March 2011 Magazine33 North Carolina, Featured Articles, Triangle, Rock

The Chris Hendricks Band at Deep South

By Photojournalist: Jaclyn Davidson   Tue, Mar 01, 2011

Raleigh - As I sat eagerly watching the ever-growing crowd filter though the doors of the red-walled Deep South Bar in Raleigh, I looked forwards to listening to the Chris Hendricks Band play their set.  I sat in a bar booth trying to stifle my heavy cough, but even my bad flu could not keep me from coming out to see the band.  I waited excitedly to listen to their live performance after having listened to their tracks on ReverbNation a few days prior to the show.

Looking around the bar, I was impressed with the venues decorative style.  Red walls were adorned with famous music quotes painted in  white with all different styles of hand writing.  The downtown Raleigh bar, with its pool table, good setting, impressive drink collection, and friendly bartenders, was a wonderful venue for what some had called a "homecoming" show for the band.

The crowd was hopping and ready to rock.  The band, composed of Chris Hendricks (lead vocals), J. Michael Sullivan, III (lead guitar, backup vocals), Anthony Gallo (drums), and Aaron Gallagher (bass), filled the room with a thick and full sound.  Aaron Gallagher also works for the band as their manager.  Chris Hendricks' voice blazed over the microphone, and like a warm knife cutting through butter, the women reacted with great enthusiasm, and the crowed screamed in delight.  With that, the band began to jam, and the bar crowd cheered and danced to the music.  The show was off the chain!

I later had the opportunity to do a small interview with the band via email as my flu had landed me in bed for the next week.  With the help of Aaron Gallagher, I was put in touch with frontman Chris Hendricks, who was kind enough to answer my questions about the band.

33: How did the band start?
 Chris Hendricks: A little over a year and a half ago, Aaron Gallagher found me in a coffee shop in Chapel Hill, called Jack Sprat Cafe doing acoustic covers.  He asked me if I had any original music.  I told him I did, but I didn't think it was very good.  He thought I had potential, so he asked to hear my original music.  Shortly after that, he began managing me as a solo act.  I had the opportunity to play locally as well as Nashville and New York.  A few months later we met Michael Sullivan at the same coffee shop Aaron and I crossed paths.  He began to play lead guitar for us.  We needed a bass player, so the manager Aaron jumped on board and picked up the instrument rather quickly.  Only five or six months ago we found our drummer Anthony Gallo.

All things considered we've only had a full band sound for a short while, but we have been tremendously blessed.  We've performed at the RBC Center and the Raleigh Amphitheater downtown.  We've played the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.  We have played Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh.  We played at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, and we had the opportunity to open up for Amy Grant and Mercy Me this summer.  We've also been interviewed on G105 a few times and have received air play on 96Rock.

33: Tell me about the band's good times, rough times.
CH: Myself and the other members are very passionate about performing and driven to succeed.  Getting others to listen has been the biggest struggle with the band.  Often times we are underestimated as a group, which is both a blessing and a curse.  The trouble with music is that there is just so much of it out there.  It is often difficult to convince a new venue that the art we provide is very unique in nature.  Once we are able to perform, however, the music speaks for itself.  

33: Tell me about the band's creative process.
CH: One of my favorite aspects of the band is our ability to come together as a creative unit when it comes to music.  Initially I will provide a sketch.  Using the guitar or piano, I come up with lyrics, chords and a melody.  We come together as a band to create arrangements that speak to us internally and relay the message of the song.  From the first verse to the final chorus, we want to be remembered.  I think we're doing a pretty good job so far.

33: Does the band do a lot of traveling?
CH: Right now, we're really trying to develop a strong local following.  In the (hopefully) near future, we would like to branch out and slowly but surely reach the national market.  We have also performed in New York City, West Virginia and, of course, Tennessee.

33: Please tell me more about the EP and upcoming album.
CH: We are very proud of the EP we released several months ago.  It was produced by our good friend Jake Hartsfield.  He is a young, up-and-coming producer who does brilliant work.  You can tell through his dedication and meticulous nature that he is passionate about the music and very good at what he does.  When the offer came up to open for Amy Grant and Mercy Me, we needed a product so that the crowd would remember us after our live performance.  With a month to go, Jake took the written music and molded it into something we could never dream of.  To do so in such a short time is nothing short of amazing.

Since the EP, our sound has evolved a great deal.  We have had several offers from producers around here and in Nashville who are interested in working with us on a full length album.  No decisions have been made as of yet, but we are excited to put new material out there, and I know the fans are looking forward to it as well.

33: What are the musical and artistic inspirations that you draw from?
CH: A lot of my influence comes from 90s alternative rock and classic/modern R&B like the Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas, and Boyz II Men.  My father raised me on country and bluegrass.  Keith Urban is also a big influence.  Our electric guitarist is an old school blues man with an itch for rock 'n' roll.  John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix and Slash come about when you think of his guitar style and tone.  Our drummer is influence primarily by beach music like the Embers and Chairmen of the Board.  Our bass player gets his musical roots from West Virginia and has a love for R&B and pop as well as singer/songwriter music.  Since I started as an acoustic artist, many of my early influences include James Taylor, Ray LaMontagne and Edwin McCain.

33: People referred to your show at Deep South as a homecoming show.  Is there something special about Deep South as a venue for you and the band?
CH: I grew up in the Raleigh/Durham area, so it's very nice to play a local show and pack out the venue with fans you know and love who sing all the words to your songs.  Deep South has been very good to us.  We were lucky enough to win their year-long Battle of the Bands competition and perform in their industry showcase in Nashville.  The way I see it, the show we put on was our way of saying thank you the only way we know how.

33: Where do you want the music to go? Where do you see yourself going?
CH: If I had my way, our music would continue to be performed in intimate settings.  As far as I'm concerned, the closer people are to the music, the easier it is for me to communicate with them.  To me, lyrics are a very important part of music.  I want the audience to understand where I'm coming from.  In large stadiums, the music gets lost in the crowd.  I see us performing in auditoriums and theaters across the country.  I want to touch the audience with good music and a solid, clean message.  When you perform, you are telling a story.  Music in particular is truly a beautiful thing because it can mean different things to different people.  If the audience is locked in, then they can mold the story as they see fit and create their own influence on their own lives.

ReverbNation.com/ChrisHendricksMusic 

MySpace.com/CHendricksMusic

By Photojournalist: Jaclyn Davidson

Jaclyn Davidson was born in June 1986 in New York.  She spent her childhood and teen years growing up in Manhattan and Princeton, New Jersey.  As a young adult she enjoys a variety of interests:  journaling, politics, boxing, marksmanship, cooking, photography, modeling, reading, running around with her two beloved rescue pets, and studying to continue her education in the field of ALS First Aid Response and Rescue.  She attended college at American University in D.C., where she studied Political Science.  Jaclyn moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in late December of 2006, and she has also had the privilege of taking classes at the Chapel Hill University.  This beautiful, young, artistic, military-minded, liberal reporter is a welcome and exciting addition to Magazine33‘s team!

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