Vicious, to more bedrock strains of rock 'n' roll.

"I started to think about where that cool sound came from," he says. "I started listening to early Stones, the Beatles, the Who.

"I went past that to Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry. The more you go down, you will eventually get to blues and folk."

Which only half explains the gritty, stripped-down feel of Naish's work. After recording his debut album with only voice, guitar and harmonica, the songwriter realized that recording need not be an expensive, drawn-out endeavour.

Earlier this year, he discovered that Calgary's Fuel 90.3 had a show dedicated to indie rock.

So he barricaded himself in his basement with some primitive recording equipment and -- in a burst of fierce DIY determination -- had a new song in the hands of host Matt Schicter the following day.

"I had a bunch of songs, so I recorded them in my sweatpants . . . and Homer slippers," Naish says with a laugh. "I had the next day off, so I drove it down to the station."

Needless to say, it worked. Schicter's show, 16th Ave, has played a number of Naish's tunes since October.

Meanwhile, the songwriter has enlisted an army of supporters to keep up the pressure on the station.

According to Fuel program director Murray Brookshaw, the station has received hundreds of requests in the past few months. "I'm inundated by his fan base: 'Play Chris Naish! Play Chris Naish! Play Chris Naish!" says Brookshaw with a chuckle. "I go to my e-mail and there is 15 in there every day. He's a good local artist and it shows he has a committed fan base who are tech savvy."

It also shows the songwriter's other main talent: self-promotion. Naish -- who sells Jacuzzis by day -- leaves no stone unturned. While he doesn't consider himself a "Christian rock" performer, for instance, he has received a good deal of attention from that particular musical subculture.

Christian radio and its publications have promoted Naish's first disc.

"I'm Christian and that's part of my life and it's part of my music," he says. "But I'm not a Christian rocker per se. . . . Bob Marley was a Rastafarian, but he didn't condemn anyone or say 'be a Rasta or die.' I see my songs opening communication between Christians and non-Christians."

As for the enigmatic title of his debut disc, Naish says it was borne out of his trips to India to do missionary work as a teen.

The missions, which often found him performing music and drama to large audiences, gave him a glimpse into the gritty world of Bombay -- and he felt an affinity to some of the city's most beleaguered tenants.

"The dogs in Bombay are beaten and scarred," he says. "They are treated very badly. It was all about my depression . . . It was a way of dealing with my depression."

An analogy worthy of Westerberg.
- The Calgary Herald

Chris Naish takes the lo-fi route to success!

Calgary acoustic-folk rocker Chris Naish was forced to do some homework after receiving the first glowing review for his collection of sad, post-punk pop tunes.

It was in a freebie Calgary magazine and the reviewer compared the songs on Naish's lo-fi debut Dog in Bombay to those of Paul Westerberg -- former leader of the Replacements and the undisputed granddaddy of sad, post-punk pop tunes.

The comparison should have flattered the 21-year-old songsmith. Instead it sent him scurrying to YouTube to find out who this Westerberg character was.

"Once I found out who he was, it was cool," says the soft-spoken Naish. "I listened to the Replacements and stuff. It was really good. But I would say my main influences are Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Shane McGowen."

Naish's discovery of Westerberg is part of the young writer's continued self-education in the ways of the song. It began as a means to expand his musical vocabulary past the punk rock he grew infatuated with as a teen battling what he matter-of-factly describes as "suicidal depression."

Soon, he had travelled far beyond the severe limitations of his first musical hero, Sid Vicious, to more bedrock strains of rock 'n' roll.

"I started to think about where that cool sound came from," he says. "I started listening to early Stones, the Beatles, the Who.

"I went past that to Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry. The more you go down, you will eventually get to blues and folk."

Which only half explains the gritty, stripped-down feel of Naish's work. After recording his debut album with only voice, guitar and harmonica, the songwriter realized that recording need not be an expensive, drawn-out endeavour.

Earlier this year, he discovered that Calgary's Fuel 90.3 had a show dedicated to indie rock.

So he barricaded himself in his basement with some primitive recording equipment and -- in a burst of fierce DIY determination -- had a new song in the hands of host Matt Schicter the following day.

"I had a bunch of songs, so I recorded them in my sweatpants . . . and Homer slippers," Naish says with a laugh. "I had the next day off, so I drove it down to the station."

Needless to say, it worked. Schicter's show, 16th Ave, has played a number of Naish's tunes since October.

Meanwhile, the songwriter has enlisted an army of supporters to keep up the pressure on the station.

According to Fuel program director Murray Brookshaw, the station has received hundreds of requests in the past few months. "I'm inundated by his fan base: 'Play Chris Naish! Play Chris Naish! Play Chris Naish!" says Brookshaw with a chuckle. "I go to my e-mail and there is 15 in there every day. He's a good local artist and it shows he has a committed fan base who are tech savvy."

It also shows the songwriter's other main talent: self-promotion. Naish -- who sells Jacuzzis by day -- leaves no stone unturned. While he doesn't consider himself a "Christian rock" performer, for instance, he has received a good deal of attention from that particular musical subculture.

Christian radio and its publications have promoted Naish's first disc.

"I'm Christian and that's part of my life and it's part of my music," he says. "But I'm not a Christian rocker per se. . . . Bob Marley was a Rastafarian, but he didn't condemn anyone or say 'be a Rasta or die.' I see my songs opening communication between Christians and non-Christians."

As for the enigmatic title of his debut disc, Naish says it was borne out of his trips to India to do missionary work as a teen.

The missions, which often found him performing music and drama to large audiences, gave him a glimpse into the gritty world of Bombay -- and he felt an affinity to some of the city's most beleaguered tenants.

"The dogs in Bombay are beaten and scarred," he says. "They are treated very badly. It was all about my depression . . . It was a way of dealing with my depression."

An analogy worthy of Westerberg.
- The Calgary Herald

Chris Naish has earned a reputation as someone who works to get noticed.
- The Canmore Leader and the Banff Craig and Canyon

Chris Naish has earned a reputation as someone who works to get noticed.
- The Canmore Leader and the Banff Craig and Canyon

Folk singer Chris Naish's fans bombarded us with e-mails
so we brought him on the show and he lived up to the hype. - CITY TV

Folk singer Chris Naish's fans bombarded us with e-mails
so we brought him on the show and he lived up to the hype. - CITY TV

Chris Naish used the dark night to regain life through a bout of insomnia. The singer-songwriter says for almost a year he barely slept as he dealt with a depression that left him unable to bounce back.
"Basically, I just played the guitar all the time, all night long;' says the Calgary-based musician. "It was really good and proactive. I just kept getting better and writing more and more:'
Naish is the recurring voice of pop antifolk that can be heard most Sundays on Fuel 90.3's evening show, 16th Ave., at 8 p.m., featuring Calgary indie music.

Before he had a CD recorded, Naish was submitting his songs to Deejay Matt Schichter to play on the weekend program. About two months ago, Schichter decided to give one of Naish's songs a whirl and found the next day his e-mail box was full of requests for more of the conversational and humorous songwriter's tunes. "He's got a cool, reggae folk thing happening. I could see him playing in a bar and people really enjoying it," says' Schichter. Naish has been submitting a new song each week to the station, and continues to get air time.

He's been performing and playing (his self-titled indie release) around town for the last few years and he says talking about his battle with depression seems to make the greatest impact on audiences.
"More people than you would expect seem to be able to relate to that," says Naish, adding he realized how bad his depression was during a trip to India.

Naish was a member of Venture Teams International, a missionary-style performancegroup.He was on a year-long trip with the group through India and England when he realized he had to return home right away and get help. "I thought I was OK. I had to be tough guy. I didn't have time for emotions. I kept pushing the feelings down and ignoring them," says Naish, adding he was taken aback by the extreme poverty of India's population.
"It was an amazing trip, but in India you can see a group of mansions and in between in a tiny area you will see five families living in the space between two buildings," says Naish. "The travelling just compounded my depression and made me realize I couldn't ignore it any more:'

He returned to Calgary mid-trip and began dealing with some issues that had plagued him since his teen years. Naish says it was that depression which helped him to become a better songwriter -a passion which now brings him a great deal of happiness.

"It was when I started writing about my self and my real emotions that I began to get good." he says. - The Calgary Sun

Chris Naish used the dark night to regain life through a bout of insomnia. The singer-songwriter says for almost a year he barely slept as he dealt with a depression that left him unable to bounce back.
"Basically, I just played the guitar all the time, all night long;' says the Calgary-based musician. "It was really good and proactive. I just kept getting better and writing more and more:'
Naish is the recurring voice of pop antifolk that can be heard most Sundays on Fuel 90.3's evening show, 16th Ave., at 8 p.m., featuring Calgary indie music.

Before he had a CD recorded, Naish was submitting his songs to Deejay Matt Schichter to play on the weekend program. About two months ago, Schichter decided to give one of Naish's songs a whirl and found the next day his e-mail box was full of requests for more of the conversational and humorous songwriter's tunes. "He's got a cool, reggae folk thing happening. I could see him playing in a bar and people really enjoying it," says' Schichter. Naish has been submitting a new song each week to the station, and continues to get air time.

He's been performing and playing (his self-titled indie release) around town for the last few years and he says talking about his battle with depression seems to make the greatest impact on audiences.
"More people than you would expect seem to be able to relate to that," says Naish, adding he realized how bad his depression was during a trip to India.

Naish was a member of Venture Teams International, a missionary-style performancegroup.He was on a year-long trip with the group through India and England when he realized he had to return home right away and get help. "I thought I was OK. I had to be tough guy. I didn't have time for emotions. I kept pushing the feelings down and ignoring them," says Naish, adding he was taken aback by the extreme poverty of India's population.
"It was an amazing trip, but in India you can see a group of mansions and in between in a tiny area you will see five families living in the space between two buildings," says Naish. "The travelling just compounded my depression and made me realize I couldn't ignore it any more:'

He returned to Calgary mid-trip and began dealing with some issues that had plagued him since his teen years. Naish says it was that depression which helped him to become a better songwriter -a passion which now brings him a great deal of happiness.

"It was when I started writing about my self and my real emotions that I began to get good." he says. - The Calgary Sun

Chris Naish is singing the Christmastime blues.
Like many other Calgarians, the local songwriter is trying to
make the holidays less stressful. - The Calgary Sun's 24 HOURS

Chris Naish is singing the Christmastime blues.
Like many other Calgarians, the local songwriter is trying to
make the holidays less stressful. - The Calgary Sun's 24 HOURS

Channeling a little Dylan and some carefully dispersed spirituality
into a raggedly warm, one-man, one-guitar recording whose
appeal lies in it's simplicity, Chris Naish served notice that some of
Calgary's better young folkies are the ones clamoring for the least attention - Beatroute

Channeling a little Dylan and some carefully dispersed spirituality
into a raggedly warm, one-man, one-guitar recording whose
appeal lies in it's simplicity, Chris Naish served notice that some of
Calgary's better young folkies are the ones clamoring for the least attention - Beatroute

SATURDAY AT THE SANCTUARY

Looking for something different to do with your Saturday night?

Well, why not wander your way down to the House Coffee Sanctuary in Kensington to take in the acoustic tunes of Chris Naish and his band the Wasted Nights as they perform in front of a packed crowd at the popular coffee shop.

It's all part of Gonzo Night, an event that outgrew its once-a-month billing to become the bi-weekly night of good music and great company it is now.

No cover charge, no line up for the loo, no beer spilling on your shoes.

Get thee friends to Gonzo Night!

-KELLY DOODY - The Calgary Sun

SATURDAY AT THE SANCTUARY

Looking for something different to do with your Saturday night?

Well, why not wander your way down to the House Coffee Sanctuary in Kensington to take in the acoustic tunes of Chris Naish and his band the Wasted Nights as they perform in front of a packed crowd at the popular coffee shop.

It's all part of Gonzo Night, an event that outgrew its once-a-month billing to become the bi-weekly night of good music and great company it is now.

No cover charge, no line up for the loo, no beer spilling on your shoes.

Get thee friends to Gonzo Night!

-KELLY DOODY - The Calgary Sun