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Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional!!!
I thought I would devote a page on my web site to Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional because I love his new CD so much. His music is so great and it has the ability to not only make you think, but also to make you feel. The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most is a stellar album.
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Chris Carrabba from Rolling Stone Magazine
When Chris was 15 his Uncle Angelo bought him a guitar. Chris began teaching himself how to play, but he didn't become serious about music until the very end of high school. He was too busy skateboarding.
Right after high school, Chris started playing with the Vacant Andys, his first serious band. After several years with the Vacant Andys and a one-album stint with The Agency, Chris went on to play with Further Seems Forever. While he was with FSF he started a solo side-gig and took a chance with an acoustic sound. Dashboard Confessional began when he recorded the Drowning EP for Fiddler Records.
The name Dashboard Confessional comes from one of Chris' songs, "The Sharp Hint of New Tears". The line "On the way home, this car hears my confessions." made the phrase Dashboard Confessional pop into his head. Chris didn't want to name his new act after himself because right from the start he wanted his fans to sing along and be a part of his performance. He thought a solo name might discourage his audience from being an integral part of the show.
Dashboard fans have spread from Florida across the country and are growing every day. But Chris still appreciates the loyalty of his Florida fanbase who have been there for him since the Vacant Andys. Chris says "I think the kids in Florida are just different kinds of fans. They really support their bands. I'm one of those kids, so it's nice to see." But Chris also notes that in his recent tour, everywhere he went his audiences reminded him of home. " It seems that the rest of the country is taking a nod from the kids down here. On my last tour, kids treated me as if, literally, they're my buddies and they're rooting for me. And they really connected."
While the studio recordings of Dashboard Confessional have connected with fans across the country, the real Dashboard experience happens on the road. As Chris put it, "If you come to one of my shows, you're kind of expected to sing along as loud as I do, and it's just really like a team effort. It's almost organic how much the kids are involved. They are part of the band."
On The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, Chris got some musical help from his friends. The beautiful female voice heard on several tracks is that of Jolie Lindholm, lead singer of The Rocking Horse Winner. Dan Bonebrake who was in the Vacant Andys with Chris plays bass, and Mike Marsh from The Agency plays drums. Chris really appreciates that Dan and Mike are taking off their time from their band, Seville, to help him with his project, including joining him on tour.
Right now Chris is enjoying writing songs and touring, which is the best way he knows to thank his great fans.
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The new Album: The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
It's a familiar situation really: Emotional indie rock boy starts off in moderately tough-guy band (in this case rockers Further Seems Forever), gets fed up, and realizes that he can write some pretty heartfelt acoustic tunes that the kids might actually enjoy. For Chris Carrabba, the dream of too many late-night troubadours actually came true, and on his second full-length he's got plenty of heartache to go along with some fairly catchy songs. Performing with a foot firmly entrenched in the indie and emo scenes, Carrabba has some obvious influences, especially the nearly identical Get Up Kids offshoot the New Amsterdams. Nonetheless, he does have his own strong vocal presence and, while a bit cheesy, his lyrics are the perfect companion to a night of overwrought teenage emotions. Relying mostly on the acoustic guitar, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most also features a full, though subdued, backing band on a number of tracks, an addition that gives the record some depth and makes it a bit easier to put up with. Carrabba is smart enough to know a good hook when he hears it, and even when he's bogged down by the self-involved and down-on-his-luck sentiments that cripple the record, he's still knocking on the door of the radio-friendly pop hit. This is a record made with a specific audience in mind, and it's easy to see why many might abhor Dashboard Confessional's spurned teenage tones, but if you're under 20 and plan on staying in your room all night crying about that girl who just dumped you, then there is no point in looking further than this record.
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Chris Carrabba is my future husband.
Chris has agreed to be my husband. I already have an intense love for him and he knows I would treat him well. I love you Chris Carrabba-Mason
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