An Interview with Chris Bolger
Hi Chris, where do you currently reside?
I live in Roseland, NJ.
What's it like to have a CD out and in your view the current state of the music industry for independent artists?
My new CD "No Promises" is long overdue. I've been writing songs in earnest since I was in my early 20's, so I have a huge backlog of unused material. I finally got this done with the help and encouragement of Dennis Diken who is a longtime friend and supporter of my music. "No Promises" is something of a comment on the fact that I don't see much to look forward to in terms of any kind of commercial success. It's more like a calling card than anything else. It also represents a body of work that is representative of what I do. As far as the industry, to me, there isn't one anymore. If you're not a twenty-year-old pretty tramp, the industry (what's left of it) has no use for you.
How do you promote yourself?
Very badly. I've done some radio, mostly internet. I'd like to do some live shows but getting the players who appear on the record would be very hard to pull off.
How many years have you been playing?
I started playing guitar when I was about 12 so a long time.
What musicians influenced you?
That's a really long list. My sister, Loretta, was already playing guitar before me. She was into a lot of folk and singer/songwriters, so that's what I was first exposed to. I was first really into Cat Stevens, then Badfinger and then I discovered The Who and I bought an electric guitar. Later on Todd Rundgren then all the punk and new wave bands. I rediscovered the early British Invasion which is my true love. I played off and on for three decades with R. Stevie Moore and learned a lot about production and arrangement from him.
What’s it like to gig or tour? Well, bar gigs pay the same now as they did 30 odd years ago. I've never been with a bonafide touring band. I've done a fair amount of town concerts, a few concert halls and I used to play some of the New York City clubs. Most of them are gone now.
Tell us about your gear? I don't think we should go there. I'm a total gear junkie - lots of guitars and basses and an assortment of other stringed instruments, drums, keyboards, etc. I do have a few cool old guitars and a lot of oddball stuff, too. If you don't want to sound like everyone else, then don't use the same equipment as everyone else.
What advice would you give a newbie musician? Don't do music because you want a career, do it because you love it. If you want to have money, be a doctor or a stock broker.
What was one of your accomplishments as a musician or what are your goals?
I'm very proud of "No Promises". I just want to keep making music and improving, hopefully. The other highlights would be playing the Bottom Line with The YesterDaze backing up Jim Yester with an orchestra. I also played with Dennis in Bell Sound. We did some live shows that were pretty great. I'd like to do some more of them some day.
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