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FEATURE STORY FROM THE HILLSBORO ARGUS
Friday, June 05, 2009
By JoAnn Boatwright
"Find what you love and chase it like you would a guy who stole your wallet."
Those words of wisdom are what 27-year-old Chris Marshall of Hillsboro would say to his 17-year-old self if he could.
These days, an older and wiser Marshall is in the chase.
With an eye on a career as a professional singer-songwriter, Marshall is chasing down gigs, chasing sales of self-produced CD, "Oh My Soul," and chasing a dream he's had since he was a boy.
The dream was seeded at a concert by Christian singer, Michael W. Smith, who became Marshall's boyhood idol. After dancing in the aisles, that boy "knew in his heart" that he wanted to perform.
"I owe him - I like that kid - and want to do him right," Marshall said recently over a drink in a Hillsboro coffee shop.
Marshall, a self-confessed ham who loves to perform, has worked his way from a career launched at 13 or 14 when he first sang in church through a brief stint as lead singer in a hard-core punk rock band.
These days, it's country, Americana and folk music for Marshall, along with a full plate of gospel, a taste inherited from his gospel-loving grandfather.
A self-directed music scholar, he's steeped himself in Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Elvis, gleaning the best from the best, he said, and synthesizing it into his own work. "I'm finding my own voice," said Marshall. "When I hear Elvis, something in my soul stirs."
He writes, he said, more from his gut than from his head, but mostly loves performing live so he can connect with his audience.
Marshall grew up on Hillsboro's east side, one of four children of Rich and Sandra Marshall. He's the music director at Faith Center in Hillsboro, where his dad is the pastor, graduated from Century High School and the University of Oregon, and recently completed a teaching internship at Aloha High School and Mountain View Middle School, which earned him a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Pacific University.
He figures teaching (English and social studies) is a good complementary career for a musician who plans to make a name for himself.
During other summers, Marshall has performed on self-created musical tours - mostly in the Pacific Northwest, but also in Nashville - playing in coffee shops, churches and wine bars. In August, he plans to revisit some of those venues with his wife, Cherylen, as well as playing in Denver, San Francisco and Austin, where he has a publicist.
He performed earlier this month in a Hillsboro concert with Anna Gilbert from Nashville, and recently finalized a July 4 appearance at Cooper Mountain Vineyards. He will hold an Aug. 9 release party and concert at the Venetian Theatre in Hillsboro for his next album, "Compelled," engineered by Jason Powers of Type Foundry Studio in Portland.
"To be honest, I hope to be one of the best singer/songwriters of my generation," said Marshall. "I know it will be hard, but I don't place any limitations on myself. I just hope I can convince others to see the vision."
To see and hear more of Chris Marshall, go to myspace.com/chrismarshallmusic.
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