Chris and Thomas
Encyclopedia
Chris and Thomas are an American
folk duo based in Los Angeles
, California
, consisting of Christopher Anderson and Thomas Hien. They are signed with Defend Music.
and Paul McCartney
had met decades before. They played the Irish pubs and they sang for the Queen while they earned music degrees in film composition
.
In the late 1990s the two had created “Cook Au Van,” a traveling cooking show. The vehicle for the show was an old gas board utility van that they had converted into a five star restaurant. Made from found objects, the van boasted water fountains, changing works of art and a fully functional wet bar
. Inside the van, they hosted dinner parties for the Lord Mayor
and countless British celebrities. After doing the circus lifestyle with the traveling restaurant and cooking for the likes of Jarvis Cocker
, Bill Drummond
, politicians and fine artists, the two had decided to turn back to their true love of music.
In 2003 Chris and Thomas arrived in Los Angeles, California. The duo's live debut was on 18 November 2003, opening up at the Hotel Café
for singer songwriter Alexi Murdoch
. Their unique live performance which involved playing with one condenser microphone and gathering around it like some modern day Carter Family
, quickly earned Chris and Thomas a name on the L.A. club circuit.
That was just the beginning. Returning from a weekend in Joshua Tree
, the two were greeted by multiple phone messages from excited friends who had heard their song "Take These Thoughts" on L.A.'s influential NPR station KCRW. It was news to the pair. Their EP, Vista Street Sessions, was passed on by a mutual friend to the station’s tastemaker DJ and music director Nic Harcourt
. Harcourt programmed the disc on his show, eventually included it on NPR's syndicated Sounds Eclectic
, which introduced a national audience to Chris and Thomas.
On air performances on KCRW and other radio stations followed with appearances at SXSW and other venues and festivals throughout the country. More radio stations have added Chris and Thomas to their playlists in the US, and Europe.
"Take These Thoughts" won best song of the year in the Americana
category at the Independent Music Awards 2005. The duo's full length debut Land Of Sea was recorded with producer/engineer Mark Howard
(Bob Dylan
, U2
, Tom Waits
). Howard, who used to work with producer Daniel Lanois
for over ten years, has a unique way of recording. He rented out an old sound stage
in Hollywood, where he set up vintage recording equipment, Persian rugs, Victorian lamps and brought in musicians to accompany Chris and Thomas on their record.
The record was first released in the UK in 2006 in conjunction with a 5-week tour and has gained critical acclaim and positive reviews (4 stars and runner-up to album of the month in the music magazine MOJO
. The US release occurred in late August 2007.
Chris and Thomas and Oscar-nominated composer John Debney
wrote the title song for Garry Marshall
's 2007 film Georgia Rule
starring Lindsey Lohan and Jane Fonda
.
Most recently, the duo scored music for the 2010 Sony Pictures hit movie Friendship! (2010) directed by Markus Goller and starring Matthias Schweighöfer
With their records being played on NPR, Chris and Thomas have an audience everywhere they play: places like the Roxy in Los Angeles, and the Mercury Lounge
in New York.
After performing in the US for years they have become recognized by NPR including:
and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee
.
He studied literature at Trinity College
in Dublin, Ireland, Political Science at the University of Salzburg
, Austria
,
and attained a BA in music at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
in Liverpool, England.
He has a home in Los Angeles and is working on a book of visual poem stories for various mediums centered around the sun, nourishing food, vital music, and kind people and the evolution of all things that come and go.
, Germany
.
He has worked as a songwriter, composer, performer and producer in Germany
, in the US and in the UK.
Past releases and publications include:
His publishing and recording deals with various publishers and record labels include Siegel, Red House Music, Seven Scores, Boar Records, and Kobalt Music Group. In 1998 (to 1999) he joined the UK band The Managers; they released an album and toured the UK. In 1995 and 1996 he performed with multi-platinum selling artists Cliff Richard
and Jennifer Rush
as their guitar player on TV appearances in Germany. Between 1992 and 1994 Thomas was part of the Munich band Cajun Moon
; they released albums and toured Southern Germany
(1992–1995).
His educational background includes the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
(LIPA) where he received a Bachelor of Arts
in Performing Arts, with Honors. Thomas also received a Diploma in Pop Music & Sound Technology, with distinction. Prior to LIPA
he attended Ludwig Maximilian University where he studied Political Science.
Track listing:
Land of Sea - 2006
Track listing:
Resonet In Laudibus - 2009
Track listing:
I Know A Way To Get Myself Free - 2010
Track listing:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk duo based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, consisting of Christopher Anderson and Thomas Hien. They are signed with Defend Music.
History
Christopher Anderson and Thomas Hien became close friends during their years at the historic art school in Liverpool where John LennonJohn Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
had met decades before. They played the Irish pubs and they sang for the Queen while they earned music degrees in film composition
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
.
In the late 1990s the two had created “Cook Au Van,” a traveling cooking show. The vehicle for the show was an old gas board utility van that they had converted into a five star restaurant. Made from found objects, the van boasted water fountains, changing works of art and a fully functional wet bar
Wet bar
A wet bar is a small bar used for mixing alcoholic beverages, which differs from a regular bar in that it includes a sink with running water. A wet bar can increase the rate at which drinks are served because of the sink, which allows for glasses to be cleaned immediately. The sink may also be used...
. Inside the van, they hosted dinner parties for the Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
and countless British celebrities. After doing the circus lifestyle with the traveling restaurant and cooking for the likes of Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
, Bill Drummond
Bill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
, politicians and fine artists, the two had decided to turn back to their true love of music.
In 2003 Chris and Thomas arrived in Los Angeles, California. The duo's live debut was on 18 November 2003, opening up at the Hotel Café
Hotel Café
The Hotel Café is a live music venue located off an alley on the Cahuenga Boulevard strip in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that has become known for helping to establish the careers of new singer-songwriters in the 2000s...
for singer songwriter Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch is a singer-songwriter born in London and raised in Scotland, Greece and France, now living in Berlin.- Background :Murdoch was born in London to a Greek father and Scottish-French mother and raised in Greece, just outside of Athens until he was ten, when his family moved to...
. Their unique live performance which involved playing with one condenser microphone and gathering around it like some modern day Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
, quickly earned Chris and Thomas a name on the L.A. club circuit.
That was just the beginning. Returning from a weekend in Joshua Tree
Joshua tree
Yucca brevifolia is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names: Joshua tree, Yucca palm, Tree yucca, and Palm tree yucca....
, the two were greeted by multiple phone messages from excited friends who had heard their song "Take These Thoughts" on L.A.'s influential NPR station KCRW. It was news to the pair. Their EP, Vista Street Sessions, was passed on by a mutual friend to the station’s tastemaker DJ and music director Nic Harcourt
Nic Harcourt
Nic Harcourt was, most recently, the Music Director for Santa Monica, California-based radio station KCRW. Before joining KCRW, Harcourt worked for eight years as a news director and music director at radio station WDST in Woodstock, New York...
. Harcourt programmed the disc on his show, eventually included it on NPR's syndicated Sounds Eclectic
Sounds Eclectic
Sounds Eclectic, no longer being broadcast on radio, is a weekly syndicated public radio program hosted by Nic Harcourt that plays a variety of music, often by emerging artists. A trademark of the program is recordings of live sessions from artists both established and new, taken from the archives...
, which introduced a national audience to Chris and Thomas.
On air performances on KCRW and other radio stations followed with appearances at SXSW and other venues and festivals throughout the country. More radio stations have added Chris and Thomas to their playlists in the US, and Europe.
"Take These Thoughts" won best song of the year in the Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
category at the Independent Music Awards 2005. The duo's full length debut Land Of Sea was recorded with producer/engineer Mark Howard
Mark Howard (producer)
Mark Howard is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with many artistsincluding Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Marianne Faithful, Emmylou Harris, U2, Peter Gabriel, R.E.M...
(Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
). Howard, who used to work with producer Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
for over ten years, has a unique way of recording. He rented out an old sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
in Hollywood, where he set up vintage recording equipment, Persian rugs, Victorian lamps and brought in musicians to accompany Chris and Thomas on their record.
The record was first released in the UK in 2006 in conjunction with a 5-week tour and has gained critical acclaim and positive reviews (4 stars and runner-up to album of the month in the music magazine MOJO
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
. The US release occurred in late August 2007.
Chris and Thomas and Oscar-nominated composer John Debney
John Debney
John C. Debney is an American film composer. He received an Academy Award nomination for his score for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ...
wrote the title song for Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
's 2007 film Georgia Rule
Georgia Rule
Georgia Rule is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Garrett Hedlund, and Cary Elwes. The original music score was composed by John Debney.-Plot:...
starring Lindsey Lohan and Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
.
Most recently, the duo scored music for the 2010 Sony Pictures hit movie Friendship! (2010) directed by Markus Goller and starring Matthias Schweighöfer
Matthias Schweighöfer
Matthias Schweighöfer is a German actor. He is sometimes credited as Matthias Schweighofer.Born in Anklam, East Germany, Schweighöfer attended the renowned acting school Hochschule für Schauspielkunst "Ernst Busch", but dropped out after one year...
With their records being played on NPR, Chris and Thomas have an audience everywhere they play: places like the Roxy in Los Angeles, and the Mercury Lounge
Mercury Lounge
The Mercury Lounge is a club/music venue, in the Lower East Side section, of New York City. The structure, at 217 East Houston Street, housed the servants to the Astor Mansion, connected to it by an underground labyrinth of tunnels...
in New York.
After performing in the US for years they have become recognized by NPR including:
- NPR World Cafe November 2007
- NPR World Cafe August 2007
- NPR Artists To Watch March 2006
- NPR Song Of The Day October 23, 2007
Christopher Anderson
Christopher Anderson was born December 30, 1972 in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
He studied literature at Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
in Dublin, Ireland, Political Science at the University of Salzburg
University of Salzburg
The University of Salzburg, or Paris Lodron University after its founder, the Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron, is located in the Austrian city of Salzburg, Salzburgerland, home of Mozart. It is divided into 4 faculties: catholic theology, law, humanities and natural science.Founded in 1622, it...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
,
and attained a BA in music at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts is, despite its young age, one of the United Kingdom's leading institutions for the performing arts. The university is situated in the English city of Liverpool...
in Liverpool, England.
He has a home in Los Angeles and is working on a book of visual poem stories for various mediums centered around the sun, nourishing food, vital music, and kind people and the evolution of all things that come and go.
Thomas Hien
Thomas was born December 19, 1972 in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
He has worked as a songwriter, composer, performer and producer in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in the US and in the UK.
Past releases and publications include:
- B-Side on Jennifer EllisonJennifer EllisonJennifer Lesley Ellison is an English actress, glamour model, television personality, dancer and singer...
's UK singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
: “Baby I Don’t Care” (East West) - Title song for GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
TV movie Eldorado - Title song for German TV series Brüder (ZDF)
- Songs for German TV movie-trilogy Angst im Nacken
- Songs for German TV movie Alice auf der Flucht
- SoundtrackSoundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for UK short film I’ll Walk the Earth for You.
His publishing and recording deals with various publishers and record labels include Siegel, Red House Music, Seven Scores, Boar Records, and Kobalt Music Group. In 1998 (to 1999) he joined the UK band The Managers; they released an album and toured the UK. In 1995 and 1996 he performed with multi-platinum selling artists Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
and Jennifer Rush
Jennifer Rush
Jennifer Rush is an American/German-based pop/rock singer, best known for the million-selling single "The Power of Love", which she co-wrote and which went on to be covered by Laura Branigan and Celine Dion.-Career:...
as their guitar player on TV appearances in Germany. Between 1992 and 1994 Thomas was part of the Munich band Cajun Moon
Cajun Moon
"Cajun Moon is a 1986 single written by Jim Rushing and recorded Ricky Skaggs. "Cajun Moon" was Ricky Skaggs' tenth number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent thirteen weeks on the country chart ....
; they released albums and toured Southern Germany
Southern Germany
The term Southern Germany is used to describe a region in the south of Germany. There is no specific boundary to the region, but it usually includes all of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, and the southern part of Hesse...
(1992–1995).
His educational background includes the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts is, despite its young age, one of the United Kingdom's leading institutions for the performing arts. The university is situated in the English city of Liverpool...
(LIPA) where he received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Performing Arts, with Honors. Thomas also received a Diploma in Pop Music & Sound Technology, with distinction. Prior to LIPA
Lipa
LIPA may stand for:*League for Independent Political Action, an American progressive political organization established in 1928*Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, a performing arts university in the English city of Liverpool that offers training in acting, dance, music, sound technology, arts...
he attended Ludwig Maximilian University where he studied Political Science.
Discography
Vista Street Sessions - 2004Track listing:
- "Time To Find out"
- "Take These Thoughts"
- "Land of Sea"
- "Betting On the Moon"
- "Don't Hang Your Heart"
- "Show Me the Way"
Land of Sea - 2006
Track listing:
- "Land of Sea"
- "Broken Chair"
- "Bettin' On the Moon"
- "You're the One I Want"
- "Isn't That So"
- "Don't Hang Your Heart"
- "Take These Thoughts"
- "Riversong"
- "Time To Find Out"
- "In My Time"
- "Dreaming of Relief"
- "Horse In the Sky" (US release only)
Resonet In Laudibus - 2009
Track listing:
- "Resonet In Laudibus"
I Know A Way To Get Myself Free - 2010
Track listing:
- "I Know A Way To Get Myself Free"
- "Windows"
- "Drunk Without Drinking"
External links
- Official band website
- Official Chris and Thomas Facebook Page on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...