As you may or may not know, one of the first goals we had when we started Quiet Room Entertainment was to help promote local artists, be they musicians, writers, painters, whatever. That grew into promoting local businesses and events as much as we can. We don’t charge for this – we think local artists and businesses are the heart and soul of our communities.

With that being said, welcome to the return of the QRE Spotlight! Each month (maybe more frequently, we’ll have to see) we’ll interview a local artist or business owner so you can get to know them better. They’ll probably be people you’ve heard of, and we hope that you give them your support.

Debuting for the December Spotlight is guitarist Chris Woodward of Wise, VA.

Now, on with the interview!

Christopher Woodward

Quiet Room Entertainment: So, who are you?

Chris Woodward: Chris Woodward, guitarist.

QRE:  How long have I been playing guitar?

CW: Half my life. It’s all I’ve done with my life. When I was a little kid, before I even had a guitar, I was totally committed to the idea of being a guitar player. I absolutely love every aspect of the guitar. I will continue to play until the day I die.

QRE:  What are some of your favorite kinds of music and some of your favorite songs?

CW: People tell me all the time that I have the craziest taste in music. Haha! I am a huge Frank Zappa fan. My all time favorite band is The Aristocrats. I guess that helps answer your question. I really and truly just like anything with great guitar playing.

QRE:  Who are some of your influences?

CW: Guthrie Govan is probably my biggest influence right now. It changes from time to time. It depends upon the mood I’m in. My influence to actually start playing guitar was John Sykes when he played for Whitesnake.

QRE:  Who are you currently playing with? Who have you played with in the past?

CW: Currently, I play guitar for Kaitlyn Baker, William Stiles, Peyton Kendrick, and I do my own music as well. I’ve been in several bands in the past. Oldies bands that aren’t together anymore. Hard rock/metal bands. It’s wild to think back at everything I’ve been involved with in the past.

QRE:  Any horror stories from gigs?

CW: Too many to talk about! Hahaha! I accidentally destroyed a stage one night. I pulled the monitors, mics, stands, and several other things out onto the floor. I was going to go out in the crowd and my cable got wrapped around a monitor. It was like a domino affect. They told me to put on a show for the crowd. Haha! That’s exactly what I did, I guess! Haha!

QRE:  Why do you like playing guitar?

CW: I like playing guitar because its the only thing I’m good at. I love performing, I love writing, I love recording, I love everything about it. I love having stories to tell. I love playing music with others. There’s nothing better than playing guitar. I can ramble about why I like playing guitar for hours and hours. Most people don’t understand it. I’ve met many other guitar players that don’t understand it. But, being able to express yourself with no boundaries is a very beautiful thing. Thank God I’m a guitar player.

QRE:  Do you write your own music? Where can we hear some of it?

CW: I do write my own music. I wrote instrumental music. I wrote songs too, but writing songs has never been a passion of mine. At the same time I suffer from writing music that nobody likes in this day and time because there’s no singing. You can hear a lot of the music I have written over the years on ReverbNation. Good or bad, it’s on there. I recorded most of it in my living room. There’s that and much more coming. I’m hoping to have my material, old and new, on iTunes soon.

QRE:  Do you teach lessons? Where and how much do they run?

CW: I do teach lessons. I enjoy helping people become the player they’ve always wanted to be. I teach at a music store but I have also started booking clinics and I’m in the process of starting some online classes as well. Prices will vary. I usually just have people get in touch with me directly for payment information.

QRE:  Anything you would like to share with guitarists, both new and old?

CW: Keep playing. Keep practicing. Stay open minded. Nobody will ever be too good to learn or practice. Never limit yourself. With the guitar, the possibilities are infinite. Never forget that.

QRE:  Since you’re in the business, is there anybody else we should know about?

CW: The people I am most impressed with are my band members. Randy Nash, Dave James, Kenneth Bullock, and Peyton Kendrick. Those guys are the best musicians I have ever played with. As far as singers go, Kaitlyn is a great singer. She’s probably the best singer I’ve ever played with. I’m not really connected directly with anyone else right now. Pretty much everything I do these days is with those guys.

QRE: Thanks, Chris!

So there you have it, folks. If you get that guitar that you’ve always wanted for Christmas, get in touch with Chris.

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See you next month with another QRE Spotlight Artist!

If you have an artist or business owner you’d like to nominate for the Spotlight, shoot me an email at Garv@QuietRoomEntertainment.com – we’d love to hear your ideas!

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