The Shadow Chameleon

Chris Marz is a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist from Long Beach, CA who has a strong local following and a talent for writing literate, tuneful rock songs. Along with his band, Will Raff (bass) and Matt Lesser (drums), Marz creates pop/rock magic on six strings. His debut CD, Follow Me, was recently released independently. This one is worth hearing.

Follow Me opens with the title track, a dark and halting tune full of paranoid angst. Disappearing Act follows sounding like Paul Simon singing with The Lowest Of The Low. To say that Chris Marz sounds like a dark aspect of Paul Simon's personality seems more and more apropos to me with each listen. Anything displays an adept understanding of song craft and melody, and is very reminiscent of Paul Simon's writing style. Replica shakes things up with a guitar/drum duet at its heart that serves as the heliocentric point for this song's orbit. Replica may be the best song on the album. It's thoroughly unexpected and unique.

Also check out Idly By, a musical monologue full of powerful imagery and self-awareness. Now That You're Gone is also an absolute gem, and might be just hair's breadth behind Replica for best song here. Other highlights include Ghost In My Head and Final Hour.

Chris Marz is a true singer-songwriter. His voice and writing style are reminiscent of Paul Simon, but at the same time he is quite unique and original in his presentation. Marz is an extremely talented lyricist and has an amazing sense of melody. Follow Me is not just an album title but an invitation that you'll be glad you accepted.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
- Wildy Haskell - Wildy's World

Chris Marz has crafted a terrific debut record with Follow Me. The album showcases the artists many talents, from songwriting to instrumentation and, most importantly: Execution. His lyrical content is far from fluff, and instead of recalling the superficiality behind all the bling and celebrity Marz chooses to go deeper in his work. He reflects heavily on the Elliott Smith-like "All I Feel is Dark". The mood is grey, but the sound is magnetic and beautiful. The harmonies are reminiscent of Smith's work on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack (think Miss Misery). The spacey intro to "Idly By" seemingly pays homage to Radiohead's post-Kid A sonic signature, while his vocal delivery and chorus sound like a cut off an early Jayhawks release. The overall theme here maybe a bit morose, but the music is surprisingly delightful. Marz comes off as a seasoned veteran, having lived a life full of experiences to draw upon. Follow Me is the kind of record you'd hear on Fordham University's cutting edge WFUV radio station (currently streaming, and one of the stations that helped break John Mayer and Norah Jones). Give this record a spin: you won't be disappointed. MM - Michael Mercer - Earbuzz.com

Chris marZ (aka The Shadow Chameleon) describes his music as “classical rock”, and it’s as good a description as any. The Los Angeles singer-songwriter uses powerful lyrics and a mix of classical and modern influences to weave “a tapestry of dark musical textures”. The instrumentation is driving but subdued at the same time, while the vocals have a relaxed alt-rock feel. There’s more than a hint of early 311 in his first full length album Follow Me. The songs are easily singalong-able (yep, that’s a word) but have significant depth. Definitely give it a listen. - Tyler Groover - Twogroove.com