Birth name Christopher Ballew Spouse Kate Endle Role Musician | Name Chris Ballew Years active 1986–present | |
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Born May 28, 1965 (age 59) ( 1965-05-28 ) Instruments vocals, basitar, bass guitar Associated acts The Presidents of the United States of America, Balls, EGG, Caspar and Mollusk, Supergroup, The Minus 5, The Giraffes, The Tycoons, Chris and Tad, The Feelings Hijackers, Caspar Babypants Music groups The Presidents of the United States of America (Since 1993), Caspar Babypants, Chris and Tad, The Giraffes Albums Sing Along!, The Presidents of the Uni, The Days Are Filled with Years, Baby Beatles!, Kudos to You! Profiles | ||
Chris ballew artist profile by shady pines media
Christopher "Chris" Ballew (born May 28, 1965) is an American musician best known as the former lead singer and 'basitarist' of the alternative rock group The Presidents of the United States of America. He also performs as a children's artist under the pseudonym Caspar Babypants.
Contents
- Chris ballew artist profile by shady pines media
- Rawkbox my first guitar with chris ballew
- Biography
- Equipment
- Personal life
- Discography
- References
Rawkbox my first guitar with chris ballew
Biography
Ballew grew up in Seattle and attended middle and high school at The Bush School, where he met Dave Dederer, with whom he would later form The Presidents of the United States of America. In the late 1980s and early 90s Ballew lived in Boston, where he performed as a street musician in a duo called Egg with Phil Franklin (later of Caroliner Rainbow and Sunburned Hand of the Man). Many of Ballew's songs with Egg would become well-known Presidents songs, most notably Naked and Famous, which is performed by Egg as a bonus track on a 2005 reissue of the Presidents' eponymous debut album. The two members of Egg were also part of the experimental triple-bass guitar ensemble Balls, which released a 12" EP in 1991. While in Boston, Ballew also played briefly with Mary Lou Lord, and with Mark Sandman of Treat Her Right and Morphine in a duo called Supergroup, in which they developed the oddly stringed instruments that would become a staple of both the Presidents' and Morphine's sound.
Ballew moved to Los Angeles in the early 90s where he shared an apartment with alternative artist Beck and played in his live band. Bellew told Seattle Weekly that playing with Beck "was the beginning of my professional career as a guy getting paid to make music." He returned to his native Washington in 1993 and started the Presidents of the United States of America. The band released six studio albums before splitting up in 2016.
In 2009, Ballew launched a project targeted toward toddlers called Caspar Babypants. Ballew uses a three-string acoustic guitar when performing Caspar Babypants songs. To date, Caspar Babypants has released eleven full-length albums; Here I Am!, More Please!, This Is Fun!, Sing Along!, Hot Dog!, I Found You!, Baby Beatles!, Rise And Shine!, Night Night!, Beatles Baby!, and Away We Go!.
Equipment
Ballew is endorsed by Epiphone Guitars and Orange amplifiers, utilising an Epiphone SG-400 guitar (converted into a two-string "basitar") as well as an AD200B MK 3 200-Watt Bass Head from Orange. No distortion pedals are used live, just the natural distortion of the amp is heard. Regarding his two-string "basitar", Ballew admits: "I’m technically not really a bass player, although, I play as if I’m playing bass lines, a lot of times I strum like (on a) guitar and make chords.
Personal life
Ballew is married to collage artist Kate Endle.