Chris Carrabba
Chris Carrabba | |
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Carrabba performing in 2015 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Christopher Andrew Carrabba |
Born | April 10, 1975 |
Origin | West Hartford, Connecticut, Boca Raton, Florida |
Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock, emo, acoustic rock |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards |
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels | Vagrant, Fiddler, Drive-Thru, Tooth and Nail |
Associated acts | Dashboard Confessional, Further Seems Forever, Twin Forks,The Agency, |
Christopher Andrew "Ender"[1] Carrabba[2] (born April 10, 1975) is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Dashboard Confessional, lead singer of the band Further Seems Forever, and is the vocalist for the folk band Twin Forks.
Contents
Early life and education
Born in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, Carrabba's parents divorced when he was three. At age 16, he moved with his mother Anne, brother Nick, stepbrother and stepfather to Boca Raton, Florida.[3] Carrabba remains close to some relatives on his paternal side, but is not close to his father specifically.
As a teenager, Carrabba was interested in skateboarding and passionate about music. In high-school he started singing in his choir. His uncle gave him a guitar, to which he devoted a great deal of his time, when he was 15. After graduating from Boca Raton High School, Carrabba became more serious about music and joined his first band, The Vacant Andys, and matriculated to Florida Atlantic University to study education.
At college, alongside studies, Carrabba played with The Vacant Andys and, later, with The Agency, which featured Chris Carrabba on their second LP, ENGINES. This was the first recording to feature both Mike Marsh and Chris Carrabba before Mike Marsh became Dashboard Confessional's full-time drummer. For several years, Chris taught at an elementary school in South Florida and played with the group Further Seems Forever.
Dashboard Confessional was born when Chris recorded the "Drowning" EP with Fiddler Records. "I started (Dashboard) as a side project from the band I was in," says Carrabba, "I was going through something really tough at the time and since I don't write in a journal, this is what I did with it. It was a good way to get it out of my system. I never thought anyone would hear these songs, but I played some for my friends and one of them who owned a little label talked me into recording." The name Dashboard Confessional comes from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears". The lyric "On the way home, this car hears my confessions" brought to mind the phrase "Dashboard Confessional".
Having received his first guitar from his uncle Angelo, Carrabba took only a mild interest in his musical talent, preferring to skateboard. He taught himself to play at the age of 15, and recorded his first solo album, The Swiss Army Romance.
Carrabba was a special education teacher prior to his success with Dashboard Confessional, often keeping a guitar in his office to write songs during downtime.[4]
In 2008, Just as he was wrapping up work on the sixth Dashboard Confessional album, his sister was in a serious car accident that put her in a coma for several months. "I was torn between being with her through most of her waking hours until we were kicked out of the hospital at the end of their shifts and going home and doing my work," he said.[5]
Career
Carrabba started his career with the Vacant Andys. In 1998, while playing with the Vacant Andys, he filled in on guitar in New Found Glory, when regular guitarist Chad Gilbert was on tour with his other band, Shai Hulud. In 2001, he joined the band Further Seems Forever for their debut album The Moon is Down, before moving on to found Dashboard Confessional. In 2002, Dashboard Confessional won the MTV2 Award at MTV Music Awards for the video for "Screaming Infidelities." The video was considered the "dark horse" nominee at the time, as it was up against The Strokes, The Hives, Norah Jones, Nappy Roots, and Musiq. The video was directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry.
Reuniting with Further Seems Forever
It was announced on August 24, 2010, that Further Seems Forever would be reuniting with original vocalist Chris Carrabba with the release of a teaser video featuring rehearsal footage of the song The Moon Is Down.[6]
Covered in the Flood
In November 2011, Carrabba released an album of covers entitled "Covered in the Flood" exclusively on his solo US tour. The album contains 10 tracks originally performed by artists that include R.E.M., Big Star, Guy Clark, Justin Townes Earle and The Replacements.[7]
Guest appearances
- Carrabba appears on the Hot Rod Circuit song "Unfaithful".
- Carrabba provides backing vocals on the Say Anything song "Retarded in Love", on the Twothirtyeight album Regulate the Chemicals, and on the New Found Glory cover of the song "The Promise", which is featured on the album From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II.
- Carrabba also appears in Notar's song "Reach".
- Carrabba appears in nothing,nowhere.'s song, "Hopes Up", featured on the album "REAPER".
- Carrabba is recently featured on a version of the band Neck Deep's hit single "December".
- Carrabba was a special guest DJ at Emo Nite LA's 2nd anniversary party.[8]
References
- ^ "2013-09-06 Interview with Richie T of x96". Archived from the original on 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
- ^ "ASCAP: Works written by Christopher Andrew Carrabba". The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 2007-10-04.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Mueller, Walt (2003). "Dashboard Confessional: Youth culture sings along with Chris". Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. Archived from the original on 2006-06-26. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
- ^ "People: Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional". Celebrity Q&A.
- ^ "Confessions from Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional". Celebrity Q&A.
- ^ "Further Seems Forever Reunites With Chris Carrabba". Buzzgrinder.com. 2010-08-24. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ^ "Chris Carrabba To Release "Covered In The Flood" Solo Album". Alter The Press!. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ Tolentino, Jia. "The Rise of Emo Nostalgia". Retrieved 26 June 2018.
External links
- Media related to Chris Carrabba at Wikimedia Commons
- 1975 births
- American male singer-songwriters
- American people of Italian descent
- American rock guitarists
- American male guitarists
- American rock singers
- American singer-songwriters
- American rock songwriters
- American male songwriters
- Dashboard Confessional members
- Florida Atlantic University alumni
- Further Seems Forever
- Living people
- Singers from Connecticut
- Singers from Florida
- People from Boca Raton, Florida
- People from West Hartford, Connecticut
- Guitarists from Connecticut
- Guitarists from Florida
- 21st-century American singers