Chris Harford

Chris Harford is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and painter.

Career

The New Yorker described him as "...A singer, guitarist, and songwriter who rose through the local club scene in the nineteen-eighties, Harford operates in the free zone outside rock's usual categories. He has a foot in country, a hand in seventies rock, a toe in folk, a finger in post-punk. With his gruff but plaintive voice and his fondness for muddied-up guitars, he sometimes recalls Neil Young...". And according to National Public Radio, his music "has been described as 'beautiful, heart-rending and soulful,' as well as 'dark, rocking and dangerous'".[1]

Harford's backing band, The Band of Changes, is a revolving door concept which has included notable musicians such as Kevin Salem, Jane Scarpantoni, members of Ween including Dave Dreiwitz and Dean Ween, Scott Metzger, Robert Seahag Mangano, Joe Russo, Eric Slick, Richard Thompson, and Michael Hampton.

Harford was born and grew up in Princeton, New Jersey,[2] where he attended Princeton High School. He then attended Connecticut College before transferring to Massachusetts College of Art and Design.[3]

In the early 1980s Harford was a member of the Boston-based band Three Colors that included Hub Moore, whose major label debut on Slash/London Records Harford produced in 1996; and saxophonist Dana Colley, who went on to be a member of the band Morphine.[4]

In 1992, as Chris Harford and the First Rays of the New Rising Sun, he released Be Headed on Elektra Records.[5] Subsequently, he released several albums independently:" Comet; Band of Changes; Wake; Live at CBGB's; Sing, Breathe, & Be Merry; and Time Warp Deck. His sixth studio album, Looking Out For Number 6 (2006), was produced by Dean Ween (who also contributed drums and lead guitar) and released by Schnitzel Records Ltd.

Harford's paintings were first shown at New York City's famed rock club, CBGB's. He has since had over 20 exhibits at galleries including Salt Philadelphia, and Gerald Peters New York City.

Harford has coached college and high school lacrosse at Princeton High School Princeton, NJ; Hendrix College Conway, AR; and Ransom Everglades Miami, FL.

Discography

Solo
Year Album Label
1999 Comet Black Shepherd
2006 Looking Out For Number Six Schnitzel Records
2017 Horn of Plenty Soul Selects Records
2018 Shimmering Waste Soul Selects Records

With Band of Changes
Year Album Label
1992 Be Headed Elektra Records
1999 Band of Changes Black Shepherd
2000 Wake Soul Selects Records
2002 Sing, Breathe and Be Merry Soul Selects Records
2004 Time Warp Deck Soul Selects Records

Work for other artists
Year Artist Album Role
2016 Ashton Freeman You Make Me Happy Producer, drums

References
  1. NPR Music: Chris Harford & The Band of Changes in Concert
  2. Sander, Logan. "Princeton People: Musician Chris Harford", Planet Princeton, June 3, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2018. "Chris Harford is a musician who was born and raised in Princeton."
  3. "(Auto)Biography". chrisharford.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  4. 3 Colors
  5. "Chris Harford". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
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