![]() The Game Show on Jun 4th was really fun! I have seen them come and go and even written songs for it but just had not gotten over there to perform for a very long time. Folding Mr. Lincoln, Snooze Button, Parker Dawson, Mountain Ghost, Richard & Crystal, Sweet Joyce Ann, Jeffery Joe Morin, and yours truly played. I really enjoyed Snooze Button. By the time my turn rolled around I had almost forgotten how my song went since I just wrote it the same afternoon. i managed to struggle through it and also played Three Minutes Late and Invisible. I hope to get together with the Snooze boys sometime for some song writing and/or home recording sometime soon. |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | House of Blues - Show on Jan 11th was really a blast! |
LOCAL "Invisible" Christopher Cash Self-released Escondido's Christopher Cash isn't chasing dreams of rock 'n' roll stardom; comfortably into adulthood, he performs and records because of the music itself. His latest album, "Invisible," is a marked step up from 2005's "Hollywood Mirage." Credit at least part of the improvement to the deft production of Jeff Berkley, but also to Cash's own steadily improving songwriting and singing. Stylistically, Cash's songs seem to draw on the mainstream singer-songwriter tradition of the 1960s and '70s, run through a filter of '80s synth rock and '90s alt rock. Crosby Stills & Nash, Boz Scaggs and Al Stewart are all present, along with Martin Briley and R.E.M. Cash's voice sounds remarkably like that of Neil Diamond, which is hardly a bad thing. The nice, thick arrangements found in his songs provide a near-perfect backdrop for his singing. The overall result is a polished collection of pop-rock songs. That they're written from a mature perspective gives Cash a fairly unique niche in the local music scene. ---- Jim Trageser |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() Christopher Cash Invisible By Bart Mendoza | |
As might be expected of an artist who cites watching the "Ed Sullivan Show" on February 9th, 1964 as a key influence, Invisible is a pleasing mix of sixties-era pop rock with country and folk overtones. The album wears its influences on its sleeves with a sound somewhere between the Smithereens at their hit-making best, a Chris Hillman jam, or Richard Thompson in his pop prime. Cash is backed by an excellent band that features bassist Bill Maine; guitarist Mark Schmidt; and drummer Kevin Walker; with Barry Hovis contributing keyboards; and an all-star group of backing vocalists, including producer Jeff Berkley, Catheryn Beeks, Bill Coomes, and Barbara Nesbitt. Invisible kicks off with its strongest track "Morning Star." Any disc that opens with radio static and sitar is going to grab your attention, and this song does just that. Beatle-esque without being obvious, "Morning Star" has hooks a mile long, capturing the musical innocence of a sixties pop hit, but with a modern edge, particularly noticeable in the layered harmony vocals before the choruses. The title track is also a winner. A mid-tempo ringing guitar riff adorns a melancholy melody line that would sit comfortable in a collection of Townshend demos. Also interesting is "Tangled in Wire," which mixes angular new wave sounding keyboards with a more traditional rock sound. It’s am ear-catching aural experiment and clearly shows that Cash isn’t afraid to take chances with his music. Indeed, Berkley and Cash must be commended for Invisible’s warm, lush production. Case in point, "Houdini Knew." A great title to be sure, and it has nice hooks. But where many performers might be happy to have your basic guitars, bass, drums and overdubbed vocals, for Cash this is just a starting point. Percussion, synthesized strings, spoken-word parts, electronic, and more are blended in, complete with counter melodies. The arrangements really bring out the best in these songs. Even with excellent production, songwriting, and playing, the secret weapon here is the diversity in song and sounds. Cash has his foot in a lot of musical stylings, so Invisible will appeal to a broad spectrum of music listeners, particularly country, power-pop, singer-songwriter, and indie fans. All will find an excellent album worth investigating. Invisible manages to maintain a high standard from start to finish and shows that Cash really knows his way around a melody. Once you hear these songs, you’ll want to hear them again and again. You can get your own copy at CDBaby.com/christophercash2 |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Our new album is finally available for purchase. It has been a long time coming, I know, but I think it came out very well. I'm pleased to report that initial feedback has been very positive. You can get your own copy at CDBaby.com/christophercash2 |
At this point, I'm not sure if we're going to do a CD release party or not. There have been some efforts made along those lines but its up in the air right now. I'll keep you posted. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Sorry I have been remiss in updating my site. Much has been going on. For starters, my dad died late January so I have been tied up putting he and his affairs to rest. I also have taken a new position with the same company I?ve been working for the last seven years which will require me to travel more. This will be fun as much of the travel will be in Europe, but it will also take a toll on my ability to make music. |
The new CD has finally been sent to the duplicators and I expect everything to be complete with product in hand by the end of March. Long time coming, I know, but I am quite happy with the results and I think you will be too. Now that things are settled with my family, I will be trying to reinvigorate my musical efforts. I have got my computer recording stuff all hooked back up and am itching to write some more songs. Stay tuned. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Upcoming Shows
|
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Another narrow escape for San Diego citizens! The fires really made this Halloween season scary. I was in Boston for work that weekend. On Monday morning, October 19th, I called back home to check messages and was surprised to find two from the San Diego Sheriff?s department telling me to evacuate immediately. |
My elderly in-laws live in neighboring Rancho Bernardo and it didn?t take us long to find out that most of that town had been evacuated also. I cut my trip short and hopped the next flight back to San Diego. As the airline circled the city for landing, there were fires everywhere. From that height, we could see what looked like dozens of different patches of smoke and flames. It really looked like a war zone.
I found a place to plug in, and recharge my cell phone while we ate, and again picked up the search for the in-laws. At about 11pm, we finally found them in an ?overflow? shelter in Poway. We stayed camped out in the parking lot for another few hours. I heard on the radio that the Northbound Freeway had opened up so I decided to take a drive to see if I could fine out if our home was still standing. The drive North in the wee hours of morning was frightening. I could see on both sides of the Freeway where the fire had been. The Southbound lanes were closed and several trucks were still fighting flames where Lake Hodges comes under the Freeway near Palmerado Rd. Police had most of the exits barricaded and guarded. Northbound Freeway was closed at the 78 but I was able to take the last open exit and reach my house at about 1am. Everything was safe. There was an eerie quiet as I sat on the porch for a few minutes trying to assess whether or not it was safe to bring the family up from the shelter. I could hear only distant sirens, and could not see smoke or flame from my vantage point so I called and had the family make the drive up to our house. We spent a mostly sleepless night on Monday getting up every few minutes to make sure no flames were approaching. We gathered a few valuables and put them into our cars incase we had to make a hasty exit. At about 10am Tuesday morning, the Del Dios fire was in full blaze and I could see flames and smoke getting closer and closer. Helicopters were circling nearly overhead. When I saw a plume of smoke some thirty feet tall rise up above the trees that looked like it was only a block or so away, I decided it was time to make our escape back to the shelter. The folks at the shelter were all very nice, and extremely considerate of my fragile in-laws. They made them feel as welcome and safe as was possible under the circumstances. We stayed at the shelter for a few hours and watched the television for continuous coverage of the fires. By afternoon, they had the Del Dios fire under control and it looked like it was safe for us to return. The Freeways were more operational at this point and only a few exits in the Rancho Bernardo area were still barricaded. We were happy to learn that one of our favorite watering holes was open in Caramel Mountain area so we went there for a hot dinner. Everyone was talking about their experiences.
By Thursday, things had gotten back almost to normal. Day jobs, Pets, responsibilities, all back in place as they should be. I was somewhat disappointed to discover that a couple of the guys in the band had left the area during the fires, and would not be able to make it back in time for our show at the Boat & Ski club. I had to cancel, nearly last minute, which is not something I like doing. Under the circumstances, it was ok? but I?ve always been a ?The Show Must Go On? kinda guy. Have no fear, the Dec 7th show will go on as planned! Some of the things I found the most interesting about the whole were how everyone really pulls together when things get tough. People were far friendlier, and more considerate during this crisis than under normal circumstances. Signs began to spring up around the neighborhood thanking Police and Firefighters. One of my local pubs, sent word out the firefighters that they were welcome to come by for free dinners. I was there when a whole squad of them parked their fire trucks in the lot and came in. The crowd stood up and applauded. It was nice to see them being recognized for their heroic efforts. I was also surprised at how resilient people are. Even those who lost everything seemed to bounce back remarkably. All in all, everyone did a fantastic job dealing with this crisis. People reached out to each other, volunteerism was so plentiful that people had to be turned away. I feel very lucky in that no one I know was really hurt or displaced. Considering the magnitude of the event, very few people were. The whole thing give me a renewed faith in human nature, and makes me proud to call myself a San Diegan. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Greetings from beautiful Escondido, California. Summer has been really nice so far this year. The pool is warm and inviting. I've been doing some woodworking... including just finishing up the Mahogany, and Ebony ceiling fixture in the style of turn of the (last) Century Architects Greene and Greene. The glass design is inspired by the big Oak just outside our kitchen window. Kevin my good friend and drummer, has been coming over to my shop to complete work on a beautiful set of Cherry nightstands. They have marble tiles inset into the cabinet tops. They will certainly be a handsome set once completed. |
I've signed up to play at "Its a Grind" coffee house in San Marcos on Saturday, September 1st. Still working out the details of the show but it should be good fun. I've got two hours to kill so I'll probably share it with one of my musician buddies. If time permits, I'll show up at this month's The Game. I know you've heard it before, but the album is almost done... only a couple backing vocal sessions and mixing and we can call it complete. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Our Game show back on June 22nd went real well. Smaller crowd than usual but I think lots of people are traveling on Summer Vacation. Speaking of Summer Vacation, the band and I are going to take a few weeks off without scheduled shows. We've been playing live a few times per month for the last two years, so we're going to give it a little rest. Don't worry...No one is quiting! |
I'll probably play some acoustic shows when the mood strikes me, but no band shows until around Sept. You'll more than likely see me at The Game shows over the next few months. Oh... I had a great thing happen... got back in touch with Louis Pugliesse of The Intelligence. What a fun, great guy. He's running for LA School Board. Hope he succeeds. He has always been passionate about education and cares about people and progress. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Well its time for another Game and the Christopher Cash Band will be there to play another set of original music. I didn't have a chance to write my version of the featured song... plus I really couldn't make heads or tails with this month's title "Why I Play." Hell... if I knew that, it would answer at least one of my life's many mysteries. We dusted off a few songs we've not played for a while and, as usual will be featuring several from our almost ready to release album. Hope to see you there. This is the last show we've got on the books for a while so don't miss it. |
Here's how to get to The Boat & Ski Club 2606 N. Mission Bay Drive - 858-270-0840. From 5 North take Clairemont exit, go left to N. Mission Bay Drive, turn right and follow it (stay on it!) until it dead ends, gates to the club are on your right just past the bike path. From the other way take Grand/Garnet and head straight towards the Mission Bay Golf Course turnoff (just before 5 south onramp in Pacific Beach). Take a right and continue heading north (past the golf course entrance) until you reach the end of the road and the open gates of the club. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | We had a great time playing The Game last Friday and we look forward to coming back to the Boat & Ski club again this coming Friday, May 11th at 9pm. We'll be playingi a 45 minute set that includes several tunes from our forthcoming CD, as well as a couple of rockers from the first album. We'll be mixing it up a bit and not playing the same set as last Friday so come on down. It should be a real blast. |
Here's how to get to The Boat & Ski Club 2606 N. Mission Bay Drive - 858-270-0840. From 5 North take Clairemont exit, go left to N. Mission Bay Drive, turn right and follow it (stay on it!) until it dead ends, gates to the club are on your right just past the bike path. From the other way take Grand/Garnet and head straight towards the Mission Bay Golf Course turnoff (just before 5 south onramp in Pacific Beach). Take a right and continue heading north (past the golf course entrance) until you reach the end of the road and the open gates of the club. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Hi everyone. I've got the whole band showing up to play The Game this coming Friday. The song title is "Not So Close" and we'll be playing it as the first song in our 45 minute set that includes several tunes from our forthcoming CD, as well as a couple of rockers from the first album. It should be a real blast. |
The Game is held at "The Boat & Ski Club 2606 N. Mission Bay Drive - 858-270-0840. From 5 North take Clairemont exit, go left to N. Mission Bay Drive, turn right and follow it (stay on it!) until it dead ends, gates to the club are on your right just past the bike path. From the other way take Grand/Garnet and head straight towards the Mission Bay Golf Course turnoff (just before 5 south onramp in Pacific Beach). Take a right and continue heading north (past the golf course entrance) until you reach the end of the road and the open gates of the club. Work continues up at Miracle Recording with Jeff Berkley.We're essentially done with the music tracks. A nasty cough has held up the vocals a bit but we should have those in the can over the next weeks and can start mixing. Very cool stuff, I'm pretty confident that you'll like it. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | We've been having lots of fun since last post. We had a great time doing the show at The Second Wind with our pals The Bigfellas, and I enjoyed playing The Game Work continues up at Miracle Recording with Jeff Berkley. This week we had my friend Barry Hovis come down from OC and rocked the keyboards on several tracks. He'll be back next month to finish up. I sang final vocals for several of the tunes over the weekend and will finish that up next week. I'm getting excited about it now... We've reached the point where it is sounding like a record! |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() |
Long time since I've posted. Sorry about that. Work on the album is going slowly, but very well. At present, I'd say we are about 3/4 finished with the project. How long before its out? Hard to say... really depends on how often we're able to get in and work on it. Best guess? Summer. |
We have a fun gig coming up at The Second Wind - Thursday, March 8th, 8pm 8528 Magnolia Avenue. 619 596-8350. Corner of Prospect and Magnolia. Santee, CA 92071 This is our first time playing this venue. Should be fun. We'll be playing with our pals The Bigfellas so come join us! |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Well, I have to admit... I was one of those geeks standing in line outside of EBGames for my copy of WOW Burning Crusade. I've been playing this game for quite a while now. I play on Shadowsong. My principal character names are Minuet, Caramella, and Crackerjack. The game was released at midnight so I ran over to the store where they were entirely disorganized and made everyone stand outside the store and wait in the +/-30 degree cold. Once I finished the line at one store, I rushed over to the mall to pickup a second copy for Caroline. |
School starts again this week... more Guitar building and Advanced AutoCAD. I have some prospective gigs coming up in March... stay tune. Work continues on the album although it is slow going. I believe we have the drums and bass done now. On with the fun as we have several sessions booked in the coming weeks. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Happy New Year everyone. As fun, challenging and exciting as 2006 was, I'm glad to be moving on. I finished my inlaid tables project at school and logged another two A's in my classes. I'm going to try to get some photos done of my tables for my portfolio. My guitar project is just getting underway. Most of last semester was manufacturing the parts... this semester I'll put things together and make it my own. I'm actually really looking forward to building my first acoustic guitars. |
January promises to be filled with recording and some good progress on the album. The holidays sort of slowed things down on that front but we will be back in the swing of it this month. Look for some more shows turning up around Feb. I hope everyone had a great holiday and was able to spend some time with friends and family. Best of luck in the coming year... lets make it a good one. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | We finished up drum tracks and have moved on to bass parts for the recordings. Bill did most of it sitting out in the driveway while angry clouds threatened rain. Jeff got a great bass sound by micing a bass cabinet. We worked out some new parts and finished up six songs before we had to quit due to another Berkeley and Hart show. Dang those guys play a lot! Tonight, I'll be playing solo at O'Connells at about 8:30pm. Its the 2ND ANNUAL TOYS FOR TOTS HOLIDAY PARTY at O'CONNELL'S. Address is 1310 Morena Boulevard / Full Bar / 21&UP WID / Billiards, Parking Please bring one new (unopened) toy. Complimentary buffet. |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | We're in the studio and everything is going great! Kevin knocked out five very solid drum tracks yesterday. We had to quit early due to a Berkeley Hart show that was happening. Today we'll be doing more of a marathon session and are shooting for nine more tracks. We have two days next weekend scheduled for bass tracks. This is a fun contrast to the way my last album was made. One of the best parts of this one is getting to work with my friends and bandmates who have been playing with me for over a year. I think that is going to really make the final product sparkle. |
Unfortunately, we don't have any shows scheduled at this time... probably wait until after the first of the year to play out again. I think we'll be focused on studio work for a while. Stay tuned for more updates! | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | This coming Saturday (November 25th, at 9:30pm we're doing an acoustic set at The Triple Crown - 3221 Adams Ave - (619) 281-0263 with Thomas Lee, Andrea Reschke, Compass Rose, and Donnis Trio. This will be a fun show... see ya there! |
We are finally starting actual basic tracks at Miracle Recording with Jeff Berkeley the following weekend. We've been working towards this for month and are really pumped up to be actually doing it. Recording will be taking the majority of our time for the next months so we will not likely be playing around town until sometime early next year. | |
Unfortunately, the AbbA/Zep Album night fell through. Shame really... we had a rockin' version of Abba's Lay All Your Love On Me all worked out. Maybe we'll surprise you with it at a show sometime. Anyway... keep in touch... look for recording reports over the next weeks. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | Last Friday I played the Game with Cathryn Beeks and friends. That's always a very fun event. Holding it on a Friday made for a bigger crowd and some new faces. As usual, I wrote tunes for all three titles. |
Work continues up at Miracle Recording with Jeff Berkeley arranging songs for our next album. We've got one more full day of arrangements before actual tracking begins. We expect to be starting basic tracks the first week in December. | |
We've got two shows coming up. One on Nov 17th at Brick by Brick which is a AbbA/Zep Album night hosted by none other than our pal Charlie from Bigfellas. We're trying out a new 'unplugged' venue called Triple Crown on Saturday, Nov 25th. This will be a cool show with a couple of new tunes thrown in for good measure. Come see! | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | This Friday (October 6th, 9pm we'll be playing at San Diego Mission Bay Boat & Ski Club - 2606 N. Mission Bay Drive: 858-270-0840. We?ll be playing a new set with almost entirely different songs? This is a first glimpse of some of the tunes destined for new album. We're really excited about playing this show and look forward to seeing you. Other artists playing with us include: Inigo, Josh Damingo, Third Row Back and Sanquine. |
Work continues up at Miracle Recording with Jeff Berkeley arranging songs for our next album. We've got one more full day of arrangements before actual tracking begins. The guys and I are enjoying the process. Jeff is fun to work with and he brings the best out in us. We'll be working up a sweat this Sunday and should be scheduling tracking before long. | |
The Game is coming up Friday, October 27th, at 9pm. Songs are "Keep Walking", "Winter" and "In the Morning". I've already written one for Morning called "Morning Star" and will do my best to have something ready for the others by show time. This is a really fun event and will be the first time doing it on a great weekend slot. Should be a nice crowd... hope it includes YOU. More info at www.listenlocalsd.com. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | We had a fun weekend. The Hwy 61 Revisited Night was a real blast. The club was packed and about 120 degrees but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Charlie organized a great show! I kept expecting The Modlins to pass out from heat stroke as they wore they're signiture suit coats. Both Shay and Charlie from the The Bigfellas helped us out on From a Buick 6. I played Don't Think Twice, It's Alright and sang a verse of Desolation Row. |
On Saturday, we spent the whole day up at Miracle Recording with Jeff Berkeley arranging songs for our next album. Jeff is fun to work with and we had a very productive day. Expect the new record to be a bit more acoustic oriented than the last. Things are sounding very good so far. | |
The Game is coming up this Sunday, September 10th, at 2pm. Songs are "Going Back" and "Because it is". I've got new tunes for both titles all ready to go. More info at www.listenlocalsd.com. Don't forget our coming full band set at Boat and Ski, Friday Oct. 6th, 9pm. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | We had lots of fun at the Brass Rail. It's actually a really nice club and the MC, Jeffery was a kick. He interviews the artists following each performance. After a brief technical difficulty with the house PA, we got off to a good start. Charlie sounded great on keys and Bill rocked hard, holding down the rhythm without the benefit of drums. I had fun and we played a nice mix of old and new. Thanks, once again, to Steve Covault for the excellent photo at left. |
We are looking forward to the Highway 61 Revisited Album night at O'Connells on Friday, Sept 1st. The band will be playing From a Buick 6. I'm going to try to find another Dylan song to do solo and participate in the group effort in Desolation Row. More about this cool evening can be found here. | |
The Game is scheduled for Sunday, September 10th, at 2pm. Songs are "Going Back" and "Because it is". As always, this will be fun. More info at www.listenlocalsd.com. Don't forget our coming full band set at Boat and Ski, Friday Oct. 6th, 9pm. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | I'm very happy to say that we have found a new bassist and everyone is really excited to have the band complete again. Our new man is Bill Maine... he's an excellent player, sings well and is very into original music and playing for the enjoyment it brings. There are so many intangible rewards for being in a great band with great friends... who could ask for more? Bill is an extremely talented guy and we are very lucky to have found him! Christopher Cash band is once again gassed, stoked, and ready to rock and roll. |
We have a 1/2 hour acoustic show opening for my friends "The Bigfellas" at The Brass Rail in Hillcrest this coming Thursday, Aug 24th at 8:30pm. This will be Bill's first onstage appearance with me. Charlie from Bigfellas will also be joining us! | |
We are looking forward to the Highway 61 Revisited Album night at O'Connells on Friday, Sept 1st playing From a Buick 6. This one will be fun. Come say hello. Also... new show booked Friday October 6th, at the Boat and Ski club... one of our favorite spots. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010
![]() | I'm sad to say that Friday before last my mother passed away. She had a long, wonderful life and died in her sleep in her best pajamas at the ripe ol' age of 85. She was an artist through and through and will be sorely missed by all whose lives she touched. |
Another loss, of sorts, is that Alan Z, who has played bass in the Christopher Cash Band since the beginning will be leaving the band. Best of luck to him in his new endeavors. I've very much enjoyed getting to know him and making music together. Auditions for a new bass player will be held shortly. If you are interested, or know of someone who might fit it, please contact me. This is a really fun, great opportunity for the right person. | |
I have a 1/2 hour acoustic show opening for my friends "The Bigfellas" at The Brass Rail in Hillcrest on Thursday, Aug 24th at 8:30pm. Also I'll be participating in the Highway 61 Revisited Album night at O'Connells on Friday, Sept 1st playing From a Buick 6. Come say hello. | |
Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2010