NPR Music

Christopher Denny: 'Heart's On Fire'

Photo by Rett Peek

November 13, 2007 - With a worn but graceful voice, Christopher Denny sings as though he's lived through more than the average 23 year old. The Little Rock, Ark. musician spent some time in Dallas and Chicago, playing sidewalks and bars, while writing powerful songs that recall traditional folk and Americana. But his distinctive and strong voice sets him apart from most singer songwriters.
Denny's album, Age Old Hunger, is a refreshing take on Southern honky-tonk. While his songs express a rural setting, his voice and writing owe much to both Roy Orbison and Jeff Buckley. Denny's band, the Old Soles, supports his vocals with crisp, full-on gospel instrumentation. On the opening bars to "Gypsy into a Carpenter" Denny lures listeners with an incredibly captivating voice, while Marcus Lowe and Chris Atwood soon follow with solid drums and a warm organ tones. "Time" presents a simple melody and sincere lyrics about learning and moving on.
Denny's album, released on 00:02:59 Records, has caught the attention of a few major label executives. He recently met with Columbia Records executive Rick Rubin to talk about his music. But Denny is trying to stay grounded. He tells Little Rock magazine Localist, "You have to be a little skeptical with big labels now, because they're a little desperate."

Localist

Breaking News: Golden Voice meets Golden Ear

Local roots phenomenon Christopher Denny recently sat down with head of Columbia Records, Rick Rubin. Rubin, dubbed "the most important producer of the last twenty years" by MTV, is renowned for his ability to pinpoint untapped potential in an artist's sound. He has produced and made into giants artists from LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, and Run-DMC, to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Dixie Chicks, and, of course, Johnny Cash. He also recently expressed interest to the New York Times in Arkansas indie superstars The Gossip. Denny's story is a look inside the process of music industry buzz, a process which may prove fortuitous.

After Denny played some summer shows in New York with label mates Mike Ferrio and Matt Mays, an A&R representative from Atlantic Records contacted him about getting together. Denny met with A&R from Atlantic, who after one song pulled in Craig Kallman, the chairman of Atlantic Records, to hear some more. Representatives from Atlantic flew to Little Rock in late August for Denny's record release shows at Whitewater Tavern, and then offered to help Denny get to the CMJ Music Marathon in Manhattan earlier this Fall, where he reportedly made a lot of fans among music industry insiders.

Jason Silberman, Denny's ASCAP representative, later played a stack of albums for Maureen Kenny (A&R for Columbia) which included Age Old Hunger. She was apparently blown away by it and took it to her husband, of Roadrunner Records. His response was, "Oh yeah, Abe Bradshaw's new signing." Bradshaw owns 00:02:59, Denny's current label, and he told Kenny Atlantic was making a move. So Kenny put a copy of the album in the hands of her boss, Rick Rubin, whose simple reaction was, "I like some of the songs, but there's something about that voice. I want to meet this guy."

Denny was flown out to California, during the wildfires, to meet with Rubin. Since Rubin's first request upon taking over Columbia was that he not have an office, Denny would be meeting with him at his house. Denny says Rubin has a very comforting presence, and he was eager to hear about Chris' inspirations. After a little conversation about Neil Young and Johnny Cash, Rubin asked "Do you like Tim Buckley?" and they listened to some rare Tim Buckley recordings he had recently come upon. He also played some Bonnie Prince Billy he thought Chris would like. Rubin then asked if Denny wanted to play a few songs, and he handed him his Gibson. Rubin got into "All Burned Up," slapping his armrest and moving around.

After about an hour of playing and talking (Rubin was reportedly very taken with Chris' sense of humor), Rubin asked if he could hear the (as yet un-released Age Old Hunger addition) EP, which Chris then played for him. He told Chris he definitely wanted to hear more from him in the future, then he said, "Do you wanna hear a song off American VI?" (American VI is the sixth album of Johnny Cash's American Recordings series, produced by Rubin. American V was released posthumously; American VI has not been released, yet.) After two hours of playing, listening, and visiting, Rubin gave Chris a hug and scuttled off to a yoga lesson.

Denny doesn't expect any sort of record deal with Columbia to come out of the meeting, but he does hope to have future contact with Rubin. "My dream is not that he'll sign me, but that he'll be playing my album for other people like he played the Bonnie Prince Billy for me," he says. Denny, however, has already received an offer from Atlantic, and more are on the way. He says he wants to be able to pay his band to play full-time and make a living. "You have to be a little skeptical with big labels now, because they're a little desperate."

He is proceeding cautiously, paying close attention to contractual details and maintaining his own artistic independence. "You know, if I could find somebody with $100,000, I wouldn't need a label, but where are you gonna find that?" he asks, only half-kidding. In the meantime he'll be bouncing between New York and Arkansas, playing four shows in Arkansas between now and Christmas. Look to the Localist for more word on Denny's budding career.

Brooklyn Vegan

Christopher Denny playing CMJ, a BV party & other shows

Christopher Denny is returning to NYC for CMJ. While he's here he'll play just two shows. The second show is his official ASCAP CMJ showcase at Canal Room on Wednesday October 17th.

8:30pm - Christopher Denny
9:15pm - Arizona
10:00pm - Air Traffic
10:45pm - Division Day
11:30pm - Die Romantik
12:15am - Dragonette

And his first is earlier that same day at the free BrooklynVegan day party at Pianos @ 2:30pm. He'll be playing upstairs from Joan as Policewoman who will be downstairs on the main stage. Stay tuned for the whole upstairs lineup. Pfork just gave his album Age Old Hunger a 7.4.

He credits his teenage discovery of Lefty Frizzell and Hank Thompson with inspiring him to write songs, and on Age Old Hunger he covers popular, some might say obvious songs by Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash. To his credit, however, he never comes across as a nostalgia act, which for this genre would be excruciating. Rather, he is content to sound like he sounds.

All of Christopher's tour dates are below....

Christopher Denny - 2007 Tour Dates
Oct 13 - Attucks Theatre Norfolk, Virginia
Oct 14 - Greene Sreet Greensboro, North Carolina
Oct 16 - World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 17 - Pianos part of CMJ week NYC, New York (2:30 pm)
Oct 17 - Canal room part of CMJ week NYC, New York (8:30 pm)

Pitchfork

Christopher Denny
Age Old Hunger
[00:02:59; 207]
Rating 7.4

Christopher Denny is off in a world of his own, which some might call Arkansas and others might call country. In promo photos, he sports a soul patch and overalls. On his debut album, Age Old Hunger, he writes songs about westbound trains and hearts on fire and feeling all burned up inside, which he sings in a voice pitched somewhere between the winnowy whine of Jimmie Dale Gilmore and the more forceful yodel of Slim Whitman. His is a distinctive instrument that would sound right at home on a low-signal Ozark radio station 40 or 50 years ago, but sounds out of time and out of place in the here and now-- such that his voice may prove an insurmountable hurtle for many listeners. Denny acknowledges these influences and others: He credits his teenage discovery of Lefty Frizzell and Hank Thompson with inspiring him to write songs, and on Age Old Hunger he covers popular, some might say obvious songs by Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash. To his credit, however, he never comes across as a nostalgia act, which for this genre would be excruciating. Rather, he is content to sound like he sounds.
That he can make all these elements work so well-- and on a debut, no less-- is a considerable accomplishment. It helps that his backing band, the Old Soles, aren't afraid to rough his songs up a little. With Denny leading on guitar and harmonica, the rhythm section of Chris Atwood and Marcus Lowe give these songs backbone, while Robbie Crowell adds flourishes of Hammond and barrelhouse piano. They can hold back on a ballad like "The Stars Above and My Heart in Your Hands" or cut loose on romps like the instrumental "Goin' Home" and the ecstatic "Time". They quicken the tempo on Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone", making it slightly more upbeat, but Denny's vocals still sell the misery and loneliness. They take fewer liberties with Kris Kristofferson's "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)": The Old Soles make the song sound like an unmade bed while Denny delivers a gently soulful performance that suggests an intuitive understanding of the lyrics as well as perhaps a very personal history with them.
Little Rock is far enough removed from any other scene-- Memphis is two boring hours down I-40, Dallas and Jackson even further-- that an artist like Denny can flourish in relative solitude, developing his own sounds and styles apart from everyone else. Granted, technology now allows the dissemination of all sorts of music to every corner of the country, including the foothills of the Ozarks, blurring the regional distinctions that once defined Denny's heroes. Nevertheless, he comes across as an industry outsider, not just in the way he sings but even in the way his songwriting makes virtues of southern simplicity and downhome directness.
Denny flirts with misogyny on the evil woman blues "Gypsy Into a Carpenter", whose accusations and condemnations sound jarrring on Age Old Hunger, especially for an album opener. But he quickly rights himself. On "All Burned Up" and "Heart's on Fire", he teases nuance from the pain of romantic uncertainty. "When am I gonna realize I realize I really, truly do care?" he sings on "When Am I Gonna Realize?" "When will I realize love is right here?" "Westbound Train" is a gospel-stoked love song in which Denny tenderly testifies to love's stabilizing power. When the westbound train he and his lover are riding stops near where he once lived, he remarks, "That place don't feel much like home anymore/ Darling, you feel much more like home to me." The song's Dylanesque cadence and straightforward sentiment, like the rest of Age Old Hunger, sound sincere and even daring.

— Stephen M. Deusner, October 5, 2007

Arkansas Times

CHRISTOPHER DENNY

10 p.m., White Water Tavern. $5.

It doesn't seem like that long ago when Chris Denny was just a rumor, a whisper of a performer who swept into town from nowhere. First he was the “crazy-voiced kid,” the prize of the local scene, playing Beesonville block parties and small house shows. As his cult grew, and he performed regularly not just at White Water, but just about every venue in town, he became the “kid with the golden voice,” and most everyone took a stab at placing his peculiar tone. A young Roy Orbison has been popular. Bob Dylan circa “Nashville Skyline,” Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Neil Young all get bandied about. None, though, quite capture his preternatural warble — impossibly high, tremulous and plaintive, but always strong. With lyrics of a hard life lived — riding rails, hearts on fire, the burden of time — Denny last year released a promising debut album on Tomato House Records, a local imprint run by Denny's drummer, Marcus Lowe. He's followed it with the slightly more polished “Age Old Hunger,” just released on 00:02:59 Records, a Brooklyn label. With the backing of a powerful PR agency and rumors of an opening slot with a major touring act, Denny might be on the precipice of fame. Local fans will have at least two shots to see him before he takes off. On Friday and Saturday, he's celebrating the release of his new album at White Water. The Saturday show, geared towards his early-to-bed crowd, starts at 9 p.m. and will be preceded by a special barbecue dinner, with pulled pork sandwiches, fried okra, deviled eggs, barbecue tofu and banana pudding. Food will be served from 7 p.m. until around 8:30 p.m., for $8.50 per plate. Impressive, rich-voiced singer/songwriter Mike Ferrio, one of Denny's new label mates, will open both shows.

Brooklyn Vegan

What's going on Wednesday? (Christopher Denny)

Christopher Denny is a young singer-songwriter from Little Rock, Arkansas that has that warbly Devendra-Dylan-folk-country-blues thing going on. His only upcoming area-show is at the Lakeside Lounge in NYC tonight (aug 15, 2007).

Obscure Sound

Christopher Denny

The power of a voice can go a long way. And no, for once I am not referring to the “voice” of diction or figurative language, but actually quite literally in the sound and emotion of a voice itself. Though the history of his musical upbringing remains somewhat of a mystery, Christopher Denny may have ended up taking vocal lessons at one point in his life. Regardless, any individual who even listens to a few seconds of his powerful, twangy, and robust vocals could determine that even the most proficient of lessons would not have been able to shape a set of vocals like his without naturally born skill. At this point, he is merely a blip on the radar in retrospective to the national music scene. Though he is heavily regarded around his originated Little Rock, Arkansas, as an extremely promising artist, the word has yet to get out on this multi-talented singer/songwriter.
Whether he is accompanied on stage by a full-on band (Chris Atwood, Marcus Lowe, and Jesse Bates) or by no additional help at all, Denny’s stage presence is known to be admirable and gutsy. The twenty-two year old appears to be beyond his years in musical skill, both vocally and instrumentally, and plans to undergo the introductory process of an up-and-coming songwriter to release his debut album, Age Old Hunger, later this year. Originally found on the local Tomato House Records, Denny recently signed to a promising New York-based label in the oddly titled 00:02:59 for the national release of Age Old Hunger. Merely a local fixture at this point, it proved rather difficult to find additional information concerning the promising songwriter. Either way, we should all learn more soon as I doubt that Christopher Denny is going to be a secret for much longer.
“All Burned Up” offers an accurate perspective of Denny’s amiable approach. His integration of country, blues, and folk is highly reminiscent of legendary influences in the form of Neil Young or John Fogerty, while it is songs like the tender “Wake Up” that maintains a sullen aroma of slow-tempo gratification that remains to be reminded of Johnny Cash or James Taylor. With regard to the fact that Denny’s folk approach has been implemented for years and his vocals are vaguely reminiscent of several respectable folk artists of the past, one could sit and make artistic comparisons all day when asked how to describe Christopher Denny. “All Burned Up” offers the expected harmonica and “Wake Up” contains nothing but a sole acoustic guitar, but they both stabilize credibility with Denny’s occasional hooks, the majority of which are led by his lingering vocals. I suppose many would assume he depends mainly on his vocals to carry a strong song. That is hardly so, as the songwriting is just as impressive. Judging from the diversity of these three samples, Denny’s tendency to remain unpredictable both instrumentally and vocally makes it a difficult task for those who rely on comparisons for sound judgment (no pun intended).
Understandably, we have heard tracks like “All Burned Up” and “Wake Up” before from songwriters who were less capable vocally. “Lookin’ For You” is of no exception either. Presenting a throwback form of 50s rockabilly with a mindful ear for Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and Scotty Moore, Christopher Denny pulls it off so flawlessly that one cannot help but be impressed. Whenever an artist attempts this form of rockabilly revival, contemporary production or methods usually stand in the way of an accurate representation. However, in “Lookin’ For You”, Denny has successfully provided both an ode and means of nostalgia to the classic genre. Listening to songs like “Wake Up” and “Lookin’ For You” causes Denny’s approach to appear even more remarkable, as he makes stylistic trend transitions look easy. While his poise and structure is hardly consistent, Denny’s overall ethic and natural skill will most likely carry him to great heights on his debut album, Age Old Hunger. In addition, check out two more tracks on his MySpace. They are both just as exceptional.