Congratulations Chris!!
2nd Place in World/Reggae Category
UNISONG Int'l Songwriting Contest
View Chris Bottomley's EPK
Hello everyone! Welcome to my musical world where anything goes!
FELLOW MUSICIANS! I'M AVAILABLE FOR SESSIONS/GIGS/WRITING/SINGING/BASS LESSONS!
My 3 Cd’s Brainfudge, Knotty Bits and Cerebral Lubrication are available to buy online at CD Baby You can also download my music from Apple itunes (Brainfudge), Apple itunes (Knotty Bits), and Apple itunes (Cerebral Lubrication), oremusic (Knotty Bits),emusic (Cerebral Lubrication),
andGreatIndie (Knotty Bits),GreatIndie (Brainfudge),GreatIndie (Cerebral Lubrication)
My musical fun began in England at an early age when i studied classical piano at age 6. During this time I also developed a fascination with woodwind and brass instruments, having been introduced to the recorder and its various styles. This natural curioosity led me to play clarinet for about 8 years. In Germany i played clarinet in the high-school band and we performed at various events throughout the Black Forest. I also took up tenor sax and trumpet for awhile to test 'em out which is why i probably still love and write for these instruments! I was the piano accompaniest for a 15 person singing group that toured German, Holland and Belgium and as an air force brat i have lived in Germany, the UK, Ottawa, Cold Lake, Alberta and Toronto.
By my early teens i'd had enough of classical music. I quit my grade ten piano and joined a rock band in Germany called Albatross at age 13, playing drums and singing lead vocals. I switched to bass after a couple of years c'ause i found it hard to play drums and sing lead. Now bass is my main instrument, though i love to write and play on guitar, keys, djembe and more. I guess you could call me a singer-songwriter, though i also write instrumentals in a variety of idioms. I love all kinds of music and cut my chops playing rock, funk, reggae and crazy jazz inspired creations. In my writing i love to get the body moving with some good hooks combined with a strong sense of rhythm and melodic structure. I'm into playing and collaborating with all kinds of players. Some of the other people i've performed and toured with include; The Look People, Toronto's Boogiewall Soundsystem, Vancouver's Mofunk Collective, Rich Underhill's Funk Explosion, Wayne Lavallee, Singer/Songwriter John Bottomley, The Kensington Horns, and most recently, West African percussion ensemble Ainike.
My recording career began in Toronto, Canada, in the early 1980's with a rock trio called TULPA. In the group was myself, brother John Bottomley and drummer Mike Severin. We released a single 45", "Apologize to your Mother" b..w "Mystical Dreams", a full length LP "Mosaic Fish" (Midnite Music 1985) and "Live from CBGB" (Off the BOARD Records 1986)
THE CHRIS BOTTOMLEY & BRAINFUDGE BAND was started after the demise of TULPA. My first shows were at CBGB in New York followed by an opening slot for the band "Living Colour" at The Concert Hall in Toronto in 1991. The original lineup was Ian Menzies on guitar, GBS and Don Kerr on drums, Ernie Tollar on Sax, James Gray on keys and lead guitarist John Gzowski. Drummer Howie Beck stepped in for most of the early 90's and we played a bunch of amped -up shows augmented by the addition of vocalists Kathryn Rose and Jane Miller. Shortly thereafter i released my first CD " BRAINFUDGE".
I've performed live for years in Canada and the U.S. Along with legendary drummer Great Bob Scott, we have a strong band and a wicked rhythm section. Come check us out! I hope this will provide some levity to y'all 'cause we need music to lift us up.
MUSIC IS THE ANTIDOTE.
Currently working on the followup to "Cerebral Lubrication"
CEREBRAL LUBRICATION RADIO CHARTS 2005!!!! Canadian College Radio
CFCR(Saskatoon) - 1 top ten Jazz charts
CKUL(Lethbridge) - 2 top 30 charts
1 top ten jazz charts
6 top ten world charts
CJAM(Windsor) - 3 top ten jazz charts
CSCR(Toronto) - 4 top ten world charts
CFBX(kamloops) - 3 top ten jazz charts
- 13 top 30 charts
CHUO(Ottawa) - 1 top ten jazz charts
CJSW(London) - 2 top ten jazz charts
***number 6 CHART ATTACK NATIONAL JAZZ CHARTS!!!!
FESTIVALS I'VE PLAYED; NXNE, CMJ (New York), Toronto Street Festival, Nathan Phillips Square, Distillery Jazz Festival, Come Together Festival, Beaches International Jazz Festival, Heart of Texas Quadruple Bypass Festival (Austin), Amnesty International Benefit, United Way Walkathon, SkyDome Spring Break Festival , PS Kensington, Kensington Festival of Lights, Kensington Harvest Festival, Electric Eclectics Festival of Modern Music and Irritainment (Meaford,Ont), Jazz by Genre Summerfest (Toronto)
TELEVISION APPEARANCES; Global at Noon, City TV Lunch Television, The New Music
VIDEOS ; "We Can Be Better", "Stolen Land", "Seize the Day"
DISCOGRAPHY :
Tangles & Spoils (1991)
Brainfudge (1994)
Knotty Bits (2003)
Cerebral Lubrication (2004)
ONLINE SALES! Apple itunes, emusic, Napster,Audio Lunchbox