GRAMMY NOMINATION
2002 "Rain" (composer: Chris
Maresh)category: best performance of pop instrumental
artist: Eric Johnson & Alien Love Child (Chris Maresh and Bill Maddox) on the album Live and Beyond
2002 Austin Chronicle Music Awards
best
bassist: Chris Mareshsong of the year: "Rain" (by Chris Maresh)
best blues band: Alien Love Child (Eric Johnson, Chris Maresh, Bill Maddox)
band of the year: Alien Love Child
Fender Website 60 Cycle Hum June 3,
2002
TOMORROWComposer/bassist Chris Maresh's debut outing, Tomorrow, is a sultry and medolic jazzy offering featuring his original compositions in a trio format. Maresh, who splits his time between solo projects and touring with guitarist Eric Johnson, penned the song "Rain" (from Eric's Live and Beyond on Favored Nations), which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2001. Tomorrow is available at his website (www.chrismaresh.com).
June 10, 2002 "TWO STARS"--More than a binary
system!
This thematically compelling quartet, grounded in the
classical tradition of Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev, takes its listener on a
beautiful journey between hope and despair as it traces the steps of two
lovers from the idyllic onset of early love to its sorrowful
disintegration. Mature and powerful, this finely crafted, provocative work
illustrates the breadth of Chris Maresh's talent in the classical realm.
With this inaugural piece, Chris Maresh has found a voice to be heard for
years to come. BASS PLAYER MAGAZINE June 2001
BASS NOTES:
Chris Maresh, Blues & BeyondAustin, Texas, is full of celebrated headlines and revered side players, but lots of "best-kept secrets" kick around the clubs and pubs, too. One such player--who's about to change all that with his current gig--is Chris Maresh (pronounced Marsh), one-third of Eric Johnson's Alien Love Child power trio. In the 23 years he’s been at it, Maresh has shared the stage and studio with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Chris Smither, Kelly Willis, Alejandro Escovedo, Sue Foley, and Monte Montgomery.
Back in '84, the San Antonio native packed his bass and bags and headed for U.T. Armed with a degree in Applied Double Bass with an emphasis in Jazz Performance ("I think I’m the only person to graduate in that program," he laughs), Maresh performed for a time with the Austin Symphony while gigging with local jazz combos and cover bands. After a casual meeting with producer/guitarist Stephen Bruton, Chris was invited to play on the first Storyville record, '94's Bluest Eyes [November]. He immediately entered Austin's upper echelon of players, which included guitarists David Grissom and David Holt, and Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton. "I wanted to play more rock and pop, and that started when I did Bluest Eyes. I branched out into other styles and really got into the blues."
Maresh had another fateful meeting before that, in 1990--this time in a Texas music store. "Eric Johnson and I chatted for a moment. His Ah Via Musicom was out, and I was a fan. I didn't see or hear from him again for several years, but then he and drummer Billy Maddox discussed putting together a side project, and I guess Eric remembered me." Alien Love Child started gigging sporadically, and after going through some old tapes, Johnson decided he wanted to do a live record. Live and Beyond hit the streets late last year on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. Maresh’s tactful work weaves around Johnson's distinctive harmonic guitar--from lyrical and lithe lines on the spirited "Zenland" to firm upfront grooves on the jazzy shuffle "Rain". On "Shape I'm In" and the anthemic, bluesy "World of Trouble," he matches Johnson's intensity and pace note-for-note. "I love the power trio format. It gives you so much freedom to play bass lines and add harmony, especially when the guitarist is soloing or playing melodically. I enjoy soloing, too, but I get most of my satisfaction from trying to make a band sound great."
Chris leans toward classic instruments, and he tours with three Fenders--a '64 Precision and '66 and '73 Jazz Basses--all strung with Rotosounds. He also owns a handful of vintage Fender P's and J's, plus a defretted '62 Jazz reissue, a Music Man, a Spector neck-through, a G&L 5, and a 1913 Lyon & Healey upright. "I go for a pure sound and keep effects to a minimum. You have to be careful, because if the bass starts becoming unclear, the whole band sounds strange." Maresh plays through a Trace Elliot V8 all-tube amp, and his effects include an Ernie Ball volume pedal, T.C. Electronic stereo chorus/flanger, DOD delay, and an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. He hooks up everything with CTI Quad cable. "High-quality cable preserves your sound and makes a big difference. It really makes things sound deeper, and the high end sounds smoother.
Diane Gershuny