Chris Funk
Encyclopedia
Christopher Lyman Funk is a multi-instrumentalist
and member of the Portland
, Oregon
, indie rock
band The Decemberists. He is originally from Valparaiso
, Indiana
where he worked at Front Porch Music which inspired his love of American Folk Music. He plays guitar
, pedal steel
, piano
, violin
, dobro
, hurdy gurdy
, mandolin
, saxophone
, the theremin
and many other instruments. Funk joined the band after attendance at Coe College
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
. After the trailer with all their equipment and merchandise was stolen in 2005, Funk wrote "This Machine Kills Thieves" on his banjo
, in reference to Pete Seeger
and Woody Guthrie
.
He is a member of Knock-knock with DJ Rev (from the hip-hop group Lifesavas
on Quannum Projects
). He is also a member of the string band Black Prairie
who released their first album, Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, in 2010. He also plays in the country rock group Blue Giant
. He has produced records for The Builders and The Butchers
, Langhorne Slim
, Y La Bamba, and Red Fang.
He curated the Portland edition of Burn to Shine
DVD released in 2006.
On December 20, 2006, Funk appeared on Comedy Central
's The Colbert Report to end a longstanding feud with the show's host, Stephen Colbert
. A contest ensued in which Funk and Colbert would each shred guitar while a panel of judges decided the winner. After Funk's solo, Colbert hurt his hand and asked Peter Frampton
to fill in for him. The contest ended with Colbert/Frampton deciding the winner and Colbert was awarded The Crane Wife
by The Decemberists as the grand prize. Funk then performed an "all-guitar jam" alongside Frampton, Robert Schneider
(of The Apples in Stereo
), and Rick Nielsen
.
He lives in the Mississippi area of Portland, with his girlfriend Seann McKeel and daughter Scout Fahey Funk who was named after a character in the book To Kill A Mockingbird
and guitarist John Fahey
.
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
and member of the Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band The Decemberists. He is originally from Valparaiso
Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
where he worked at Front Porch Music which inspired his love of American Folk Music. He plays guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pedal steel
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, hurdy gurdy
Hurdy gurdy
The hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to a violin...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, the theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
and many other instruments. Funk joined the band after attendance at Coe College
Coe College
Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa...
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
. After the trailer with all their equipment and merchandise was stolen in 2005, Funk wrote "This Machine Kills Thieves" on his banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, in reference to Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
and Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
.
He is a member of Knock-knock with DJ Rev (from the hip-hop group Lifesavas
Lifesavas
Lifesavas are a hip-hop group from Portland, Oregon. Jumbo the Garbageman is an MC/producer and Vursatyl is an MC. DJ Shines has also been involved in much of the production and DJing on their albums.- Discography :* Spirit in Stone...
on Quannum Projects
Quannum Projects
Quannum Projects is a hip hop collective based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been active since 1992, when it was formed at UC Davis under the moniker Solesides Records. It is also the name of the independent record label that releases their records, as well as those of a number of other...
). He is also a member of the string band Black Prairie
Black Prairie
Black Prairie is a five-piece bluegrass-influenced band from Portland, Oregon. The band formed in early 2007. Their first album, Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, was released on April 6, 2010 on the Sugar Hill label.-History:...
who released their first album, Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, in 2010. He also plays in the country rock group Blue Giant
Blue Giant (band)
Blue Giant is an American rock band from Portland, Oregon. An eclectic mix of classic country, indie rock, and psychedelic styles, Blue Giant have been called a Portland supergroup...
. He has produced records for The Builders and The Butchers
The Builders and the Butchers
The Builders and The Butchers are a Folk Rock band based in Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/guitar player Ryan Sollee. The other members of the band are Willy Kunkle , Justin Bier , Ray Rude , and Harvey Tumbleson The Builders and The Butchers are a Folk Rock band based in...
, Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim is an American singer-songwriter, . Scolnick attended high school at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, part of the SUNY system.He began to gain public notice through several years of touring with the...
, Y La Bamba, and Red Fang.
He curated the Portland edition of Burn to Shine
Burn to Shine (DVD series)
Burn to Shine is an ongoing series of music DVDs created by Trixie DVD, a collaboration between filmmaker Christoph Green and ex-Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty. The filmmakers select a house that is set to be demolished in a certain city and ask a member of a local band to curate the event...
DVD released in 2006.
On December 20, 2006, Funk appeared on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's The Colbert Report to end a longstanding feud with the show's host, Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
. A contest ensued in which Funk and Colbert would each shred guitar while a panel of judges decided the winner. After Funk's solo, Colbert hurt his hand and asked Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
to fill in for him. The contest ended with Colbert/Frampton deciding the winner and Colbert was awarded The Crane Wife
The Crane Wife
The Crane Wife is an album by The Decemberists, released in 2006. It was produced by Tucker Martine and Chris Walla, and is the band's first album on the Capitol Records label. The album was inspired by a Japanese folk tale, and centers on two song cycles, The Crane Wife and The Island, the latter...
by The Decemberists as the grand prize. Funk then performed an "all-guitar jam" alongside Frampton, Robert Schneider
Robert Schneider
Robert Peter Schneider is one of the co-founders of The Elephant 6 Recording Company, along with Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, and Jeff Mangum...
(of The Apples in Stereo
The Apples in Stereo
The Apples in Stereo, styled The Apples in stereo, is an American indie rock band associated with The Elephant Six Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control. The band is largely a product of lead vocalist/guitarist Robert Schneider, who writes the...
), and Rick Nielsen
Rick Nielsen
-External links:* * *...
.
He lives in the Mississippi area of Portland, with his girlfriend Seann McKeel and daughter Scout Fahey Funk who was named after a character in the book To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature...
and guitarist John Fahey
John Fahey (musician)
John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
.
The Decemberists
- Castaways and Cutouts (LP, Kill Rock StarsKill Rock StarsKill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, 2002) - Her MajestyHer Majesty (Decemberists album)Note: On some editions, the track list printed on the actual disc is missing the song "The Chimbley Sweep", though the song is listed on the back of the CD jacket and in the liner notes....
(LP, Kill Rock Stars, 2003) - The TainThe TainThe Tain is an EP by The Decemberists released in 2004 by Acuarela Discos and in 2005 by Kill Rock Stars. The single 18-plus minute track is the band's take on the Irish mythological epic Táin Bó Cúailnge which is often simply called The Táin...
(EP, Acuarela Discos, 2004) - Billy LiarBilly Liar (The Decemberists song)"Billy Liar" is the first single released by The Decemberists. Deriving its title from the English novel Billy Liar, the song also references "Nogood Boyo" of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, and appears to generally talk about a young man's boredom during long summer days...
(Single, Rough TradeRough Trade RecordsRough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
, 2004) - PicaresquePicaresque (album)Picaresque is an album by The Decemberists released in 2005 on the Kill Rock Stars record label. It was produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie....
(LP, Kill Rock Stars, 2005) - 16 Military Wives16 Military Wives"Sixteen Military Wives", sometimes referred to as "16 by 32", is a single released by The Decemberists from their third album, Picaresque.-Subject:...
(Single, Rough Trade, 2005) - The Crane WifeThe Crane WifeThe Crane Wife is an album by The Decemberists, released in 2006. It was produced by Tucker Martine and Chris Walla, and is the band's first album on the Capitol Records label. The album was inspired by a Japanese folk tale, and centers on two song cycles, The Crane Wife and The Island, the latter...
(LP, Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, 2006) - The Hazards of LoveThe Hazards of LoveThe Hazards of Love, released March 24, 2009, is the fifth album by The Decemberists. The album was inspired by an Anne Briggs EP titled The Hazards of Love. According to the band, frontman Colin Meloy set out to write a song with the album's title—eventually leading to an entire album...
(LP, Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, 2009) - The King is Dead (LP, Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, 2011)
Black Prairie
- "Feast of the Hunters' Moon" (LP, Sugar Hill Records, 2010
Knock-knock
- Busted in Borstle (LP, Barsuk, 2007)
- To Elliott, From PortlandTo Elliott, From PortlandTo: Elliott, From: Portland is a 2006 tribute album to Elliott Smith that contains musicians from Portland, Oregon. The Thermals version of "Ballad of Big Nothing" was recorded and mixed by Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme. Many of the artists knew Elliott personally and played with Elliott at...
(contributed cover of Elliott Smith's "Speed Trials")
Guest artist
- Langhorne Slim "Be Set Free"
- Laura Veirs "July Flame"
- The Minus 5The Minus 5The Minus 5 is an American rock band, headed by musician Scott McCaughey and featuring R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.-Band history:Formed in 1993, McCaughey designed the Minus 5 as a pop collective, with each record the group put out featuring a new lineup...
"Killngsworth" - MirahMirahMirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn , is an American musician based in San Francisco California. She has released five albums under the K Records label.- Background :...
, "(a)spera" - The ShinsThe ShinsThe Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
, "Wincing the Night Away" - The Long WintersThe Long WintersThe Long Winters is an American indie rock band based in Seattle, Washington.-Early history:Singer-songwriter John Roderick was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. He later returned to Seattle, formed the Bun Family Players and the The Western State Hurricanes...
, "Putting the Days to Bed" - LifesavasLifesavasLifesavas are a hip-hop group from Portland, Oregon. Jumbo the Garbageman is an MC/producer and Vursatyl is an MC. DJ Shines has also been involved in much of the production and DJing on their albums.- Discography :* Spirit in Stone...
, "Gutterfly" - Norfolk & WesternNorfolk & Western (band)Norfolk & Western is an indie rock and folk/rock band from Portland, Oregon. An essential part of their stage set-up and sound is a turn-of-the-century Victrola Grammaphone. Norfolk and Western began as the recording project of Adam Selzer with friends, including M. Ward, playing various...
, "Dusk in Cold Parlours" & "If You Were Born Overseas" - TrackerTracker (band)Tracker is an American indie rock ensemble from Portland, Oregon. The act was founded in 1998 by John Askew, a freelance audio engineer and writer for Tape Op magazine.-Background:...
, "Blankets" & "Polk" - Blanket MusicBlanket MusicBlanket Music is a jazz-influenced indie-rock band from Portland, Oregon. Led by Chad Crouch, the owner/operator of Hush Records.-History:The band formed in 1999, to perform at a wedding reception. Mixing jazz, rock, bossa nova and pop music, the band released debut album Nice in 2000...
, "Cultural Norms" - Casey NeillCasey NeillCasey Neill is an American musician. He leads Portland, Oregon-based band Casey Neill & The Norway Rats, singing with a raspy vocal quality and playing electric and acoustic guitars. Neill's style, folk-punk, mixes influences from punk, Celtic and folk music, and has been compared to R.E.M...
, "Brooklyn Bridge" - Markus Ello, "Winesburg, Ohio", "Big Charade", "Rock In My Head", "As Fucked As Me"
- Your Neighbors, "4184"
Producer
- Langhorne SlimLanghorne SlimLanghorne Slim is an American singer-songwriter, . Scolnick attended high school at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, part of the SUNY system.He began to gain public notice through several years of touring with the...
- Y La Bamba
- The Builders and The ButchersThe Builders and the ButchersThe Builders and The Butchers are a Folk Rock band based in Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/guitar player Ryan Sollee. The other members of the band are Willy Kunkle , Justin Bier , Ray Rude , and Harvey Tumbleson The Builders and The Butchers are a Folk Rock band based in...
- Peter Wilde "Carnival"
- Red FangRed Fang (band)Red Fang is an American heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon.Red Fang's 2009 debut for record label Sargent House collected their first two releases, which were limited release EPs. The band followed with Murder the Mountains, released on Relapse Records, in 2011. Chris Funk produced Murder the...