What kind of music creative are you?
I am a music producer, music composer, and musician.
What inspired you to start creating music?
I started playing guitar around 1976 or so. I just wanted to be like the guy who played at our church. I couldn't believe the beauty and power of the sound of a guitar.
John Denver was another artist who inspired me.
What is your studio setup?
Pro Tools, UAD Apollo interfaces, Line6 Helix, 2 5150 amps, and a ton of other stuff.
"I couldn't believe the beauty and power of the sound of a guitar."
Do you play any musical instruments?
I play guitar, bass, banjo, keyboards, and drums. I have grown so used to just "doing it myself" that I learn more and more instruments as I go. At first, it was a burden, but now it's a superpower.
What type of music do you create?
I like to combine rock with other genres such as classical, as well as Irish pub songs.
I was one of the lead guitarists for Rock of Ages in Las Vegas (The Venetian, Harrah's, and The Rio).
I was one of the lead guitarists for Tenors of Rock in Las Vegas (Harrah's, Planet Hollywood) - these guys were a five-part harmony British rock group that won a position on the X Factor.
I also record "how to" videos for audio plugin companies.
What type of projects are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on several projects where I play most all of the instruments (except lead vocals and drums in some cases):
Partisan Angel - a buddy from Sacramento (Jimmy Tuttle) and I put together some songs and recorded them at Tesla's recording studio in Sacramento with Brian Wheat (bass player from Tesla). Les Warner (former drummer from The Cult is participating in this project as well).
Masterpiece Sound Studios in Partnership w/ Sony Music Publishing - we were asked to participate in a sort of "contest" where we were to choose 1 Motown song from their list and re-make it into something new, in a new genre (also chosen from a list of 10 genres). You can check it out here and even cast your vote for our song. The more people that vote for us, the more likely we perform in front of Stevie Wonder in New York!
My own songs and remakes - I've been posting some re-makes on Spotify. The purpose of these was originally just to get more familiar with new technology in the recording industry; I simply took it further and launched a few songs under "Christopher Dengler" - a favorite right now seems to be Flight of the Bumblebee Guitar Version.
What is your creation process?
I create in 2 different ways - (1) I start with guitar and then build it up. It ALWAYS comes out differently than I intended. I find that my mistakes are usually my biggest inspiration!
And (2) I'll shop around to re-record older songs in a new way. I'll look for a MIDI file that someone might have done, and then I tweak that and add to it.
What project are you the proudest of?
Writing stems for the X Factor winners "Tenors of Rock" in Las Vegas. It's challenging because they're adding their spin on classic rock tunes. The songs must maintain their integrity while allowing for a little creativity. The results were/are amazing!
My claim to fame... I was once performing on stage in Vegas, and the Righteous Brothers joined us on stage - I had already known them because we shared the same stage throughout the week, but that was a huge treat.
In working as a guitar player, I've had the privilege to perform with some of the most respected people in the industry, such as Alan Childs, Les Warner, Blas Elias, The Righteous Brothers (sort of 😊), Brian Wheat, Dan Grennes, Chris Cicchino, Nanette Fortier, and many others. Without them, I'd most likely just be recording instead of performing.
Why do you choose We Sound Human libraries?
When we were asked to participate in the Masterpiece Sound Studios / Sony Music Publishing project, we initially panicked a bit. The genres in which we were most comfortable were not among the choices for us; we had to improvise.
We Sound Human not only gave us a huge kickstart to get moving quickly (there was a fast deadline) but also gave us tremendous help in the inspiration behind the structure and sound of our entry/project. I can say that without a doubt, if we hadn't had We Sound Human in our back pocket, we wouldn't have produced that level of quality in that short amount of time.
Where can people hear your music?
You can listen on Spotify and check out my Instagram page. I have some projects I continue to dabble with here on YouTube.
"In working as a guitar player, I've had the privilege to perform with some of the most respected people in the industry."
Explore Chris's Favorite We Sound Human Sounds
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