MUSIC LESSONS WITH CHRIS

Musician / Music Production / Licensing

(’94-present)

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• 1994 to 1999
  Released several cassette tapes and a CD, independently as part of the bands Triage, Panacea, Downside, and finally, Down Inside. During this time, opened for Overkill, Stuck Mojo, Clutch, and GWAR, and played a few shows with Twisted Method (Universal Records).

• 2000
  Established Monochrome Vision Records, a tiny independent record label

• 2002
  Released debut self-titled Beauty’s Confusion EP.

• 2003
  Licensed music from Beauty’s Confusion, for Michael W. Dean’s book/CD-ROM combo $30 Music School.

• 2004
  Released debut Beauty’s Confusion full-length album Breathe In

• 2005 summer
  Licensed music from Beauty’s Confusion (song: “Burning World”) through Rom DiPrisco / Bitstream Dream for Xbox360 game Full Auto.

• 2005 autumn
  Licensed music from Beauty’s Confusion (song: “Who Am I”, “Unchange”) through Rom DiPrisco / Bitstream Dream for CBS television show NCIS.

• 2005 autumn/winter
  Licensed music from Beauty’s Confusion (songs: “Windmills”) through Rom DiPrisco / Bitstream Dream for The Oprah Winfrey Show (episode featuring Susan Sarandon)

• 2005
  Remixed tracks by Sarah Fimm and Lunascape (as Beauty’s Confusion).

• 2006
  Retired Monochrome Vision Records due to a copyright dispute. Established Ousted Records, a small, independent record label collective that has sold and distributed physical and digital music, worldwide.

• 2006
  Released Someday We’ll Meet Somewhere (as The Autumn Skylight)

• 2007
  Remixed “Motherless Child” by Lovespirals

• 2007
  Remixed tracks by Buck 65 and East Hundred

• 2007
  Licensed music from Beauty’s Confusion, for Michael W. Dean’s documentary It/ll Be Better Tomorrow (about legendary writer Hubert Selby, Jr, who was alive at the time of filming, and is featured prominently in the documentary, as well as interviews with Lou Reed, Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, and more. Narrated by Robert Downey, Jr.).

• 2007
  Hired by Blaine Graboyes / Blaine Global to produce three theme music instrumentals for Xbox360 web video series/news show.

• 2007
  Released EP as The Borough (with Joe Simek and Brad Baker)

• 2008
  Released Sound Sensitive EP (with Lisa Kowalew, as Sunburst Carrier)

• 2009
  Released instrumental trip-hop album Dialogue (as Brinsley).

• 2009
  Released Beauty’s Confusion remix album.

• 2009
  Released breakbeat/techno album (as Radialoptic).

• 2010
  Released ambient album (as Awake By Starlight)

• 2011
  Began uploading music performances on YouTube

• 2013
  Released All The Fading Stars (as Vertical Interval)
  Released Alpha State (with Ego HimSelf, as The Boring Extraordinary)

• 2015
  Released 10 At Once (instrumental solo album)

• 2016
  Released EP #1 (with Cait Kellagher, as Tentative Plans)
  Released Fall Apart EP (with Jen McGrath, as Icicle Sound)

• 2017
  Released Hard to Breathe EP (Icicle Sound)
  Released Swept Away EP (Icicle Sound)
  Released Still EP (with Cait Kellagher, as Tentative Plans)

• 2017
  Released Instrumental Pieces Inspired By Film, Volume 1

• 2017 March
  Signed multi-band licensing deal with Mother West (New York City).

• 2017 September
  Tentative Plans song “Getting Out Alive” featured on “DIY For Houston: Volume 1” benefit album, for Houston flood. Every penny from album sales went to Houston relief efforts.

• 2017 September
  “Books Never Read” (as Boy In The Background) featured on “DIY For Houston: Volume 3” benefit album, for Houston flood. Every penny from album sales went to Houston relief efforts.

• 2018/2019
  Featured on various releases by Telyscopes as drummer/pianist. Also helped Telyscopes with several music videos.

• 2020-2021
  Began recording/producing debut EP for local Philly singer/songwriter Morgan Alexa, featuring Rory Miller. Pandemic put the project on hold, but there is an EP coming, eventually

• 2023
  Keeping busy with random music projects

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Author / Technical Editor (2000-present)

• 2000-2002
  Self-published seven books of journalistic poetry/free verse, under a previous name (Fist To Kiss, Wrong Side Of The Bed, Invisible, Deadbeat., Pretty, Sensitive Bastard, 56 Weeks In Hell), distributed locally in FL and worldwide sales through the internet. Books were “photocopied, fold-and-staple”, completely no-budget books that were a hit, locally and through the web.

• 2003
  Interviewed and contributed a chapter for Michael W. Dean’s book $30 Music School (Course Technology PTR). Credited as “Skip Frederiksen.” Former band Beauty’s Confusion featured prominently in the section about electronic music production.

• 2006
  Technical Editor for Michael W. Dean’s book $30 Film School: 2nd Edition (Course Technology PTR). Two original short films “Found” and “Like A Tree” featured on the accompanying DVD.

• 2006-2007
  Co-writer and Technical Editor for DIY Digital Music NOW! book (Course Technology PTR), written by Michael W. Dean. Book unfortunately never came out due to corporate downsizing, but the chapters/files were released publicly, under a Creative Commons License in 2007.

• 2008
  Technical Editor for Myspace Marketing (QUE Publishing, 2008) by Sean Percival.

• 2009
  Technical Editor for Michael W. Dean and Alan Lastufka’s (DFTBA Records) book YouTube: An Insider’s Guide To Climbing The Charts (2009, O’Reilly Publishing).

• 2016
  Self-published first-edition paperback of Writings: Volume 1 (175 pages). Removed and revised for 2024.

• 2017 July
  Published stripped-down version of songwriting reference book entitled Songwriting: Straight To The Point.
  Full, final book (and audio/video series) coming 2024.

• 2023 September
  Compiling works for Writings: Volume 2  (252 pages)

• 2023 October
  Compiling works for Writings: Volume 3

• 2023 November
  Compiling works for Writings: Volume 4

• 2023 December
  Compiling works for Time Is Ruthless: Collected Writing 1990-2017.