Chris Robley is an award-winning poet, songwriter, and music producer whose Beatlesque indie-pop and folk music has been praised by NPR, the LA Times, the Boston Globe, and others. Skyscraper Magazine said he is “one of the best short-story musicians to come along in quite some time.”
Robley's dynamic solo performances "cut a wide swath" (as one concert promoter put it), being both intimate and energetic, combining a large reservoir of his original music with cover songs spanning seven decades of popular and folk music — from the Ink Spots, to Harry Nilsson, to Katy Perry.
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Write a reviewPrice range: $250 and up
Languages: English
Gig length: 30 - 180 minutes
Chris Robley's solo singer-songwriter performances consist of 50% original material (from his numerous album releases) and 50% cover songs of pop and folk music from the 1940's through today, spanning The Ink Spots to Katy Perry.
Robley does a lot with limited instrumentation — just acoustic guitar, voice, harmonica, and occasionally a piano — keeping things dynamic by employing a wide range of styles, looping vocal harmonies, whistling, scatting, mouth trumpet, and more.
Set times can vary from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on your needs. Comfortable in both low-volume settings and high-energy rooms.
Chris Robley is a songwriter, published poet, music producer, and a purveyor of pictorial pop and folk-pop music now living in Portland, Maine after more than a decade in Portland, Oregon.
His orchestral indie-pop and fractured folk music has been praised by NPR, The LA Times, The Boston Globe, Performer Magazine, and many more.
As one critic put it, Robley (the “Stephen King of Indie-Pop”) performs music that “corresponds to the hyperactive zeitgeist” of this modern era of over-stimulation.
His albums include:
* Chris Robley — This Is The (2005)
* The SORT OFs — Anxiety on Parade (2006)
* Chris Robley — The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love (2007)
* Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights — Movie Theatre Haiku (2009)
* Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights — Ghosts' Menagerie (2010)
* Chris Robley — The Great Make Believer (2015)
Robley's poems have been published in POETRY Magazine, Poetry Northwest, Prairie Schooner, Beloit Poetry Journal, RHINO, and many others. He is the 2013 winner of Boulevard's Poetry Prize for Emerging Writers, and the 2014 recipient of a Maine Literary Award in poetry.
My setup requires a PA with at least a 4-channel mixer, and at least one monitor. I can provide mics, mic stands, and cables myself. (I can provide the entire PA for an extra fee).
Here is the input list:
One 1/4 inch input for acoustic guitar.
One 1/4 inch input for vocals (NOTE: lead vocals go into the PA as a 1/4inch cable — NOT an XLR.)
One 1/4 inch input for keyboard.
one XLR input for 2nd microphone.
Because I'm a solo performer, I don't need much space (as little as 5x8 feet). Two grounded electrical outlets near the performance area or stage is extremely helpful.
Various cover songs performed by Paul McCartney, Harry Nilsson, The Ink Spots, Radiohead, Katy Perry, Emmylou Harris, XTC, Bruce Springsteen, The Andrews Sisters, George Harrison, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, etc.
Plus original songs from Chris Robley's five solo albums, plus "Anxiety on Parade" by his band THE SORT OFs.
Harry Nilsson, Neil Finn, Paul Simon, John Vanderslice, Elvis Costello, John Lennon
PA w/ at least four inputs and one stage monitor
Singer/Songwriter
