Growing up in Portland, Ore., Chris Marshall followed a fairly typical adolescent path. He found his mom’s acoustic guitar, taught himself to play, then worked his way into what he calls “many short-lived punk, hardcore and emo bands.” He also honed his skills by playing in the church his dad founded when he was 14. Then Marshall discovered the gospel of Willie and Johnny—as in Nelson and Cash—and the spirit of Elvis, as well as the poetic and literary influences that infuse the thoughtful songwriting found on his new EP, “Starting Out.”

The five-song collection is an exploration of life experiences: physical and metaphysical journeys, passion, pain, friendship, faith. It’s the work of a man who found his songwriting voice when he unlatched his cerebral cortex from the process and engaged his heart instead.

“I tried so hard in the beginning to write songs that would honor the tradition of the artists I admire, namely songwriters like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson,” Marshall admits. “They possessed such an unaffected, uncomplicated writing style.” His own lyrics frustrated him at first because they weren’t as simple and clearcut. But once he let go of expectations that he should write or sound a certain way, Marshall freed his muse and let in all of his influences, including writers and philosophers like Walt Whitman, C.S. Lewis and Soren Kierkegaard, as well as musical icons like Dylan and Kristofferson. ...[more]
In the process, he’s developed a sound he describes as “uniquely American.”

“My generation seems interested in redefining what it means to be a member of the American musical heritage,” he explains. “That is precisely what I am doing with my work: borrowing and borrowing until we find something new.”

That is not to say Marshall’s music sounds “borrowed.” It’s just that he has an understanding that all music has links to what came before it. We may be far removed from the tradition of passing music through generations by performing it together in parlors or on porches, but we can still listen and learn, and absorb and reinvent.

“I’m like the Jay-Z of Americana music,” adds Marshall. “I rarely, if ever, write anything down. I arrange and write all of my songs in my mind before I ever take the guitar out. This has a negative effect on how much sleep I tend to get, because I’ll lay awake endlessly poring over material in my mind, often visualizing entire performances before I take the stage. I’ve already imagined my entire musical career, now I’m just making it happen; it’s what you might call ‘living the dream.’”

Christopher Raymond Marshall’s dream started when he was born in Portland, Ore., at 8:18 a.m. on the eighth day of the eighth month of the year 1981 (weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces). He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon and a master’s in teaching from Pacific University, the latter while working with emotionally disturbed and behaviorally disabled students at a local high school. He also serves as music director at his church, but his list of “if I weren’t making music” musings includes “professional golfer” and “wine connoisseur.” He’d watch Paul Newman and Robert Duvall films on endless loop if he could, devours GQ and Foreign Affairs magazines and says he’d fight 10 men for a basket of chicken wings from Fire on the Mountain in Portland.

“I am in love with the mystery of life,” Marshall admits. He’s explored that mystery in two previous releases, 2008’s “Oh My Soul” and the June 2009 release, “Compelled,” a six-song EP containing three traditional gospel tunes and three of his own. “Starting Out” is a departure from those efforts, however. The collection of pedal- and fiddle-tinged acoustic ballads, sung in Marshall’s expressive baritone, doesn’t address religion overtly, nor does it contain gospel-infused deliveries. It does give a nod or two to his more contemporary influences: Ryan Adams, Bonnie "Prince" Billy and M. Ward, to name a few.

The opening cut, “Atlanta,” is inspired by a trip he and his brother took to Nashville, where he played at the Bluebird Café, followed by a drive to Atlanta to see the Braves play. “The trip gave us both a strong sense of that unique brand of the American wide-open,” he says. “There was a freedom inherent in the journey.”

The title tune, “Starting Out,” is about self-discovery. “By the Wayside” was written after he learned a friend had developed a drug problem. “Wait There” is about the uncertainty of waiting. And the closer, “I Found You,” is a sweet declaration of love.

“My hope is that this new set of songs will communicate the freedom of spirit that I have approached them with, and that folks might somehow be able to share or connect in some way with the journey I’ve taken to get here,” Marshall says.

“Starting Out,” an aptly named work of touching music by a promising new voice, is all about journeys of one sort or another. Come along. They’re journeys you’ll want to share.