Christina Holmes

Having released her second album, Stand Up, last year on her own record label, Cove House Records, musician Christina Holmes has caught the eye and ear of many renowned musicians. These include Trevor Hall, Xavier Rudd, and Nahko of Medicine for the People, who have all toured with her. Her music is open, raw and relatable, resonating with her fellow musicians and listeners. Her music is an honest portrayal of her relationship with her partner, which is the theme with her single "Forget Me Not," written about how she found love with her fiancé. Other songs featured on the album that are special to her include "Always" and "Positive Day."

AXS: You were on tour with Nahko and Medicine for the People. What was that experience like, and how was it sharing your music with Nahko and his band?

Christina Holmes: It was the most incredible experience ever. A dream come true. All the guys are amazing and super humble loving souls. It was an honor to have their respect. Have been inspired by Nahko and the boys for quite some time now so being able to share the stage and my music with them is something I will never forget!

AXS: You were promoting your second album, Stand Up, which obviously has a very strong meaning...what does "Stand Up" mean to you?

CH: Stand up to me means many things. To stand up for what you believe in, stand up for who you are inside and always be yourself, stand up even when you think you can’t. We spend a lot of our time in this life getting knocked down and most of the time we end up pushing ourselves down. I want stand up to mean that you can overcome anything if you set that intention.

AXS: You're about to go into the studio to record your third album. Do you have an idea of how you want the recording process to transpire?

CH: I am super excited to get back in the studio. I have some stuff that’s already figured out but I like being free in the studio to see what flows. You never know what will come out and sometimes that’s the most beautiful part about it.

AXS: How does your creative spark happen when it comes to writing your songs?

CH: It’s different all the time. I could come up with hook just humming or write lyrics on a napkin when I’m out to eat. Songs never have a set way of coming out.

AXS: What are you looking forward to most in 2018?

CH: I’m looking forward most to headlining my first tour. Everyone has always known me with just an acoustic guitar. They will still be getting the same old me but I’m excited to finally show the many sides of C.Holmes. Full band and loop sets coming soon! - AXS

Christina Holmes is a talented singer-songwriter who recently released her second album, "Stand Up", via her record label Cove House Records. She has toured with the likes of Trevor Hall, Xavier Rudd, and Nahko of Medicine for the People. Christina’s honesty and empowering music has captivated audiences and has prompted her to share more of her life story. Her song “Forget Me Not” is a heartfelt track written about her journey of finding love with her fiancé and becoming comfortable in her identity as a queer woman and “Always” was written for her father who recently passed away and features a recording of his voice. Perhaps one of her must upbeat songs, “Positive Day,” captures Christina’s infectious energy and encourages people to see the light in their everyday life and to live life to the fullest.

Check out our exclusive interview with Christina Holmes and after reading it, be sure to connect with Christina via her social media streams as well as stream/download "Stand Up".

What prompted you to get into music?

I got into music at a very young age thanks to my Father.

Does music serve as a form of catharsis for you as you go through life's ups and downs, and how?

Yes, always. Music is my emotional outlet. Whether I am writing about the positive or the negative, music give me the outlet to be able to get out those thoughts. I express myself better through song then I do through just talking so when it comes to writing music and lyrics I tend to get deeper into the meaning/ lesson of whatever the situation was that inspired the song.

How does your personal sense of identity tie into your sense of identity within your music, and the musical community?

I am who I am and always have been no matter what the situation. I always say who I am on stage is who I am off stage. I am me.

Can you tell us about your recent tour with Nahko? How do you come to find the artists you collaborate with, and what's essential to you in terms of collaboration?

The Nahko tour was incredible, in all aspects. It was a dream come true and I am honored and blessed to have been able to be a part of it. When it comes to finding people to tour with it really just comes from people I listen to and am inspired by. Then my manager and I go about reaching out to their team and seeing if we could be a good fit. Sometimes it takes months, even years to get to the point of agreement but at the end day I never give up. All anyone can say is no.

Was going acoustic a conscious choice, or is it just stylistically what you fell into? And how did you find your sound?

I have always been in love with acoustic and it's always been something I knew I wanted to play and make music with. I found my acoustic sound at a young age and experimented with a couple different sounds and genres on my first album, Peace Love and C.Holmes. Even with the different sounds on that album I still would always perform them acoustically. There is just something about it and I will never leave the acoustic behind.

What's the importance of your music being uplifting, and affecting listener's state of mind or mood?

My main goal has always been to spread music to help change someone’s day for the better. I think it’s important to show people it’s ok to feel their emotions no matter what it is and to believe in yourself even when it feels impossible. I want my music to help heal people but also allow them to see that anything is possible if they try.

Who are the biggest inspirations in your life, and in your music?

My biggest inspirations in life would have to be my parents. Throughout my life they have shown me how to be the best person I can be and they also believe in my dreams as much as I do. They have also been the hardest working, most loving parents and have always supported me in whatever I set my mind too. My Dad unfortunately passed away two years ago but still impacts my day to day as my inspiration to never give up. My biggest musical inspirations are Tracy Chapman and Bob Marley. - DopeCauseWeSaid

By Kevin Alan Lamb

The funny thing about dreams is that they’re rarely realized in the way they were conceived; as a result we may find ourselves living in a dream we always had, but don’t take the time to recognize and be grateful for its fruition. Fortunately, for East Coast native Christina Holmes, she’s well aware of the fortune space, time, and commitment have granted her, as she finds herself in the middle of a tour with one of her heroes, Nahko, where she supports his latest release - My Name Is Bear.

Despite our inclination to let the cold and desperate ways of evil-spirited humans to discourage us, Christina Holmes is a sign of the mass-spiritual-awakening upon us, and offers hope in the form of sentimental songs sung from the soul, medicine for terminal patients in the hospital who haven't spoke in months, and a fresh dose of organic optimism to insist we “Dig a Little Bit More” even after our shovel breaks, and love seems to be fleeting when we try to cling to it tightest.

KAL: I’ve had a chance to work with Nahko and Trevor a lot. I caught a little bit of your set when you were here in Detroit. First off how did you connect with Nahko?

CH: Just through a lot of the other connections that I’ve made over the years especially with Trevor and through my manager and stuff like that. We just reached out to their management and had said “this is who I have opened for” and it was kind of a two year process in the making. We started contacting them about two years ago and we just had to prove our way to be able to get onto the tour.

KAL: That’s awesome, what do you recall most distinctly from the amateur night at the Apollo?

CH: I’d say right before I had to walk on stage was the most distinct moment. I was just standing there, right before you go out you’re standing there and they tell you to go out and touch the Tree of Hope and then you go and sing, then thank Apollo. I was so nervous standing on the side of the stage waiting to touch the tree. I was thinking, “All I have to do is touch the tree, go to the mic stand, and sing.” It’s funny because you don’t think that’s something on my mind, but once they tell you you have to touch the Tree of Hope, people will boo you off the stage before you even sing. Like touch the Tree of Hope and go do your thing.

KAL: That’s wild, but now that you’ve had many more performances are there any mechanisms that you practice to kind of calm yourself if you’re ever nervous?

CH: To be honest, since that day I haven’t really been nervous. I’ve got that anxious excited nervous, but it’s never really gotten to the point where I feel like I did before that moment. Before that moment I had really bad stage fright, then once I performed at the Apollo it was something that was like, "If you can perform at the Apollo you can perform anywhere." I don’t know if you know the premise of the show, but if they don’t like you they can boo you off the stage. So I feel like once I did that there, it gave me the confidence that I don’t think I would have gotten anywhere else.

KAL: Well, we can both agree that there is a healing or medicinal power of music. Can you give me some memories where you have experienced this directly?

CH: I work a lot with Musicians On Call, which is an organization where you go into the hospitals and sing for patients and stuff like that. I would have to say probably the most profound thing I’ve had through healing with music is basically when you work with this organization, you don’t necessarily know what’s wrong with the patient unless you’re in a certain part of the hospital and we just happened to be in a terminal wing and this kid had been told three months before I met him that he was going to pass away. When you go and work with these people it’s not just for the patients, but it’s for the nurses, the families, and the sponsor that had walked around with me had said, “You know he won’t listen to you, he hasn’t talked to a single person in three months, just let him be and sing to his mom.” So I went in there and you always kind of pick the song with the tone of the room when you walk in and for some reason I sang “No One” by Alicia Keys. Normally I do more upbeat songs and this song was a more slower version. The kid not only gave me his full attention, but he sang the entire song with me. Me, the nurses, and every single person that was in the entire room basically started hysterically crying because this kid hasn’t talked for three months. Just opening my mouth singing a song that I’ve never sang in a hospital, he literally sang every single word with me and got a spark in his eye and a smile that he hadn’t had in forever. His mom gave me a big hug and she was like, “You have no idea what you just did.” Really, all I did was sing from my heart with my guitar. So it was a pretty incredible moment.

KAL: That’s remarkable! Have you kept working there?

CH: Yeah, they’re based in bigger cities and trying to expand now so I solely work out of the New York City branch. They’re trying to open up a Boston one and I currently live in Rhode Island so whenever I’m down visiting family or on tour I go into the city to go work with them. I hope to kind of expand to different branches with them as well.

KAL: Awesome, kind of along the same line - Peace, Love, and C. Holmes. Can you talk about the power of positivity that is portrayed throughout this album?

CH: I feel like basically just through my life experiences, the songs on the album in particular kind of came from negative moments, which is kind of crazy. Most people would not think that. There’s a song called “Dig a Little Bit More” and it was inspired by a friend of mine who basically after I had struggled with some health problems, when I was in the hospital I kind of ended up learning her true colors through that situation. The chores of that song is “give a little bit more, take a little bit less” because I had learned through that situation that she only would take things from me, she never gave anything and I always give my heart to the fullest. Sometimes that’s not always the best thing, but I got a song out of it and turned it into a positive situation that taught me that no matter where your life takes you, you just have to learn to give a little bit more than just taking from people and you’ll see a better side of life.

KAL: That’s beautiful, some of the ones that are more capable of giving are the ones that, in reality, are the ones that have to continue giving.

CH: Yeah for sure and that’s how I was raised by my parents. So I’ve always had that mindset, that you have to set out to do things for others and not expect something in return. Unfortunately, she was one of those people that only would do things if you did something for them. It was funny because my mom was like, “How did you write such a positive song about such a negative thing?” Because obliviously that was upsetting, she was a really close friend of mine and I realized that she wasn’t as close of a friend as I thought she was. But some of the most negative situations will allow you to see some of the most positive things in a different light. I learned about myself and other people, but the biggest things that I learned was just to stay true to myself no matter what other people say about me, and as long as I know my own truth that’s all that really matters.

KAL: That’s wonderful. Some of the greatest growth in my life happened as I became aware. Every struggle I had, I had an opportunity to grow and there was something I could look for. I would always identify it. The quicker you turn that negative into a positive. Can you walk me through your legendary jam with Narada at his Tarpan Studios?

CH: Well, it was incredible. Him and his entire team are pretty amazing and Narada was the biggest loving soul ever. Our creativity kind of just flowed together. When I had first met him and I went out to his studio after he had heard my music and all we did was jam. He played the drums and I played the guitar and sang. It had nothing to do with any kind of business, it was just, “I want to play with you, I want to see if we vibe and if we do we can make something, but if we don’t, we don’t”. We literally just vibed and played music for hours before we even decided to work with each other professionally. It was kind of one of those amazing moments where you hope that you can find somebody that you can jam with and have those vibes with instead of it being forced. It was so effortless it was incredible. We still to this day are really good friends.

KAL: That's awesome, if you had one lyric tattooed on you what would it be and why?

CH: If I had one lyric tattooed on me….If I had to pick my own I would say, “All we can do is try to love before we die.” It’s from my song "Message For the People" because since I was a little kid my parents always taught me to just always love even in the situations where you feel like you can’t give any love. Then if I had to pick a quote from somebody else….that’s hard on the spot. I’d say, "Be the change you wish to say in the world," which is a Ghandi quote, not really a song lyric. If I would put a song lyric on me, it’s a Trevor Hall song called "Indigo," where he talks about owl medicine in that song so I would either get an owl or owl medicine written on me because it is said that owl medicine is supposed to keep your head and not be fooled by your own mind. I have a very hard time getting out of my mind sometimes. Like talking negatively to myself about things that aren’t even happening in life, but everyone does that, they get stuck in their own head. That song is pretty incredible because it’s talking about trying to find your owl medicine.

KAL: That's awesome. You’re on a pretty special tour right now, but what do you miss most about home?

CH: My family I’d say. I have a soon to be wife and three step kids that are home and I also have two English bulldogs and then her family has two more dogs, so we have a pretty big family of kids and doggies that I miss at home for sure.

KAL: Well, I’ll tell you what I’m looking at right now, my roommate has a Miniature English Bull Dog named Rocco. We live in Michigan so he has his little red lumberjack flannel on. I actually work at a music venue called Otus Supply and it’s right next door so we call our place Chateau Rocco because a lot of the musicians spend the night here. I think I’ve got one more for you then I’ll let you go. It’s getting pretty cold here, when you’re back home and it’s getting colder and we turn more inward, what is some music that you’re listening to that really helps you find your own medicine.

CH: It’s all the people I tour with. It’s Nahko, Trevor Hall, Xavier Rudd and I’m a huge Bob Marley fan, since I was a little kid. It’s pretty crazy. I am extremely blessed to be able to tour and work with the people who inspire me most. So I get to not only listen to their music when I’m home, but when I’m living my dream. It doesn’t change too much when I’m on the road or off the road, but one thing is I get to see one of the people that I love, so it’s pretty cool.

KAL: That’s perfect. Personality wise between Nahko and Trevor, what are some of their biggest differences that you’ve observed?

CH: I mean they both are just really down to earth guys. I’d say Nahko is definitely more goofy for sure. Trevor can be a big goof, but can definitely be more to himself sometimes and he needs his space and he chills. But Nahko will just come out sometimes and say the craziest things and we both say that we remind each other of each other. We kind of have a weird humor about being a goof all the time. But yeah they’re both super humble, super loving, but I’d say that Nahko is definitely goofier.

KAL: Dive into your daily dose of Christina Holmes and listen to her latest Peace Love & C. Holmes. Just in case you were listening for one, This is a Good Sound. - MUSICMARAUDERS

Christina Holmes is a singer/songwriter who recently released her second album, Stand Up, via her very own record label Cove House Records. She has toured with the likes of Trevor Hall, Xavier Rudd, and Nahko of Medicine for the People. Christina’s honesty and empowering music has captivated audiences and has prompted her to share more of her life story.

Her 2017 single “Forget Me Not” is a heartfelt ballad written about her journey of finding love with her fiancé and becoming comfortable in her identity as a queer woman.

Showing the diversity in her songwriting, Another of her songs, “Always” is a powerful, emotional tribute song. Christina wrote the song “Always” for her father who recently passed away and features a recording of his voice.

We got a chance to chat with Christina about her music, and what motivates and inspires her, here’s what she had to say:



Music Existence: How would you describe your sound if talking to someone who has never heard your music?

Christina Holmes: I always say it’s acoustic rock and a little reggae

ME: How did you first get into music?

CH: When I was a kid. My dad always sang to me and he got me into music.

ME: What show would you consider to be your “breakout gig” to this point?

CH: I would say when I got to open for Trevor Hall on his Kala Tour back in 2015. I had toured a bunch before that but that tour was the first big gig I had supporting one of my favorite musicians.

ME: What drove you to go into a genre such as reggae?

CH: My cousin and I would always listen to reggae together starting when I was about 6. It has influenced my music since the beginning.

ME: What should people expect from your live performance when coming to see you play live?

CH: A lot of heart and Soul. Coming to my shows you will get a look into my life and my stories. Me and an acoustic guitar is normally how I roll but I am excited to play with a full band as well as showing my fans my looping side as well.

ME: Do you write your own songs?

CH: Every. Song.

ME: What should people expect from You in 2018?

CH: New music, visuals, and touring!

ME: What was the first album you purchased?

CH: Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

ME: First concert you attended?

CH: Edwin McCain at B.B. Kings in NYC when I was 13.

ME: Most influential band to you personally?

CH: Bob Marley and The Wailers / Nahko and Medicine For The People - Music Existence

Right around the time Christina Holmes and I crossed paths she was coming off the road with Nahko and Medicine for the People. A “dream come true” for the acoustic singer, she nestled back into home life after what her fiance has called her “post-tour coma.” A period of one to three days of well-deserved sleep. Now she’s wide awake and ready to get back to working on a new album. We talked about what to expect from the follow up to her very personal Stand Up, discovering a new side of herself and more as she sat in her home in the smallest state known to the US.


Kendra: Now that you’re home, you have time to focus on your third record. You seemed to get really personal on Stand Up. How will the next vary in terms of storytelling and perspective?

Christina Holmes: I think Stand Up showed a huge amount of growth from my first record and I think my new record will also do the same. As you said, I got really personal on Stand Up and I intend on going further into my rabbit hole with my fans to show a greater perspective of my life. I think it will also show growth in not only lyricism but in my overall writing.

Kendra: There were a couple standouts on Stand Up. The first being “Forget Me Not.” There’s a lot going on in this one, but I think it’s important to talk about your comfortability with yourself as a queer woman. Was that something you’d been internally struggling with a long time?

Christina Holmes: I had gone my entire life without knowing that side of me. I never struggled until I finally found my now fiancé. The struggle wasn’t in that I was gay but more with the fact that I finally found who I was meant to be with and I couldn’t be with her. I knew she was the love of my life but she was already married and I was not going to be the one to ruin that. So for two years I struggled and didn’t tell a soul how I felt. After she ended things with her ex, Lindsay ended up kissing me and making my dreams come true. We have been together since that moment.

Kendra: Another one is “Always” which you penned for your late father. Sorry to hear of his passing. Was he one of the first to support your creative path in life?

Christina Holmes: He was the first person to get me interested in music but was definitely not the first to support me. I had written and played music since I was eight but it wasn’t until I was 18 and in college, until I found my voice to share it. I know deep down he always supported me but he wanted me to finish college and I ended up dropping out and never looking back. It wasn’t until years after when he saw me play for the first and only time where he finally said he was proud. It was a month before he passed away. I was opening for Trevor Hall at Irving Plaza. After I played my set he came up, hugged me and said, “I get it and I’m proud. I’m glad you didn’t listen to me”.

Kendra: When it comes to the new album, will you be doing a lot of writing in Rhode Island?

Christina Holmes: I am always writing. So most of the songs are written in RI but some were written while on tour.

Kendra: As someone who is not well traveled, what sort of adjectives would be in a song about the smallest state in the US?

Christina Holmes: Loving, loyal, scenic, beautiful, and humble.

Kendra: Can we talk about Betty really quick? You don’t know how envious I am of your VW Bus. My dream car. How long have you had her and do you see her as the vehicle embodiment of your sound in any way?

Christina Holmes: I have had her since March of 2015. I think she embodies my sound and my soul. Betty is me, but a car.

Kendra: Other than working on the new album, what other plans on deck for the new year?

Christina Holmes: I will be heading out on my first ever headlining tour and will be releasing a bunch of new visuals for my songs.

Kendra: If you had to make a mixtape for a day driving around in Betty, what five would have to be on it?

Christina Holmes:
“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
“Surfer Girl” by The Beach Boys
“Could You Be Loved” by Bob Marley
“Budding Trees” by Nahko and Medicine for the People
“Indigo” by Trevor Hall - Golden Mixtape

Sometimes, the thing that scares you the most can become the thing that scares you the least.

Christina Holmes knows this all too well. Not that long ago, she was afraid to sing to anyone but herself. A friend heard her playing music inside her freshman dorm room at the University of Rhode Island, called her out for hiding such talent, and set the ball rolling for Holmes to pursue music more seriously. She started going to the open mic night at URI and slowly built up her confidence from there, eventually leaving school to pursue music full time.

Now, at age 26, Holmes has a second album coming out, titled “Stand Up.”

The album is comprised of 10 songs, the foundations for which are culled from her life experiences. The first and title track, “Stand Up,” is a song Holmes wrote after traveling with four friends to Standing Rock in October, where they delivered supplies they had collected for those protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.

Holmes said the song is about standing up for what one believes in, and tells the story of the trip, which she said is the “most life-changing experience I have ever been through.”

Another track is a song she wrote when she was 15 – she started writing music at 8 – which she said is symbolic because, at that age, she could never have imagined she would be touring and performing the way she is now. Holmes said she recently played a song she wrote as a teenager to a crowd of roughly 1,500 people and, in that moment, realized she was living her dream.

She also this year established her own music production company, Cove House Records, based out of her home in Narragansett. “Stand Up” is the company’s debut release. Her first album, “Peace, Love & C. Holmes,” was released in 2014 and produced by Narada Michael Walden, who discovered Holmes through recordings she had shared on SoundCloud. She recorded that album at Tarpan Studios in California.

“I learned a lot, but learned a lot to do better,” Holmes said of making her first album. “What better way to do it than do it yourself?”

Now, she said, she can help other artists pursue their music and creative visions in a way that eliminates some of the pressure she experienced while making her first album.

The goal of Cove House is to find “conscious artists,” or people who write music on their own, and to create an ecosystem of these artists, giving them the rights and control to record music in their own way.

“All of my music is my soul,” she said, adding that she believes an artist should be able to “be who you are.”

Because Holmes produced “Stand Up” through her own company, she said it reflects her “true sound,” which she describes as acoustic rock and reggae. She also worked with Warren Huart, a co-producer, and recorded her album over three weeks in January at his Los Angeles Spitfire Studio. Since she had more creative control over its production, she said this album better reflects what she sounds like live, which is important to her. She said she wants listeners “to feel the live sound, and to feel the emotion through the tracks.”

Holmes credits her loss of stage fright to performing as part of amateur night at the Apollo Theater in New York City. It was during a time when she was taking a break from URI to figure out her priorities, and she received a standing ovation.

“That moment changed my stage presence,” she said. “I haven’t had stage fright since then. They say if you can play at the Apollo Theater, you can play anywhere.”

Holmes has since gone on to tour with a number of artists, including Trevor Hall, Eve 6, Howie Day, Anna Nalick, Blake Lewis and Elliot Yamin, both of whom appeared on “American Idol.” Holmes has reached out to all sorts of artists to see if they will let her open for them, and said she does this because “all they can say is no.” The largest crowd she has played for is about 2,500 people, and her music community now spans the country.

“Music has brought me to so many beautiful places,” she said. As a fun aside, she said everywhere she’s been she has met someone who has lived in, been to, or has family in Rhode Island.

Her latest album will be launched June 1 at a release party at Whalers Brewing Co. in Peace Dale at 7 p.m., and then officially released the next day. The launch party is free and will feature special guests and local artists, and Holmes hopes it turns into a big jam session by the end of the night.

She sets off on a tour in June and July, and in August will head out again in her 1979 Volkswagen bus – complete with an “ON TOUR” license plate – on a fan-house tour, for which she will play a concert in the home or backyard of about 20 fans across the country.

Holmes said people often ask her how she got started, and her answer to them is the same as her advice to others – “Persistence, just persistence.” - The Independent