I had a chance to interview Christopher Youngblood of “Youngblood“, he recently released his debut album “Guns ‘N Gold”. He is a one man band so to speak as he is the band. He learned guitar, vocals, piano, and drums as a kid and now has put it all together in an impressive debut album that is fast rising on the Uvumi charts.

Chris’s musical influences include Staind, Incubus, Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World, The Deftones, and Alice in Chains. I wanted to interview him because I think that it’s helpful and inspiring for aspiring guitarists/musicians to learn from someone that’s made it happen.

Interview Q&A

1. You had an album release party for “Guns ‘N Gold” last week, what was that like?

The show was pretty great. There were alot of people that didn’t understand it was a release party and didn’t really care for the album, they just wanted live music. Seeing as how the show was in a bar, can you really blame them? I was impressed with how many people showed up to support me. Despite the sound guy not showing up, half the people being completely trashed, and a myriad of problems, it went very well.
You can listen to tracks from “Guns ‘N Gold” on his facebook page here.

2. Did you have a concept or theme for this album when you started out? How did you come up with the name “Guns ‘N Gold”? What is the album about?

I didn’t really have a concept other than I wanted to record what I wanted to play. My buddy introduced me to my producer, Ed Becker (Eltmon Productions), that’s where I started. Ed asked me if I could play any instruments, I told him that I could play everything, and BAM….a year later, the album came to light. The name “Guns ‘N Gold” was entirely because of Ed. We were talking and joking around and he told me, “Ya know what Chris…some day…the only thing that’s gonna matter in America is how many guns you have in your closet…and how much gold is in your basement”. It kinda just stuck after that.

3. What is the songwriting process like for you? Is there a method to it for you?

Songwriting process is pretty tricky for a guy like me. Sometimes I’m in the zone…other times I’m in a completely different planet. Most of the time, when I’m writing a song, I think of the things that influence me the most…be it family, loved ones, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, friends in general, money, power, sex, religion, etc. I take all the things that influence me, combine them with words, and smash them on paper. Sometimes it takes days, sometimes it takes 10 minutes. The song from my album “Play You This Song” was a joke between Ed and myself. I showed up one day and we finished recording all the things we had planned for the day, with lots of time to spare. He asked me if I had anything else, and I told him I didn’t have lyrics. He said it was no big deal, and I bet him a beer that I could write a song in 10 minutes. Turns out, that song happens to be many peoples favorite off the album ha ha.

4. What do you think was the most important thing you learned to getting to where you are as a guitarist?

The most important thing I learned so far, is to never give up. From the moment I picked up the guitar for the first time, to now, trying to sell an album. My fingers would blister, I’d keep messing notes up, people kept telling me I wouldn’t make it, so on and so forth. In reality…what do you have to lose?

I just kept at it hoping that eventually it would pay off. I have to say, honestly, there’s no better escape than picking up an axe and shredding with some of your closest friends.

5. How was your experience in the Navy aboard an aircraft carrier? Were you able to practice or play music?

Ah yes, my Navy days. Well, life sure wasn’t a picnic onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. There were good times, and there were bad times. Overall, I’m thankful. If it wasn’t for the ship, I never would’ve met my wife, and I wouldn’t have my friends and my daughter Rebekka. To the surprise of many, I had alot of opportunities to play and practice on the ship. I started out jamming with one of my buddies that I worked with. We just had an acoustic project but before you knew it, people were stopping by to check our stuff out. Next thing you know, word gets out about who I am, and I was asked to play on a ship band. I had a great time. I was the lead singer and we jammed classics like Bon Jovi, Ozzy, and a bunch of other stuff. We even played a show on the flight deck. It was crazy! The whole ship was up there, and we had a blast, like 3000 people, surrounded by water. It was definitely a memory I’ll hold on to and a story for my grandkids.

6. How did you put together this album? From the process to what you used for equipment and software, share as much detail as you feel comfortable with.

This album was completely freestyle. It took a while because I ended up moving 2 hours away from the studio so I could only make it down a few times a month. The times I did make it to the studio, it was non stop work from the moment I got there, till the moment I left. Basically, the way things went down, I’d first lay down a scratch rhythm guitar track and build from there. Next was drums, the foundation for the song. After that was rhythm…bass…lead…double track everything (on most tracks)…vocals…vocals…and more vocals. I remember on one song there lyrics were broken down into sections and there was like 110 vocal takes or something like that. I couldn’t even talk the next day. The thing that amazes people is the software we used. Instruments consisted of Gibson robot guitar, my Taylor acoustic, a Squier bass, and a base model Roland elctronic drum set. Ed was able to engineer some ground breaking sounds through his software. I’m not really at liberty to discuss what programs he uses and how he uses them, but if you come down to the studio to get some work done, you won’t be disappointed.

7. Is there something that you learned in creating this album that might help someone else in making their own album? Tips to save to save time, money, or improve sound quality?

Well, if it’s your first album…take it slow. There were times when we thought we were so crunched for time, that we stayed up super late, sacrificed time with our families, and exhausted ourselves….and it wasn’t really necessary. Make sure you clear your mind before you show up. I tell my wife when she gets home, to leave the problems at work, with work. Same thing applies with the studio. There may be alot of things going on in your life that are hindering your success, but recording is hard work. Use the events in your life to fuel your inspiration. Hold on to whats good and right, and let everything flow from that as you record. I’ve found, especially when recording vocals, that if I’m not focused and really feeling the lyrics and listening with my soul, the vocal takes will sound like garbage. I think this somewhat applies to everyone, even if it’s not recording music. Successful people find a way to channel their positive energy into what they’re doing and the outcome….they’re really good at it.

8. Where are you headed next? Are you planning on forming a band someday?

Well next…world domination. ha ha ha just kidding. I am currently looking to form a band. I’ve had quite a few people bail on me over the past few months and it keeps leaving me at ground zero. Even with the release party, there was supposed to be a full band with me, and they bailed. I had to play the whole show (11 song set) by myself, acoustic. Talk about stressful. So yea, next if promoting the album, finding more venues to play, and putting together a band. Who knows, maybe the Superbowl in a few years.

Get more information about Chris and his music:
Youngblood Music on Facebook
YoungbloodMusic.net

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