Biography

Maple Blues Award-Nominated Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter

In 2010, Canadian blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Chris Antonik arrived onto the National and International blues scene with his self-titled debut album which received widespread critical acclaim, placed in the Roots Music Report Top 100 charts for over a year, and garnered Antonik a nomination for Best New Artist of the Year at Canada’s national Maple Blues Awards. After extensive touring and major blues festival appearances in Canada in 2011 and 2012, Chris now returns with his highly anticipated follow-up Better For You (scheduled for release on iTunes March 26, 2013).

Better For You is a highly personal and reflective album for Antonik, dealing with rebuilding relationships, learning to put others first, and developing a positive moral code in a world full of blues.
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With Antonik on the majority of lead vocals, guest vocalists include: two-time Grammy award-winner Mike Mattison (The Derek Trucks Band, The Tedeschi-Trucks Band), 2013 American Blues Music award-nominee Shakura S’Aida, and the incredibly soulful Josh Williams (The Fat Cats), who also features on keyboards throughout the album. The electrifying and eternally funky Chris Chiarelli (drums) and Andrew Taylor (bass) once again hold down the rhythm section. Other guest artists include: blues Juno award-winners Steve Marriner (MonkeyJunk) and Julian Fauth, as well as Canadian music veterans Suzie Vinnick, and Richard Underhill, who arranged all the horns on the album.
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Co-produced by Antonik and Ted Onyszczak, the album was recorded by Grammy award-winning engineer Jeremy Darby (U2, Mick Jagger, Colin Linden) at Toronto’s Canterbury Studios, and includes 10 original songs written and co-written by Antonik, and one cover song.


AWARDS & ACCOLADES

* Nominated for a 2010 Maple Blues Award - Best New Artist of the Year (Canada's national awards for excellence and achievement in blues)

* Wrote/co-wrote, performed, produced and self-marketed one of the best-reviewed Canadian blues albums released in 2010

* Named the "The Future of the Blues" in a 2010 year-end review by Canada’s Blues Underground Network website

* Debut solo album Chris Antonik voted the 10th best Canadian blues album released in 2010 on the Annual CHMR Top 20 Canadian Blues Chart

* Debut solo album named one of the best blues albums of 2010 by US music critic Graham Clarke, as well as by CKLR Radio in Quebec

* In the 2010 International Songwriting Competition, Chris’ song "Roll with It" received an honourable mention in the blues category. The song was selected from a pool of over 15,000 entrants by a jury that included Jeff Beck, Jerry Lee Lewis, Peter Gabriel and more.

RADIO & TELEVISION

* Debut solo album "Chris Antonik" released in August 2010 received widespread Canadian and international radio play, including on Jazz FM 91.1, "Saturday Night Blues" on CBC Radio 1, "Fresh Air" on CBC Radio 2, Sunday Morning Soul with Johnny Max, At the Crossroads with Brant Zwicker, and DAWG 101.9 FM (Ottawa)

* Airplay on the "Blues Deluxe" radio show, a US program that is syndicated at over 100 stations in North America and that reaches 2 million listeners weekly

* Radio play in: France, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, the UK, Poland, Croatia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Macedonia and Denmark

* Debut solo album debuted at #4 on the Roots Music Report for Canadian roots music radio play and #35 for international blues radio play (www.rootsmusicreport.com)

* The album rose as high as #2 for Canadian roots music radio play and #33 for international blues play (Roots Music Report for the week of December 17, 2010)

* Debut solo album appeared in the top 100 on the Roots Music Report Canadian play charts for over a year after its release (August 2010 – October 2011)
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