By Charlene Arsenault
Being
the oldest kid in the family, Chris Reddy didn’t have a
sibling to look up to, to tell him what the “coolest”
music was. He was left with the radio and the many
Beatles eight-tracks stored in the basement.
But at age 13, when he got his first electric guitar, it
turned him on to all the stuff he had been neglecting:
Steely Dan, Rush, The Tubes, Todd Rundgren, Black
Sabbath, Alice Cooper and Aerosmith. His high school
band Exius would prove to be a breeding ground of sorts
for other bands to come, as different members joined and
friendships formed throughout its almost 10-year span.
When keyboardist Nathan Linsky joined in the early ’80s,
the band transformed into Transit, which still plays.
But
these days, we’re seeing more and more of Reddy solo,
especially after he ditched the hi-tech industry two
years ago and moved back to this area. It seems in the
past year he’s burst onto the scene, often playing close
to every night of the week in local and not-so-local
clubs. “Musical direction and career changes led me into
solo recording and acoustic ventures,” says Reddy, “and
I am trying to evolve and find my new love of music
every day.”
Solo music, he says, was difficult to get used to after
playing with bands for so long. No more relying on
anyone for the rhythm of the song, covering the bad
notes, or taking a harmony. “There is also a great rush
in knowing that you make it or break it all by
yourself,” he says. “I started from the outset using a
Boss loop station pedal to allow for background rhythms
and arrangements and learned it was harder than it
looked from the solo guys I watched out at Steamboat.”
Reddy,
who has three solo CDs to his credit and a fourth on the
way, spent a great deal of time last summer working it
out, and now is able to come up with a diverse mix of
music. His solo shows are a mix of everything. His
covers span instrumental finger-picking to Coldplay.
Reddy’s originals have been compared to late ’70s Jeff
Beck fusion and to Tangerine Dream soundscapes,
especially on the first album, Info Junkie.
Reddy’s second album, Sonification, mixed vocal
pop, jazz-fusion, harder-edge progressive rock and
acoustic new age. His latest on the market, Drinking
Songs for the Working Stiff did just what the title
promised — it brought out the alternative drinking
songs.
“I’m all over the map,” says Reddy. “Otherwise I would
be bored.”
And at one of his shows, you won’t be. o
Charlene Arsenault may be reached at charlenea@worcestermag.com.
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