Biography

When musician Chris Beland’s stepfather passed away seven years ago, he asked his son to play for him as he left this life for the next. Death and music, love and loss, these elements have always been a part of Beland’s world — which is why when a friend asked if he’d like a gig playing for folks in hospice, he was happy to oblige. He’d done as much for his father. “I think music is therapy for me. Writing songs helps my own heart,” he says. “A lot of my songs are just kind of autobiographical. I don't use a lot of like metaphors; I end up speaking straight from my own experience.”

That experience playing tunes for people living out their last days led to his latest EP, The Waiting, an ecstatic mix of highs and lows — dispatch from a fraught life nevertheless studded with beauty. That record drops August 1st via Beland’s new label, Santa Barbara Records.

A troubadour in the tradition of Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, and Neil Young, the California native has weathered teenage pregnancy, drug addiction, and finding his real father at age 32 to create a discography of gorgeous work that both grapples with and pays homage to his history. From 2005’s ode to his wife and loved ones, Outer Space, to 2022’s What I Believe, Beland’s oeuvre tells the story of a man in constant evolution.

2023 saw Beland accepting that gig as a hospice musician — and inspiration striking once more. Luckily, he had a new outlet. After playing a Kenny Loggins tribute that same year, Santa Barbara Records reached out and asked him to record an EP for the label. Beland sent producer/guitarist Tariqh Akoni (David Foster, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin) 50 songs; Akoni chose four. Akoni then rounded out the band with bassist Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Linda Rondstadt), drummer Curt Bisquera (Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Elton John), pedal steel player Rich Hinman (St. Vincent, Sara Bareilles, Rosanne Cash), and percussionist Ramon Yslas (Chicago, JD Souther). Although the players recorded remotely, the full band effect only elevates Beland’s freewheeling sound, imbuing it was a warmth and resonance that recalls Seventies-era radio rock.

“I think it tells real life story,” he says. “Humanity in all its joys and sorrows.” Here’s to the dawning of another day.

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Contact: Brandon@TinderboxMusic.com / (612) 375-1113