Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 04/08/2022
Christian Beach, a longtime fixture of the New Jersey music scene, has released an official music video for “Clean Livin’” from his new EP, Direct and Free. He will also be performing a live set at the South Amboy (N.J.) Art Alliance on Friday, April 22.
Beach is also planning a special online event attached to the recent release of his 4-song EP, Direct and Free, which is available now for streaming and/or download at ChristianBeach.net.
“I’m going to record that in my home studio very soon,” said Beach. “I will be performing the four songs from the EP, while also discussing the making of Direct and Free.”
The South Amboy Arts Alliance show on April 22 starts at 7:00pm. The venue is located at 141 North Broadway in South Amboy, N.J., just steps away from the train station serving NJ Transit’s Jersey Coast Line.
“This will be my first public live performance in well over a year so it’s going to feel good to get back out there,” said Beach.
Direct and Free marks Beach’s first release of completely new material since 2020’s DoubleLife EP. Basement Noise, an album consisting mostly of demos of unreleased material recorded between 2009 and 2019, was released in January 2021. A studio version of the song “Paper Ships,” which dates back to 2009 and appeared in the form of a live version on Basement Noise, was released as a standalone single last year.
“I embraced synthetic textures with my folk tendencies to create a small body of work inspired by unconscious thought and emotions, and how we relate to each other on a human level,” said Beach about Direct and Free. “The underdog, poverty, addiction, love, maturity, and the desire to be understood play prominent roles in these songs.”
Music was Written, performed and produced by Christian Beach. Additional guitar and atmospherics by Michael Scotto. Mixed and mastered by Nick Semanchik at Lakehouse Recording Studios, Asbury Park, N.J. © 2022 Christian Beach. All rights reserved. The video was produced and edited by Brian Kelley. Performance video filmed at Seaside Park, N.J. Stock video footage courtesy of Videezy.com.
Christian Beach is a New Jersey-based singer-songwriter who has been part of the tri-state-area music scene since the late 1980s. As the driving force behind several bands (Slave of Id, Artists That Kill, Ton of Bricks) from the early 1990s through early 2000s, he played some of New Jersey’s legendary clubs like the Green Parrot, The Stone Pony, The Brighton Bar, and The Fast Lane. In 2005, Beach spent time playing keyboards and guitar for Michael Ferentino’s (Love In Reverse, Dog) band Transfusion M, appearing on its lone 2005 album and accompanying the group for a leg of the 2006 Vans Warped Tour. Upon his return from the road, Beach branched out on his own as a singer-songwriter inspired by American roots and folk music, and heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, Hank Williams Sr., The Band, and more contemporary artists like Jeff Tweedy. Beach’s first solo album, Christian Beach, was released in 2009. Music journalist Gary Wien ranked it as one of the top 100 albums by New Jersey artists between 2001 and 2010, with its lead track “Open Spaces” in the No. 77 slot among the top 100 songs by New Jersey artists in that same span. Beach is releasing Direct and Free, a four-song EP, on March 18, 2022. In 2020, Beach released a six-song EP, DoubleLife, which was followed by the release of Basement Noise, a collection of remixed, previously unreleased tracks released on January 1, 2021.
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