Conceived in 2016 as an alter ego for Chris Latta (Lavaborne, ex-Spirit Division), Christopher Steve explores a style that is best described as experimental doom folk. Influences from Doom Metal, Indie Folk, Blues, Post Punk, and beyond combine to form a stark sound informed by raw musicianship, bleak atmosphere, and lyrical themes dealing with introspection and isolation. These elements were introduced on the Hope For Winter EP in 2017 and have been given more room to expand on Taken By The Tide thanks to more varied songwriting and broader instrumentation courtesy of several guest performances.
Chris comments:
“I think Taken By The Tide is a very unique, adventurous album. Its style is tricky to pin down, the playing is raw, and the lyrics are some of the most personal that I’ve ever published. This is also the first album that I recorded myself. It’s not a polished recording by any means, but I think I got some heartfelt performances out of it and I had a bunch of friends who helped me out along the way. All things considered, it’s a listening experience that I’m very proud of and I am excited to see what people make of it.”
“For those unfamiliar, this project explores a style that I like to describe as experimental doom folk. Influences from doom metal, indie folk, blues, post punk, and beyond combine to form a stark sound informed by raw musicianship, bleak atmosphere, and lyrical themes dealing with introspection and isolation. These elements were introduced on the Hope For Winter EP in 2017 and have been given more room to expand on Taken By The Tide thanks to more varied songwriting and broader instrumentation courtesy of several guest performances.”
“I think Taken By The Tide is a very unique, adventurous album. Its style is tricky to pin down, the playing is raw, and the lyrics are some of the most personal that I’ve ever published. This is also the first album that I recorded myself. It’s not a polished recording by any means, but I think I got some heartfelt performances out of it and I had a bunch of friends who helped me out along the way. All things considered, it’s a listening experience that I’m very proud of and I am excited to see what people make of it.”
Track by Track:
Sacred Catharsis
-Starting the album off with one of the more straightforward grungy tracks. Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains was the biggest influence in me trying out the acoustic style in the first place and this may be the closest I get to capturing that style. A guitarist in one of my other bands played the guitar solo and he really nailed that Cantrell vibe!
Foot On The Gas
-I wrote the music for this song just a day or two after I turned thirty. I was finally starting to explore Neil Young at the time and some of that inspiration may have rubbed off on me. I wasn’t sure at the time if I would ever release more acoustic material after the Hope for Winter EP in 2017 and this song was a huge catalyst in me going for it!
Denial or Delight
-While this song was one of the trickiest to feel out at first, it may be one of my favorites. I like how it gets more dynamic while keeping an upbeat pace and it was great to have Jessie May of Turkey Vulture and other varying projects contribute cello parts for it.
Taken By The Tide
-The second of the two tracks that features Jessie on cello, it was also one of the last tracks that I ended up writing for the album. I wanted to give it a sea shanty sort of vibe, even if the tide in the lyric is a metaphorical one.
I Am A Clinic Escort
-I have spent a couple of years volunteering at a local women’s health clinic and this song was based on some of my experiences and feelings on abortion. While I normally like to make my lyrics ambiguous and open for interpretation, I wanted to make my support for it perfectly clear. I even intended to originally record this song as a full-on Woody Guthrie homage, but one of my Lavaborne bandmates ended up coming up with a mandolin part that was too cool to not include.
American Ruins
-It may be unorthodox to include an instrumental on an album like this, but I really love how it came together. I wanted the track to have a more western feel and the electric guitar that another one of my bandmates provided gives it an extra psychedelic feel that I really got into. Definitely the sort of stoner folk style that I might have to explore further in the future.
I Medicate
-I wrote this song back in 2012, making it the oldest track on the album. The style on here is a far cry from the more metallic structure I initially had in mind, but it turned out pretty well. It’s one of the most experimental songs I’ve ever put together and gives me Tom Waits vibes.
Break For You
-All my best love songs are written about my cats.
My Next Meal
-The music on this one was inspired by a mix of Neutral Milk Hotel and the Mountain Goats while the lyrics were written about a friend that I had a falling out with back in 2015. When I was recording this one, I found myself wondering if I had been too harsh when I first wrote it. Considering the way things went the last couple times that he popped up on me, I might not have been harsh enough.
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