Chris Alvarado

NEWS RELEASE

2012 FLORIDA GRAMMY® SHOWCASE TO AWARD
A $25,000 DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE

Finalist Chris Alvarado, Chloe Dolandis, Savannah, Sovereign Soldiers, Suénalo, and Venejer, Compete at Annual Showcase on April 18, part of Florida Music Festival & Conference

MIAMI, (March 22, 2012) — Finalists Chris Alvarado, Chloe Dolandis, Savannah, Sovereign Soldiers, Suénalo, and Venejer will vie for an artist development package worth $25,000 at the 2012 Florida GRAMMY® Showcase. Presented by The Recording Academy® Florida Chapter, the showcase will be part of Florida Music Festival & Conference 2012's opening night and will take place April 18 at 7 p.m. at The Social (54 North Orange Ave.) in Orlando, Fla. All finalists will perform before top music industry professionals and the winner will be announced immediately following the performances. The event will be hosted by Dave Melillo of Axis Pro Events and will also feature DJ Bill Hamel.

"We're thrilled to give these emerging artists an opportunity to showcase their artistry and are proud to support their musical careers," said Neil Crilly, Senior Executive Director of The Recording Academy Florida Chapter. "We are extremely grateful to our music industry judges for taking time to take note of these talented musicians as they advance in their musical careers. And, we thank this year's sponsors for their generosity and support."

The Florida GRAMMY Showcase provides up-and-coming artists invaluable exposure to a crowd of top music industry professionals who have the potential to push their careers to new heights. Participants and donors of the artist development package, include CAD Audio, iRig Mic, iRig MIX, iKlip Studio, Sam Ash Music, Shure, and T-RackS3 Deluxe. Additionally, the package includes studio time at Full Sail Studios Gateway in Orlando, Fla.; studio time at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Fla., with services provided by producer/engineer Tom Morris; a photo session with Miami-based photographer Jill Kahn; and social media consulting services by Miami-based marketing company The Black Key Group.

The showcase is open to the public and admission is $10, and free for FMF2012 attendees. Tickets will be available at the door or they can be ordered in advance by calling 305.672.4060. Sponsors include presenting partner FMF2012 along with ASR, Artist Relations, Axis, Birchmore Group, Boom, CD Depot, FilMiami, GTC Media, IK Multimedia, SAE, SESAC, SFL Music Magazine, and Sonicbids.

About The Finalists:
Chris Alvarado, a Florida native currently living in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., comes from a family immersed in music, so naturally he picked up the guitar. Influenced by artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Jewel, John Mayer, and James Taylor his music has evolved into a sound of its own earning him stage rights performing with several GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriters. In 2011 he won the prestigious Best Singer/Songwriter award, and this year he also won "Best Male Vocalist" at the annual Beachcomber Music Awards.
- The Recording Academy GRAMMY association

Seems like Chris Alvarado is everywhere these days. He’s booked around town five or six nights a week, sometimes twice (or three times) in one day. Not bad for a guy who just got out of the military—and a marriage—about a year ago.

“This is kind of a rebirth,” says Alvarado. “That’s why I titled (my album) Second Chance.” He recorded it in his Okaloosa Island apartment and played all the music. The selections lean toward socially conscious material—“opening up my eyes and seeing the real world,” he says.

The record won’t be ready until June, but a five-song MP3 edition—three Alvarado originals, plus covers of the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” and Oasis’ “Wonderwall”—is available now at the artist’s Reverb Nation page, as well as iTunes and other digital music stores.

Reverb Nation is a great site for musicians, he says. “(It) handles gig schedules, digital music distribution, updating Facebook and MySpace. Me and my dad have both had it for about a year. I showed Dannica Lowery how to use it, and one of Zack Rosicka’s friends is high up in the corporation. It’s a multimillion-dollar company now.”

The site also allows Alvarado to see how many people have downloaded his songs and pinpoints the demographics of his fan base. “Otherwise, you’re just guessing,” he says.

The 27-year-old spent seven years in the Air Force working in aircraft maintenance. “The last couple years I sat at a desk and got my degree. I was playing music on the side. My dad waited until he retired to do it full time. I wanted to do it now.”

Alvarado’s father Al is the saxophone player for Jones and Company, the Beachcomber Music Award-winning band currently celebrating 20 years in the business. “I remember being seven years old and hanging out at Fudpucker’s down the street listening to Jones and Company play,” Alvarado remembers. “When we listened to music in the house, it was always a technical analysis of what made it good or bad.”

In high school—Crestview Class of ’01—Chris played trumpet with a couple of jazz bands, marching bands, “…the whole works. Guitar was something I did on the side. Once I got out of school, I didn’t pick up the horn every day. I was stationed at Hurlburt for three and a half years, and nobody even knew I played music. I would pick it up here and there and dabble, but didn’t start gigging until I went to Alaska.” Alvarado performed one-hour sets and worked his way up from there. “It got to where I looked forward to playing on the weekends.

“It was a scary choice to get out of the military and play music, but I’m glad I did,” he says. “I didn’t know if I’d stay here or not, but (my dad) talked me into doing it here. He’s been supportive in a non-fatherly, professional way. He calls me up for gigs that might be available. ‘Check out my son not because he’s my son, but because he’s a good musician.’ We talk every day and have the same friends now.”

Alvarado says his success has inspired Al to do more solo gigs and sit in at jam nights around the area. “I think a lot of it has to do with me being so active in the community. During the off-season, I was out every night talking to people knowing it would pay off when spring came. God knows it did.”

At first, Alvarado got his feet wet by introducing himself to local musicians like Jacob Newman—“he’s been around here 14 years”—Zack Rosicka, and Forrest Williams, and joining them on stage. “Jacob got me gigs at Harry T’s and Pat O’Brien’s,” says Alvarado. “The first gig I got was from sending out emails. It was at Scully’s. It takes more than playing good music. You have to get to know people.

“Last summer, I kind of did things on my own. Then in the fall, people would call and say Zack or Forrest recommended me. The name spread without me having to do anything. If you don’t keep your name out there, people forget about you pretty quickly.”

Alvarado only performs a few originals at gigs—the crowds at Seagrove Beach’s La Botana are especially receptive—but his cover versions are more than just copies. “I like to take songs and have people say halfway through, ‘Oh my God, that’s…’,” he says. “A lot of people like that I cover a wide gamut of music, not just ‘70s rock or Jimmy Buffett or country.”

Aside from Alvarado’s take on the Black Eyed Peas, there are selections originated by Mario, 50 Cent, Michael Jackson and Outkast. I heard Alvarado do the latter’s “Hey Ya” at Cabos in the Village of Baytowne Wharf, a striking rendition. “I use a looper to lay down drum tracks when I’m playing live, and some of the hip hop songs, I’ll use a ‘hard tune’ pedal to give them that T-Pain/Lil Wayne effect,” he explains. “I don’t use it a lot, but the young kids like it.”

Currently, Alvarado doesn’t have long-range goals. He just wants people to know his name, and he wants to play his music. “Obviously, I’d like to make a lot of money, but I don’t want to be famous. I’m doing this because it makes me happy. I’d like to get an ‘indie’ follo - The Beachcomber Magazine