Lanky Tunes

It is hard to narrow George Christiansen's music down to just one particular category. It defies easy labeling while at the same time having a familiar quality to it. A soulful voice mixes with intricate guitar playing and interesting word play to create a song catalog that is varied without being schizophrenic. His songs reveal an original perspective while at the same time making you feel like you can relate. While never really having taken formal lessons, George is a life long student and lover of music. Growing up in the suburban town of Amityville, NY the air was filled with the sounds of everything from the Beatles, Van Halen, Michael Jackson and the Bee Gees. He spent his high school years learning to play bass and to sing to the music of Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Guitar was an afterthought. After three years of traveling around the Midwest working construction it became all too apparent that playing in a local band and moving every couple of weeks or months didn't mix well. Having no intentions of permanently settling down anywhere, George reluctantly switched to playing guitar. While living in Vermont, exposure to the sounds of George Winston, Leo Kottke, and Michael Hedges began to influence and shape the way George saw music and songwriting. It wasn't until the last few years that George began to perform and record his own music. It was only after discovering artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Brooks Williams, Damien Rice, and Peter Mulvey that he realized that the songs that he was writing to sort through his own thoughts and express his own desires might actually have an audience. Better late than never. Comparisons to other artists have ranged from Van Morrison to Dave Matthews, from James Taylor to Jack Johnson, form Bruce Cockburn to Eddie Vedder. It seems listeners can always find someone to compare George's songs to and yet not find an influence that truly defines them.