Chris Haugen: News

Yes, Chris teaches guitar, lap steel, and mandolin. For inquiries click on the 'contact' link and email away!

By: Dennis Cook

The challenge with instrumental records, especially ones that step outside neat genre lines, is to be more than an exhibition of chops, to relate stories sans words using melody, nuance, texture, etc. The best albums in this field have a resonance that's as deep as anything with fine lyrics. There is a human voice that speaks from within well played instruments in service of well crafted pieces, and Chris Haugen's sumptuous tales on Seahorse Rodeo broadcast just this sort of narrative humanity.

From the suitably liquid play of the title cut to the hot swing echoes on "Bump Bump Bump" to the dark night of the soul inside "Shadow," Haugen creates compelling spaces full of color and detail, where the simple suggestive power of the titles becomes something sweeter and more compelling inside the tune's themselves. Largely built around his extraordinary Weissenborn lap steel playing (though he's no slouch on anything with strings here), each track is layered with terrific small touches, some courtesy of talented chums like percussionist Matt Butler, upright bassist Mike Sugar and vintage keys tickler Mark de Gil Antoni (love that Mellotron, man!). However, the vision here is Haugen's own, and much like the first time one encounters Leo Kottke's 6- and 12-String Guitar or Michael Hedges' Breakfast In The Field, one knows swiftly that they're in the presence of a singular voice. Seahorse Rodeo is a serious pleasure, by turns meditative, moving or just plain enjoyable, a work that pulls inspiration from multiple genres and thus makes country cousins of jazz men and folk travelers, ambient explorers and classical ramblers.

Haugen, Michael Kang, Tye North, Darol Angor and a cast of thousands devour "Josie". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxq4sA7x3OM&feature=related

Check it out: www.newfangledwasteland.com

As the sun fully set, we had our choice of two varieties of funky soulfulness, either the polished, unbelievably tight, endlessly rolling grooves of the Pimps or the Beck-inspired swing of New Fangled Wasteland, which includes TLG's Trevor Garrod, ALO's Dave Brogan and Steve Adams, and holy-jeez-this-guy-is-amazing guitarist Chris Haugen. You couldn't lose no matter which path you chose, and not a few of us kept sprinting back and forth between the two, finding that the proverbial "good foot" lay on our left and our right. Both bands offered up something fresh in a field that's frequently tired as can be.
http://www.jambase.com/Articles/20367/Las-Tortugas-IV-10.29-11.01-Yosemite

I did a video for Jim Dunlop, creator of the Cry Baby, and maker of fine musical products and accessories. I am very pleased with it, I hope you will take a moment and check it out.

It is a lesson on the Weissenborn. Go now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5_45erbVSA.

Come join in some rowdy rodeo fun.

FRIDAY 20th MARCH
CAFE DU NORD
9 pm

Here are some reviews of the music:

I'm so glad that I saw this CD mentioned in the SF Chronicle, because I'm just in love with it! Unlike anything in my music collection; I think I'll order one of Mr. Haugen's other ones.- Sara Scott

This CD is brilliant!!! Vibrant, full of emotion! It often sets the pulse of my day. - Jessie Barnes

I love Chris Haugen's new CD. After a few days of playing it, I loaned it to my husband who loves it just as much as I. I hope he doesn't think it's his now! I'd better go get it back. - Marguerite Couvillion

This is my favorite CD right now. Intelligent, takes you deep while remaining accessible. Really beautiful. - Susan

I just confirmed a tour with singer Matt Moon. I will be performing throughout Utah/Colorado including several dates in conjunction with Sundance Film Festival.

On Saturday 12/20 I was featured in the SF Chronicle on the cover of the Datebook section. Scanned image to be posted soon. In the meantime, click here to read the article. Good stuff.
<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/19/DD5O14Q60H.DTL> .

I am super excited to perform my record on Sunday night 12/21. Joining me will some of my favorite musicians. Not to be missed:
Matt Butler: Drums
Mike Sugar: Bass
Michael Kang: Strings
Mark Degliantoni: Keys

I just finished writing and performing the score for a theater production of "Abundance" here in San Francisco. It is set in the late 1800s and has a going out west, railroad camp feel. Will have sounds up asap.

My CD Seahorse Rodeo is now available at www.cdbaby.com/haugen2 . It is also available for download on itunes and amazon.com. I have been getting really great feedback on the music and I think you will enjoy it.

Last May I had an opportunity to score a few scenes for Sean Penn's movie with Jerry Hannan. I performed lap steel on "Thought I was You", which appears in the film. There were also some excellent outtakes including "Green", the final cut on my CD.

I flew out with Jerry Hannan to join the Dirty Hands Caravan in Austin, TX. The three bio-diesel buses were commandeered by Sean Penn to travel from Coachella to Jazz Fest, doing community service along the way. Getting our hands dirty. Jerry and I performed a campfire concert for the troups which was filmed. Watch out for the DVD in 2009.