Christopher Dallman

You can’t cover a Britney song, without attracting a fair amount of attention, both good and bad, which is exactly what happened to the strikingly handsome singer and songwriter Christopher Dallman. However, with a voice like melted honey, a famous fan, a passion for vinyl and likened to James Taylor and David Grey – there is a whole lot more to this 31 year old Milwaukee boy than just Briney covers, as Jason Shaw, GayAgenda.com’s UK correspondent has been finding out.

In November last year you released the Sad Britney EP, now on the YouTube promo video, you mentioned that it wasn’t your intention to cover Britney Spears songs, so how did this come about?

I did ask,  but as yet,  still no comment from Britney and Jive records!

You were born  in  Milwaukee, what was it like growing up there?

In hindsight, Milwaukee was a great place to grow up. It’s not a small town and there are things to do, but it’s also not a big city, so you don’t grow numb from over stimulation. When I lived in Milwaukee, I had more real conversations than I do now. It’s pretty effin’ cold, though, and I don’t think I could live there again.

When did you first start getting into music and writing songs?

I started writing legit songs when I was 17. When my first real boyfriend gave me my real heartbreak, I started to write songs about it and performing them every Friday night at a local coffeehouse called Sunset Boulevard.

Whom or what were your early influences?

Musical influences in my early songwriting are Tori Amos and Ani DiFranco. I was really attracted to their emotional extremities and I wanted to write songs like theirs, songs that can punch you in the gut and then flip around and be so beautiful. I think you can still hear their influence every now and again in my songs, but for the most part I think I’ve shed that from my songwriting instincts and found my own thing.

Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you knew and decided to be a singer / songwriter?

Not exactly. I saw the realization coming and frankly I fought it really hard. I grew up really comfortably. My father is a lawyer and my Mother is a teacher. I went to a private school where I wore a coat and tie. It wasn’t exactly expected for my path to be that of a starving artist.

But, I can’t imagine doing anything else and I’m comfortable starving for it. I have love and a really fun life.

You have a lovely, silky smooth breathy voice that’s been described as transcendental, soulful, melted honey like, and aural wallpaper (I added that last one!) You’ve also been likened to James Taylor and David Grey and James Blunt – how do you feel about that?

Ha! Thank you. I’m at a nice place with my voice. I think that I understand it better than I ever have and am writing songs now that suit it better than in the past. It’s not the voice that I thought I had a few years back. I think I really wanted to be a screamer but have only recently come to terms with the fact that my real power lies in the softer moments.

Your songs, are without doubt touching, heartfelt and intimate, where do you draw your inspiration from?

100% from my own life. I write from where I am at the moment. It’s why my songs are honest and authentic. It’s also why it takes me a really long time to write them.

As they are so authentic and personal, is there one about the others that you’re most proud of?

On my first record, I’m most proud of ‘Over My Head.’ The song lived in limbo for a long time with verses and a chorus, but, once I stumbled upon the bridge, everything came together and the first time I played it was a great moment. I think I’ll be playing it forever.

Otherwise, I’m always most proud of the song I’m currently working on

Do you feel your sexuality plays a key part of your music, your songs and your life?

Not really. I embrace my sexuality, but I don’t rely on it. It plays into my music in that I’m very open and I always have been. I don’t feel like my audience is largely homosexual, though I’m always trying to reach more gays I definitely have something to offer them!

And I feel an obligation to be 100% open about who I am.

OK, let’s take a little more in depth look love and some of your songs now, the soft melancholic feel to Green Camaro is so atmospheric , how did that track come about?

That song is about my mother and the connection we share. The song is born from an old photo I have of my mother taken just after she and my father were married. They married young and they are no longer together. My father’s parents gave them a brand new green Camaro as a wedding present and in the picture, my mother is leaning against the car. She is so pretty and so young and she’s smiling but her eyes are so sad.

You paint a wonderful picture with sound and words, there’s also an enchanting, haunting, hypnotic sound to Driving to You, where did you draw that from? Were you really driving down highway 42?

I wrote that song in the car. I’d had a falling out with a very dear friend and we hadn’t spoken in years. I woke up from an intense dream about him and immediately got in my car and drove while the sun was rising 3 hours to where he lived. And I was really on highway 42. What I love about it is that it’s entirely about the journey there and was prompted it, but it never goes into what happens when I arrive. And it doesn’t really matter.

Now, forgive me for being a tad emotional here, but Has Been from your Never Was EP, is just so sad, so sweet and delicate, that a tear always forms in my eye when I hear it, how did you come to write that?

Ya know, there are many twists and turns on the path of trying to make a living off of your art. Twists and turns and ups and downs and it’s easy to lose faith in yourself. I wrote Has Been on the road after a really tough show when I wasn’t digging touring and was super homesick. I felt like a has been and then thought that was so funny, because how can you feel like such a has been if you’ve never even really ‘made it.’

Another powerful track is Anthem, what prompted you to write that?

I live in Los Angeles, and when Prop 8 passed, I was moved in a really unexpected and powerful way. I had just assumed that it wouldn’t pass. It seemed like a no-brainer to me. And shortly after finding out Barack Obama had been elected president – which had been a moment of high emotion – we found out that Prop 8 was most likely going to pass and it was like the floor dropped.

I’ve been with my husband for 8 years now. We have a really amazing relationship, a true partnership and it’s COMICAL that we don’t have the same rights as a straight couple. The song came from that outrage.

It really is a great Anthem for marriage equality, when do you think the fight for gay marriage or a same sex civil partnership law will become legal all over America?

Who knows. While the fight is obviously very frustrating, I think we need to take a step back and look at how much has happened over the last few years. 5 years ago, I don’t think anyone expected that the issue would have progressed as far as it has.

NOH8 founders Adam Bouska & Jeff Parshley invited Chris to pose!

What’s best for you, is it the recording or performing live?

Live. The energy of it. The connection with audience. The fact that it’s different every time.

How hard is it to break it in the music industry?

Maybe I’ll let you know when I’ve ‘broken.’

The hardest part is getting people to listen. I find that once I have their ears, I can usually work it out and connect. But there is so much noise in the world and it’s tough to cut through it and make people pay attention.

Is it difficult to make money/cover costs without a major record label behind you?

Not if you do it smartly. I spent an arm and a leg recording ‘Never Was’ and ‘Sad Britney,’ and while I don’t regret it, I’ve definitely learned that its in my best interest to be more cost effective. My next EP which will be out at the top of the summer is recorded on the cheap in my producer George Stanford’s home studio. And it sounds fantastic. It won’t take me long to recoup my costs. But ‘Sad Britney’ and ‘Never Was’ have a long way to go before I’m out of debt.

Oh that’s exciting, so you’ve got a new EP in the pipeline, please, please tell us more about that Chris?

The new EP is still untitled. I’m super excited about it. The approach is very different from ‘Never Was’ and ‘Sad Britney.’ WIth those EPs, we recorded the voice and guitar live and then added the other instruments around that. It was really time consuming because it’s a bitch to get a perfect take. I would do it again that way in a heartbeat because I think what was captured was really magical and is very true to my live sound.

For the new EP, I’m working with George Stanford. If you haven’t heard his own music, drop what you’re doing and check it out. He’s uber talented. Anyhow, with George we are taking a more traditional approach– laying down the tracks for each instrument with the vocal being the final touch. It’s a totally different vibe. In a good way. While a musician has his own particular style and each record usually follows that path, I think it’s cool to do different things. And different songs call for different approaches.

This EP will have a reworked version of my marriage equality song ‘Anthem,’ ‘Subterranean,’ (which I leaked back in August because it was done and I loved it and I couldn’t wait to put it out) and 2 other songs that I have been playing for the last few years but hadn’t managed to record yet. I think I will release it in June, but I change my mind all the time. It definitely feels good to have the next project almost done, though!

What is or has been the greatest inspiration in your life?

I can’t think of anything to say. Isn’t that awful?! My husband? Music? My family? All huge but none the single greatest.

OK, we’re pretty much wrapped up now, but just before you go, can you tell us a little secret?

Once at a party, Lindsay Lohan told me I was ‘hot.’

And I for one am not gonna argue with Ms Lohan! If you’ve not heard Christopher’s music before, then you really haven’t lived! I strongly urge you to do so, I guarantee you’re in for a treat. He has the ability to not only entertain, but also move you with his breathy, seemingly effortless vocals, his deep and meaningful lyrics and his easy sound and melodic tunes. .

You can download him on iTunes.

Alternatively here:

Never Was EP

Race The Light.

Antham EP

Sad Britney EP

More info about everything at his website www.cjdmusic.com

Or you can catch him live at one of these forthcoming shows and live appearances:
Up coming shows

8:00pm Tuesday March 23

Room 5 Lounge – Double Trouble Tour w/ Aiden James
143 N La Brea (Above Amalfi) LA, CA

7:00pm Thursday March 25
Dolores Park Cafe – Double Trouble Tour w/ Aiden James
501 Dolores St. San Francisco, CA

7:00pm Saturday March 27
Alberta St. Pub – Double Trouble Tour w/ Aiden James
1036 NE Alberta St. Portland, OR

7:00pm Sunday March 28
The Skylark Club – Double Trouble Tour w/ Aiden James
3803 Delridge Way SW Seattle, WA

April 17-18 2010
Phoenix Pride
Phoeniz, AZ

June 10, 2010
Evocative Sounds House Concert – open to the public
Cedar Rapids, IA

June 12, 2010
Milwaukee Pridefest
Milwaukee, WI

The full  exclusive interview from Jason Shaw with Chris can be found on GayAgenda.com

Jason Shaw posing here with a Christopher Dallman’s Never Was EP

Jason’s own blog The Seafront Diaries, the continuing stories of one slightly mad and forgetful Brit gut running around from one midlife crisis to another!