We were lucky to catch up with Chris Lorraine recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

It’s funny how people can get the wrong idea about you, especially in a place like Hollywood. People who only ever saw me during shows or events have this totally wild perception of me which isn’t even close to how I actually am. It drives me crazy and I deal with it constantly. They think I’m this wild, out of my mind, self destructive person and I really don’t see myself that way at all. I see myself as a gentle, sensitive, thoughtful person. Those who know me well would probably tell you the same. I do think maybe I sometimes subconsciously play into it cause it’s so easy to when everyone already sees you that way.

It’s funny how one picture, one crazy story, or one broken arm falling off stage at the Whisky A Go-Go can completely shape how people see you. Everyone in the scene now thinks I’m some kind of mad man who purposefully breaks his bones on stage. That’s how out of hand it’s gotten. I even heard this one story about how I apparently sleep hanging upside down. I don’t know where this shit comes from.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started playing music as a kid in Palmer, Alaska, where the options for entertainment were pretty limited. All there was to do was hunt moose & drink beer. So, when I was about 12 years old I decided to pick up the guitar. I spent the next 10 years practicing usually around 5-8 hours a day when I could. Sometimes more. I did this for years. Practicing, playing in bands, all that. I decided to drive down to L.A in 2018 to pursue music and see what happened. It’s basically the real life Jonny B. Goode story. I was always sort of longing for something more in life. I didn’t want to go down the typical path my friends were taking – college, work, marriage, and routine lives. The most important thing, in my mind, that a young person could ever possibly do is to identify what they’re inherently good at & then build a career around it. For me, that was Rock music. So, I did it and didn’t ever let anyone tell me I couldn’t. There was always something inside me that just pulled me to do all this. I can’t quite explain what it was and haven’t put much thought into it. I just have always followed my own truth in everything I do. Im worried that if I think too much about it, it’ll pull me out of my own trip so I try to just let it ride and do what I do.

I wanted to breathe new life into the classic rock sound for a new generation of music listeners. That’s what sets Chris Lorraine apart from other rock bands nowadays. I don’t just follow the formulas from the past like most of the “rock bands” emerging now are doing. All I’ve ever wanted to do was find my own voice within the genre. At the end of the day, Rock n’ Roll is about freedom & rebellion and I think my music does a pretty good job in reflecting that. As does my lifestyle I suppose. You gotta break the mold of you wanna rock n’ roll. Not follow the pack.

Since arriving in Los Angeles, I’ve gone from broke & homeless to performing at legendary venues like The Whisky A Go-Go, touring with members of Suicidal Tendencies, playing on the 2022 Kiss Kruise with with bands like Green Jelly, Dokken, L.A Guns, Warrant, and Kiss, helped create/run a live show on Hollywood Blvrd. that featured rock bands from all around L.A and the rest of the country, recorded and released my first solo album, “ApocL.Aypse,” traveled to Europe to promote my music, and hung out with some of the biggest names in music. It’s been a hell of a ride so far! I’ve learned and experienced so much over the past few years and am excited for what the future holds! Currently hard at work on another album. So get ready for that.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

If there’s one thing I aim to achieve through my music, it’s to inspire people to grab life by the horns and follow their own inner calling. I hope I can inspire kids to pick up guitars and start bands of their own as well just like I did growing up when I had nothing else. Music, in my eyes, is the greatest unifier in this world. I want everyone to experience that sense of togetherness. I do what I do to inspire people and express myself. Playing music live, to me, is the ultimate form of self expression. I view my music as the soundtrack to that moment when life takes an unexpected turn, when you embark on a thrilling adventure, and everything changes forever. I believe it’s something everyone wants to experience. The whole vibe of the music is like being on “the edge of glory”. Highway tenacity. It’s all about speeding down the highway at 150mph, headed to some unknown destination, in the prime of your youth, with nothing but endless possibilities and adventure up ahead.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Support you local band’s. Buy their T-Shirts, their CD’s, pay to download their music if they have options online for you to do so, donate to their fundraisers, post about them on your social media accounts, and buy their tickets so they can continue to make the music you love. Give the same support to those playing backyard parties as you would to those playing sold out stadiums.

Contact Info:

• Website: chrislorraine.net
• Instagram: @chrislorrainesapocl.aypse
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lorraine-a15b2216b
• Youtube: @chrislorraine

Image Credits
Petra J. Photography