Chris Carrabba
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chris Carrabba | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Christopher Ender Carrabba | |
| Born | April 10, 1975 | |
| Origin | West Hartford, Connecticut | |
| Genre(s) | Emo / Rock | |
| Years active | 1996-present | |
| Label(s) | Vagrant Records, Fiddler Records | |
Christopher Ender Carrabba (born April 10, 1975) is the lead singer and guitarist of the acoustic-alternative band Dashboard Confessional. He was born in West Hartford, Connecticut, and then moved with his family to Boca Raton, Florida, when he was 16 years old.[1]
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[edit] Biography
Chris' parents divorced when he was three years old. He attended Hall High School in West Hartford before moving to Florida. After his family relocated, he often skipped school to skateboard. But Carrabba's main interest became the forgotten guitar he received from his uncle at the age of 15. Upon graduating high school, he began to teach himself how to play. According to an interview with Rock Sound, he spent his youth "at the beach, seducing rich girls and planning to join the military." He practiced while pursuing a degree in education at Florida Atlantic University. His studies led him to pursue an administrative job at the JC Mitchell Elementary School in Boca Raton, where he was the director of the special-education after-school program.[1]
[edit] Music career
Skating soon became second place in Carrabba's life as he joined and fronted the local band, The Vacant Andys. After a short stint with another band called The Agency, he joined Further Seems Forever, remaining with them until after the release of the album The Moon Is Down. During his time with Further Seems Forever, he started a small solo side project. The songs that he recorded somehow got into the hands of many kids who were touched deeply by the music that they heard. They asked Carrabba to write and record more, which convinced him to start his own band, Dashboard Confessional. That is actually Carrabba's stage name and is a line taken from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears." Rather than adopting a solo name, Carrabba wanted to avoid appearances of vanity while leaving the door open to draw other musicians into the mix at a later time.[1] He first signed on to a small independent label, Fiddler Records, but as fans responded to his emotional performances, he signed to the larger independent label Vagrant Records. He has released a total of five albums under Dashboard Confessional, along with 4 EPs.[2]
[edit] Trivia
- Spin magazine reported that Carrabba married in 2004, but his publicist refused to comment when asked to confirm it.[3]
- When asked about his wife, Carrabba is quoted as saying: "There's a girl I like a lot. I learned long ago not to rush things ... but marriage seems to be the end result of being in a relationship long enough."[4]
- A notable feature of a live show involving Carrabba is that while performing he will stare, almost unsettlingly, into the audience at a particular person. This has come to be known among his fans as "eye sexing." Carrabba, in an interview with the Associated Press, said, "You can't help but look at the audience, and if you find somebody and they're having that movement listening to a song that gets to you, I'll connect with them and have eye sex with them." [5]
- Carrabba reportedly suffers from stage fright.[1]
- In the early days of Dashboard Confessional, Carrabba played many shows at churches and Christian festivals.
- Carrabba says he became a Christian while going through a family tragedy. [1]
- Carrabba has a streak of blonde in the front of his hair that he keeps dyed brown. This streak of blonde is a birthmark.
- 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.
- Chris appears on the Hot Rod Circuit song "Unfaithful."
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Mueller, Walt (2003). Dashboard Confessional: Youth culture sings along with Chris (HTML). Retrieved on June 18, 2006.
- ^ Sculley, Alan (2004). Dashboard lights (HTML). Retrieved on June 18, 2006.
- ^ Jon Dolan (July 2006). "Dashboard Confessional". Spin Magazine: 48–50.
- ^ Andrew Murfett (June 2006). "Emotional Rescue". The Age.
- ^ Bendersky, Ari. "Emo poster child returns with new album", Palm Beach Post (AP), May 30, 2006.
