Hi everybody, I'm Chris "Kid" Andersen, known for playing lead guitar in Charlie Musselwhite's band and for other blues luminaries and I also have my own, charmingly obscure solo career._______________________________I am originally from the great state of Norway,where I used to play in the house band at the Muddy Waters Club when they first opened in the late 90s. I moved to the land of California 6 years ago and got a gig playing for Sax great Terry Hanck. Well that was a lot of fun and we made 3 CDs (two of which i produced, "I Keep on Holdin' on" & "Night Train") and played and travelled all over the United States and Canada._______________________________________________It was during this time, when living in Santa Cruz, California that I was approached by Swing Shift guitarist and Blue Soul Records president Peter Brown about making my own solo record for his label.___________________________Well I did, and the result was "Rock Awhile" released in 2003 and now available on www.cdbaby.com. I was quite happy with the outcome of Rock Awhile, I got to record with some of my idols, Junior Watson and Mark Hummel both appeared on it, Terry was on it and my old friend Martin Windstad from Norway played drums for the sessions. It was a lot of fun and got me started believing in myself as a singer and songwriter. I already knew I was a genius guitar player!_________________________________________________________________Rock Awhile garnered me some respect and acclaim and hundreds of dollars made. I was in Guitar One Magazine, Vintage Guitar Magazine and a few other American releases, but most importantly to me, it got me some long awaited recognition in my home country of Norway. they saw that I was not here on vacation and had become part of the West Coast Blues scene that a lot of Scandinavian bands work so hard to copy. I made the cover of the Norwegian Blues News and all the papers. I also got in touch with Eric Malling of Blue Mood Records who expressed great regret that this album had not been made for his label.____________________________________________After Rock Awhile, I started getting more solo work, playing the Notodden Blues Festival in 2004 and 2005, the Dark Season Blues Festival on the North Pole 2004. I played 2 tours of Russia, 12 gigs in Ziuhatenejo, Mexico, the Hell Blues Festival, and was supposed to play BYLarm in Bergen, but had to cancel. And a bunch of clubs and dive bars all over creation, of course.__________________________________________________________Then Charlie Musselwhite called me and offered me the lead guitar spot in his band and I accepted instantly. It was hard to say goodbye to Terry and the guys but I made the right choice in moving on.______________________________________________________________Playing with Charlie is a great gig. The whole band gets treated real well, and we really gel together, Charlie, June Core (drums), Randy Bermudes (bass) and I. I like the musical direction Charlie is headed in and he lets the whole band steer the course with him. Late 2005 we recorded the album "Delta Hardware" on the Real World Label and we recieved a lot of critical acclaim and 4 Blues Music Awards for it. I like that album quite a lot and stand behind it. It represents to me a new take on blues and the dreaded moniker Blues Rock. I like to think of this album as having rock leanings, but as opposed to most blues rock, this is not blues music played by rock guys, it's rock ideas excecuted by serious blues musicians, with that filter and twist on it. As part of Charlie's Band I have toured the USA (all of it, extensively), Canada, Spain, Germany, Norway (!), Denmark, England, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, France, Portugal and Italy. Nice gig!_______________________________________________________________Getting back to me and my illustrious solo career, my first album for Blue Mood was "Guitarmageddon" with Vidar Busk and Junior Watson, that came out early 2005. This record was my brainchild, I knew Junior and Vidar to be mutual fans of each other, and I saw it as a nice way to unite the Scandinavian and Californian blues scenes. And again, make HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. The album, available on pacificblues.com received a lot of good feedback, and is one of my favorites. It is wacky, loose and colorful and sort of a little movie or snapshot of all the craziness that was going on at the time. In the studio, in the world and with me! In 2005 we did a Californian tour to support "Guitarmageddon" and topped it off by playing the Doheny Blues Festival. Amund Maarud joined us or this outing too. Check him out!
"Guitarmageddon" also made an appearance at the Notodden Blues Festival 2005, and on "Sommeraapent" a popular Norwegian TV show, who still owe me 4000 kroner, g**dd*mm*t!!! And it's safe to say that the world is not safe from another "Guitarmageddon" yet!________________________________________________________________My latest record "Greaseland" is the one I am the most proud of yet, and it is pretty much different from any record I, or any one I know of, have ever made as far as being a Blues album.
With "Greaseland" I decided to put all my influences and ideas that popped into my head and use them to hopefully meld together my own sound.
I have felt for a long time that a sense of adventure has been sorely lacking from current blues music. I longed for that eeria, spooky feeling of Howling Wolf records and the visceral energy Muddy Waters excuded, and I wanted to somehow recapture that without copying the music. My philosophy on how to put together a record is more reminiscent of The Beatles or Bowie in that I make the whole album tell a story, or feel like it is. "Greaseland" is as much a movie or a book as it is a CD, it's a concept album lyrically and musically. As my character in the album (OK, it's somewhat autobigraphical) shifts his mood dramatically through the whole records, these changes are reflected in the music. That's how I go from mellow, minory rock songs to raunchy jumping blues to New Orleans style funk, to straight up surf rock and all places in between. The music is a direct refelection of who I am, and what I like and what is happening to me.
That is the only way I could make a record that is cohesive to my sensibilities and keep my attention for as long as it does.
It's a mighty interresting and entertaining album, and you can buy it at www.cdbaby.com__________________________________________________I am currently working on another solo album for Blue mood/Grappa, a follow up and continuation of what I started with Greaseland. My idea as far is to make a record where different styles of music are all run through this "blues filter". I want to know what it would sound like if Howling Wolf's band played "LA Woman"stay tuned._______________________________________________________
I'm also working with Andy Santana, John Nemeth and Rj Mischo.
I played on and co produced RJ's "He Came to Play" in '05 and we're working on another one right now! I'm also producing a new Terry Hanck record.__________________________________________
Kid_____________________
UPDATE:
I'm done with the new record "The Dreamer", out in Norway on Blue Mood/Grappa December 3rd, followed by a Norwegian Tour.
It turned out to be everything i promised and more, with guest spots by Charlie Musselwhite, Rick Estrin, Terry Hanck and others.
It is guaranteed to blow your mind!!!!
UPDATE II:
As of May 2008, I am now officially the guitar player with Rick Estrin and the NIghtcats, filling the shoes of the legendary Little Charlie Baty. Good thing I'm a size 14.
