Meet Chris Holland | Composer, Musician & Luthier

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Holland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m from the Midwest originally. In high school, I moved to the Atlanta area, and, after I got married, I moved to Nashville, TN. So, by the time I was 15 years old, I had lived in 7 different cities. Atlanta was my favorite city to live in because I loved the mix of mountains and water, and the variety of activities I could get into, including an active mountain biking community, and a thriving music scene.

On that note – pun intended! – Music was the constant in my life, regardless of where I was living. Music – yes, with a capital “M” – became a strong part of who I was – and still am -, and it was something that I could take with me everywhere I went.

The more I got into learning about Music, the more my passion grew for it, and it became my very own way of expressing my identity. I would do my homework in the bus to and from school, so that the rest of the time I was home I would be able to play my guitar till bedtime – and even past that, like any other kid!

Also, my father loved Music and he played piano as a youngster. He and I would spend hours on end listening to his vast collection of vinyl records – a holdover from his college DJ days -, and discussing his love of jazz.

Those who are close to me know my unwavering connection to Music. When asked, “What does Music mean to you?”, I always respond the same way: Music to me is both a means of expressing who I am, and a means of supporting myself – I’m a touring sound engineer. In essence, Music is an integral part of every aspect of my life. I think about Music from the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep – and of course I often also dream about Music.

I constantly have songs in my head, both songs I know and songs I am creating. Music energizes and drives me, and keeps me company all day long.
  

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I was in high school, I was convinced that I was going to have a career as a guitar player – haven’t we all? Lol. However, things changed and I entered a career that put me behind the scenes instead of on stage.

In 2015, after nearly 30 years in a career as an audio engineer, I got back into my love of guitars. I became a luthier and, in the process of building guitars, I started recording the sound of me playing those guitars to showcase how they sounded. One thing led to another and, next thing I knew, I was starting to write and record full compositions of instrumental rock guitar.

I feel I have an advantage over other composers in that I can both build the guitars and I have a lot of experience in getting the proper setup and the sound that I need, in addition to self-producing from start to finish. That is, I have all the tools to put out a quality product both in the guitars that I build and the Music that I create, and I really enjoy every aspect of creating Music.

Transparently, – and this may sound arrogant … – I don’t think I’d ever buy another guitar because I really like the guitars that I build myself better than anything that I could purchase, and the same thing goes for my recording. I know what my vision is with my recordings and my compositions, and I know how to get and produce those visions. Where some people would have to hire engineers in a studio or producers to help them with their Music, I don’t think I would benefit from doing that because I can do it myself exactly how I want to do it.

My disclaimer is that I didn’t get here overnight. It is the result of “living in the Music” since I was a child, and consistency, curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to creating what feels right to me have been my guide. Of course, it definitely helps to get outside opinions to let me know that I’m on the right track, but ultimately it comes down to what I want to do and how I want to do it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I’m on the road about 8-10 months out of the year, I don’t really spend a lot of time exploring Nashville. I’m a homebody and a couch potato when I’m home, as “there is no place like home”! So, I really don’t have a lot of experience with the hot places to be at, but below are two ideas that may be of interest to others.

I recently discovered Vintage King in East Nashville, www.vintageking.com. It’s a really great place to check high end audio gear and equipment, and also to talk with people in the business that really know their stuff inside out. If this is your métier, it’s fun to just share ideas and talk shop with others who share your passion.

I’ve also been an avid mountain biker for decades, and Nashville has become a great place for those who share these interests, as the mountain biking community has really stepped it up when it comes to developing new trails. My favorite spots to ride at are: Cedar Hill, Cane Ridge, Lock 4, and Percy Warner. There are also new trails being built constantly. The best place to find out information is at www.sorbamidtn.org

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this piece to my two main Music influences: my Dad, and my high school Band Director, Alfred Watkins. I have shared about my Dad’s influence in my answer to another question, so I’d like to share about Mr. Watkins.

When I was 8 years old, I was fascinated by the trombone, and I told my parents I wanted to play “that instrument that people swallow”, and that’s what kicked off my participation in school bands.

I joined Lassiter High School’s band as a Junior, and that is when I met Mr. Watkins. Lassiter was a brand-new high school, and my junior year was the first time the band would perform in a competition. Mr. Watkins took us from “zero to hero” in less than 6 months: we won first place and became one of the top high school performing bands in the country!

Mr. Watkins was an unforgettable mentor who really inspired me to want to become a better musician. He had a confident, strong personality, and had a vision that he instilled in us through his focus and resiliency.

Additionally, Mr. Watkins helped me decide what kind of path I wanted to pursue, and led me to a career in Music. Although I work behind the scenes as a technician and audio engineer, I get to experience countless performances in multiple iterations from rehearsal to show time by top artists in every genre of music you can think of. This has given me a very broad range in my musical taste and influences. It is truly a gift.

Website: www.cdhguitars.com

Instagram: @bikebrainmaniac

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christian.holland.378

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@CDHGuitars

Other: https://cdhguitars.com/musicalbums/

Image Credits
Image credits to Diana Sanchez-Vega, Marilyn Holland