He has poor eyesight. Hes been heartbroken. He drinks too much. He might laugh at your joke. He might not. He tries to be honest.
For singer/songwriter Chris Hamilton, honesty is what first drew him to begin Radiation Puppy.
When I started writing songs as a teenager, Hamilton said, they were all about other people, cause I couldnt bring myself to write about myself. Then slowly the songs became more and more personal. Now, every song is autobiographical. I figure, if youre not honest a songwriter, why bother?
Hamilton began performing with the band Playground in 1997. For almost a year, Playground played at diverse venues throughout the Baltimore area, and recorded their crowd favorite, Dont Eat Cheese Crackers. In 1998, Hamilton renamed the group Radiation Puppy, and it became his songwriting entity.
Sometimes performing solo, sometimes with a full backing band, Hamilton has been continually performing for the last seven years. Fueled by Hamiltons emotional lyrics and pop sensibilities, songs like " Indie Rock Star " and "Crush on Eleanor" instantly created a buzz for Radiation Puppy among the Baltimore music scene. Armed with his acoustic guitar and his arsenal of pop hooks ("Buffalo"), dark sketches ("Vincent Price"), and in-your-face humor (" I Wanna Be a Hooker "), Hamilton took his solo act through the Mid-Atlantic and New England, gathering fans in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C.
So is Radiation Puppy a band or a solo act? Hamilton would say its a little of both.
I think of Radiation Puppy kinda like Nine Inch Nails, where its mainly one guy. Though we dont use synthesizers much. And Im not that angry. Well, not most of the time, anyway. Its tough to say which I enjoy more, performing solo acoustic or with a full band. Performing solo allows you more spontaneity, but with a band, the songs become entirely different creations.
In the spring of 2002, Radiation Puppy began laying down tracks with Mike McAree (Lake Trout, SR-71) at the famed Wrightway Studios. The result was the four-song EP Driving Nowhere. Hamiltons next project will be a full-length record.
I loved what we were able to do with Driving Nowhere, but honestly its just the tip of the iceberg for Radiation Puppy. I have so much more to say, and the next logical step is an album. Like it or not, I dont see myself stopping anytime soon.
