A: Good Question. Sleepydog music represents every aspect of Chris Quigley's creative musical output, from his songwriting to his performances as a solo artist, and as a member of such bands as The Good Leads, and Fuzzy Stone.
Q: How Long have you been doing this ?
A: I Started playing guitar in 1983, and I think as soon as I knew two chords I started writing...it was total crap for quite a while, but I like to think that I eventually I got the hang of it. I never took any lessons, I found that the best way to learn was to get out there and play with as many musicians as you can and I was lucky enough to find a few people who were very talented (and very patient).
Q: What was the first band you were in ??
A: The first band I was ever in was called Spectrum. My friends Brandon Trenz, Steve Gild, Jeff Provenzano, Chris Klein and I all started playing at the same time. Brandon is still out there playing in the groups All Right Tokyo, and The Callbacks (as well as The Good Leads project with me) Our brilliant idea in Spectrum was to have each member represent a color and their instrument (and clothing) would correspond. My color was red, so I had the red guitar, red sneakers and red Parachute pants, it wasn't pretty.
Q: What Style of music do you play ?
A: Solo, I play a blend of Rock , Folk, Funk Pop and even a little country. With the band all I'm really trying to do is play good Rock and Roll.
Q: Who are your influences ?
A: Boy, that would be a long list, but here are a few...REO Speedwagon, Prince, Lyle Lovett, The Trashcan Sinatras, Ryan Adams, Whiskeytown, Dogs Eye View, Counting Crows, Kenny Burrell, Ednaswap, Eddi Reader, Cheap Trick, Local H, The Guess Who and The Beatles to name a few.
Q: Are you worried that your good looks keep you from being taken seriously as an artist ?
A: No. Not at all.
Q: What's the deal with the Logo ?
A: That's what happens when you try to design a logo while under the influence. The moral of the story here, kids, is don't drink and draw.
Please include a telephone number with any inquiries and I will contact you personally. However, be forewarned that Chris has moved to Chicago so is no longer available for Arizona bookings unless they coincide with his visits back to the valley (Or if you're willing to pay travel expenses)
A: For guitars I play a Purple Fender Stratocaster, A Yamaha Weddington Special, a Green Yamaha APX-4A Acoustic-Electric (6 string) , a Takamine EF485C (12-String) , and a Red Yamaha Bass. My newest addition is a black Yamaha SG700s.
For amps I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, a Fender M-80 Combo and a Fender Bassman Combo (Bantam conversion), and an SWR Strawberry Blonde Acoustic amp.
For Effects, my live setup is a Boss GT-3 pedal. In the studio I supplement that with a Korg G3, an old Yamaha FX500 and a Digitech Studio100 (for vocals).
My PA is a Carvin PA1200 12 Channel Stereo Powered Head and some big ass speakers to go with it ...
As far as recording. For years I wasusing an old Fostex DMT-8 Digital recorder. It had 8 tracks to a hard drive and was pretty outdated, but the sound was awesome. In October of 2006, I upgraded and bought an I-MAC for my studio, and am doing all of my recording using GarageBand software. I use a Shure SM-58 for live vocals and a Shure SM-57 and Carvin CM87s Microphone in the studio. For percussion I have a Boss DR550 mkii Drum Machine and a blue tambourine. I think I also have a set of maracas that I picked up in Mexico many moons ago.
And that's how I get my sounds, for better or for worse. The rest of it comes from inside of me !!
Q: What are the rest of Fuzzy Stone up to now ?
A: Mike and Chris continue to work on music together and in their own projects, You can hear some of Mike's work and keep up with the latest from him HERE. John has done some recording too, but hasn't posted any on-line as far as I know, maybe I'll get his permission to post some of it on this site ...He wrote a great song called "Bottom" that I would like to record a version of myself.
Last I heard from Dean, he had moved to Western Michigan and was living in the sticks, working on tunes in his own studio he's set up in a barn or something.
Q: Are these questions really frequently asked ? Or are they just something you've pulled out of your ass ?
A:The answer to your questions (in order): No, and yes.
