1. You have been releasing music for almost 15 years (first EP came out in 2001) which feels like a lifetime in the music business and I'm wondering what have been the challenges over the years? Is it getting easier?
Chris Pureka: Yeah, I got an early start! I was 21 when I went on my first big tour. After 15 years, some things have gotten easier: getting the swing of things, knowing all the ins and outs of how it all works, knowing what to bring on tour and how to stay healthy on the road; all the things you pick up along the way. And definitely other things have gotten harder. As I get older, I don’t want to be on the road quite as much. I want to be able to keep up relationships and my garden and be able to be a part of a home community. So there needs to be a balance. And it is definitely not easier to write songs. That has always been and remains an elusive mystery.
2. Why did you choose Portland, OR over our lovely city to live in? What's your beef with Seattle?
CP: For me, the thing with cities is that I don’t really like them. So the less of a city the city is, the more I like it. Portland is a lot smaller than Seattle and I like that about it. I like all the little neighborhoods and that you can have a house and a garden and still be close to everything. Seattle is a great place too and I love visiting it.
3. On your social feeds you have been sharing some studio & music video updates - what new stuff is in the pipeline?
CP: YEAH! I am in the studio these days recording my 4th studio record. I recorded a few songs in LA with my band down there and I am doing the rest here in Portland. I have a tour coming up soon, so that will put things on pause and then I will resume in mid May. Related, I am working with a friend on a new music video for one of the band songs.
4. Why were you looking for more intimate venues on this tour? Has the appeal of a house show tour ever something you would do?
CP: I like to mix things up on different tours. For my sake and for the sake of my fans, I try to maintain some variety. Some tours are band tours and I want to play bigger louder rooms, while some tours are more stripped down and I am more interested in directly connecting with my fans and having more intimate shows. This time around, the Northwest shows will be band shows and the Midwest tour will be mostly duo so I tried to find venues that would suit those arrangements. I have played house concerts here and there in the past and I would consider doing a house concert tour sometime.
5. Favorite places in Seattle that you always hit when in town?
CP: I really love Seattle. I like to walk around Capitol Hill – I like Oddfellows and there is great veggie pho on Broadway that I usually hit up. And I really like to go to Pike Place Market if I have time. Even though I live super close now, I haven’t been up to Seattle in a year and half so I am really looking forward to this week.
6. What are you listening to? Is there a new/old artist we should get to know?
CP: I’ve been listening to a lot of old R.E.M. lately – especially New Adventures in HiFi and Out of Time. For newer stuff, I love and recommend the latest Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s record, Slingshot to Heaven. Also, I just picked up the new Damien Rice and I am getting into that one.
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