East Mall Daze by Christopher Wilson

Replete with timeless lyrics, melodic guitar hooks and piercing vocals that showcase the range of Wilson's voice, each track stands unique in melody, sonic textures and lyrical content further demonstrating Wilson’s versatility as a songwriter: "Out There Eddy" trumpets the plight of runaways; "If Only" touches upon the universal feelings of regret and pining for true love; "Opening The Lotus" exalts love metaphorically as the light that sustains all life on earth; "Facelift" unveils the darkness of deception; "No Such Thing" evokes the disillusionment and rage of the struggling working class--hard rock anthem style. "Read On" is about real people in an unreal world of artifice and selfishness.

"The songs I chose to record for Read On were based solely on their lack of uniformity with regard to their overall sound, lyrical theme and vibe" says Wilson, "The juxtaposition of the songs on the CD is totally intentional, taking the listener on a joyride that spans from alternative pop to ambient acoustics to hard rock. All of the songs were inspired by real life situations and a few of them are totally autobiographical."

Hailed by Indie-Music.com as "a troubadour from olden times who's just visiting this era," singer/songwriter Christopher Wilson emerged onto the Houston scene in 2001 with the release of his solo debut CD East Mall Daze. The combination of Wilson's dynamic vocals, guitar prowess and pop/rock writing sensibilities has garnered a range of positive reviews: "otherworldly...not from this time...excellent song arrangements;" "triumphantly upbeat pop poetry;" "thought-provoking lyrics reinforced by strong, emotional vocals."

This Pennsylvania native began his musical journey at the age of nine, playing guitar and singing in church in his hometown of Harrisburg. "I learned how to play acoustic guitar from a nun at Catholic school" says Wilson, "She totally rocked my world, until my oldest brother turned me on to Zeppelin!" After a stint in the U.S. Army, Wilson began writing songs while fronting the Baltimore band Blanket Party, eventually setting out on his own in the East Village scene of New York City in the mid-nineties playing such venues as CBGB's/Sidewalk Cafe/The Spiral/Kenny's Castaways. A showcase at the Philadelphia Music Conference soon followed. After a few demo flirtations with industry contacts but no offers coming in, he relocated to Houston. In 2001, his solo debut CD East Mall Daze was released on his indie label Cattle Call Records, eventually hitting the streets via Southwest Distribution. East Mall Daze received airplay in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, Texas, in addition to scattered airplay nationwide through internet, NPR and college radio shows featuring the songs "Calling Kerry," "How Why & When," "Family Function," "Arnold Avenue" and "Wildflower."

In early 2004, Wilson met Houston-based independent filmmaker Jeff Faulkinbury. Their first collaboration was a music video for the East Mall Daze single "How Why & When." The video went into regular rotation on the Austin Music Network. Faulkinbury soon released his first feature film: a script he renamed "Read On" after the title song of Wilson's new CD. "From the word go, it was synergistic energy with Jeff" Wilson avows, "Jeff totally honed in on the variety-bag-of-tunes theme to my new record which was a moment of pure serendipity, since his script had a very similar theme with its variety bag of characters complete with unique storylines." Both parties agreed that Wilson's new CD "Read On" would also serve as the soundtrack to Faulkinbury’s film. Christopher Wilson is featured in the film performing "Smoke and Mirrors," an acoustic ditty which pokes fun at those folks who would do anything to be famous, even if it means losing their real self--their true identity. There's that word again: real.

In June 2006, "Read On" was released on Cattle Call Records. In February 2007, Delta Air Lines added the East Mall Daze single "How Why & When" to its Boarding Music playlist. Future plans for Christopher Wilson include a nationwide tour to coincide with his worldwide radio promotion campaign for "Read On." Stay tuned!

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