Chris Rockwell Takes Over New Jersey with an Infectious Flow

Chris Rockwell is one of the hottest new names in Indie Hip Hop, and as we venture into 2020, this buzzworthy artist is taking the world by storm. His prominent new record "Diner Kids," is one of the most intricate Hip Hop records we've heard in ages, and when we found out Rockwell was right from our own backyard, New Jersey, we knew he had a story to tell. We had the distinct honor of sitting down with Chris before the New Year ends as he dives a bit deeper into this process, progress and plans for 2020. Let's get this started!

Find Chris Rockwell via:
http://www.mrchrisrockwell.com...

1. Known for putting on brilliant shows, what is your favorite part about performing, collaborating and taking the stage?

I love when we practice and rehearse and get everything tightened up, and then keep it a bit loose. When you leave a little bit of wiggle room, you allow unexpected and exciting things to happen on stage. Someone will do something different because they're in the moment, and everyone else on stage responds, and then the crowd responds to that. It's that intangible magic that you don't plan on. You just gotta put the right people in the right room together, and then let their energy do it's work.

2. Overall, what are your favorite venues to play? Where do you connect with fans the most?

I love playing The Saint and the Stone Pony in Asbury Park with my band. I also love doing acoustic shows and spoken word in coffee houses, especially on the road. I connect well with smaller audiences. That's usually when I gain more followers and fans, in more intimate settings.

3. When creating songs, what inspirations and aspirations did you have in mind? What was the backing behind the story you wanted to portray on the new record?

I have a few different approaches to writing songs. Sometimes I think of what it should feel like live on stage. Sometimes I think of it being a headphones record. I wasn't initially aiming for the album to have a story, but it sort of does have one. It starts out talking about when I was younger, and ends up with me feeling older. I guess it's kind of a coming of age thing, with some of the lessons I learned along the way.

4. On a personal note, which song that you've written would you say is your favorite, or the one that speaks the most to you?

On the new album, it's definitely "People Who I Used to Hang Out With". Of all the songs I've ever written? That's such a hard one! It's probably "A Patient Year" from Rockwell Rebel Radio. I wrote that one out of pure need, to save my own life. And it did.

5. On the new songs, who are the key players that made the record happen?

There are two people who made this album happen: Chill Smith and Josh Cabrera. Chill served as executive producer, and Josh played pretty much all the music on the whole thing and shot the album art. I'm so grateful for those two.

6. Do you self-produce or use an outside studio? Can you walk us through the process of either?

I produced the album alongside Josh. Basically, I'd bring him ideas, we'd sit down in his project studio, and then we'd bring the tracks to will to lay down vocals. I wrote a lot of it on the spot while we were coming up with music.

7. With 2020 upon us, what surprises do you have in store?

Without giving everything away, there will be some more videos, a few new venues, and maybe, just maybe... a podcast...