What is your name and role within the band?
My name is Chris and I play guitar in the band.
How did you start?
Playing guitar? It’s the typical getting a guitar for Christmas story, got a cheap little Squire/ish guitar and a practice amp for Christmas once and I would just noodle and air guitar on it as a kid. Then I took practicing a bit more seriously once I hit an age where I actually had the hand strength to hold down a chord. But I’m a drummer mainly. Studied and played drums all my life. I’m only a guitarist because I don’t like being sat down all the time.
Where are you based?
Harrogate, UK.
Please give an example of your music writing process?
Writing music for Blood Youth mainly comes down to not being able to sleep and being awake until 7am every night and drinking. I just kind of reach a point in the night where an idea will hit me and I’ll throw it into a program I have and write the entire song around that 1 riff or idea I had – next thing you have a song bed. Next up Kaya and I will bring lyrics together and work out vocal arrangements and I’ll kind of just sit with it and work out structures etc. Bam, you have a song.
What are you working on right now?
I’m constantly working on new music.
What is your gear setup?
6505 into 2 big beautiful Orange 4×12 cabinets. Bareknuckle Pickups in both my Fender HH Strat and my Gibson 2015 SG. Ernie Ball strings… and that’s about what you get without me going full nerd on you.
What do you like to do outside of music and does it affect your music?
I love bike rides, I love just shredding up those streets on my BMX. I’m no Scotty Cranmer but I just love exploring places on a BMX bike. I used to skateboard a lot, I used to golf a lot, I design stuff… I play a lot of Assassin’s Creed… But none of it really affects my music. Because ultimately if I’m not writing music you can always find me working on music somehow, whether its running guitar patterns, doing drum rudiments on a pad or watching other musicians play.
How would you describe your music genre?
There are billions of genres these days so I’m just going to say fusion jazz.
Do you know any music theory?
I do a little bit. And by that I mean I studied it growing up and took the exams etc, but have forgotten a lot of it since being in a band. Slurms (our drummer) I think may know a little, and I’m not sure if Kaya does… Either way we don’t use it very much.
What are your plans for the future?
Play music.
How did you get into music?
I got into heavy music through my mum not letting me listen to heavy music. She said it was too scary and she didn’t like the swear words. Then once I got my paws on that first Slipknot CD – the wall came down pretty swiftly.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Right now I’m listening to a lot of Deftones. Deftones have pretty much ruled my life for the past 2 months.
Who are your top 5 influences and icons?
Influences: Slipknot, Deftones, Korn, Every Time I Die and Rage Against The Machine.
Icons (favourite guitarists): Steph Carpenter (Deftones), Brent Hinds (Mastodon), Jim Root (Slipknot), Gary Holt (Slayer) and Tom Morello (RATM).
When are you playing next?
Doncaster Vintage Bar, June 8th. And then Download Festival a couple days after it.
Please feel free to include any extra info.
Thank you to everyone out there who’s picked up our debut album ‘Beyond Repair’. Every little bit makes a massive difference. And if you haven’t gotten it yet, make sure to check out/pick up and blast it LOUD. It’s a smash record, get involved in the movement.
