This week's Artist of the Week is someone I found out about through Twitter - Chris Blake. Chris first caught my attention when someone posted a link to his video for "Someone Else" on Twitter. I watched the video and was immediately hooked. The whole thing was fantastic - the music, the lyrics, and especially the video concept. In case you haven't seen it, Chris googled "biggest regrets" on the internet, and posted the responses he found in this video. The responses are funny, serious, and some even sad. Whenever I'm having a bad day, it definitely picks up my spirits. To date, the video has received nearly 80,000 views on YouTube.
Shortly after, I started following Chris on Twitter. His posts can be random at times, but definitely thought provoking and interesting. After listening to some of his other music, I decided to download his most recent full length album Wave from iTunes. I listened to the whole album and loved it! I sent Chris a message on Twitter and told him I had downloaded the album and loved it, to which I got a reply of "Really?" :) I'm not sure if he was more shocked that I liked it or that I downloaded it, but either way, Chris seems like a very down to earth, nice guy. The music is catchy and has a great vibe. It's very easy to get lost in the tunes and start tapping your toes (or even breaking out some sweet dance moves). Chris' vocals can rival some of the biggest artists out there and the musicianship on the album is very tight throughout. The music is very heart-felt, and makes you realize how much Chris puts into his work.
Chris recently sent me his new EP Tetris. The music on the new EP is equally as good as the tunes on Wave. I encourage you all to go listen to the album on Chris' Myspace and purchase it when it is available.
Chris has really impressed me with his approach to being an idependent artist in today's music world. It is a strange time in music, and Chris appears to be a model to follow for any idependent artist out there. He is active in social networks, cranks out a lot of music, and really cares about building relationships with people that take an interest in his work. Not only does he put out great music, but he also utilizes a lot of other unique marketing tools, such as his videos. Chris puts out a good amount of videos, and all are very well done. From coming up with creative concepts for videos such as "Someone Else" to more traditional videos such as "Phantom Love", he utilizes tools that all artists have at their disposal. I won't give away all of Chris' secrets, but there are very cost effective ways to make unique videos that grab peoples attention.
Take a look at Chris' Myspace to listen to some of his tunes and check out his videos. Then buy some of his music, and support a great independent artist!
