Poised in the drivers seat, Chris Greenwood watches the world fly by and sees a
thousand faces between the blur of brake lights and highway signs. With each
stop it's a new stage, an electrifying show, and a heightened desire to activate
something within the hearts of those on the receiving end of the microphone.
This is the mission, connect the dots one by one and set the world in motion.
Each night is a small spark, but one thing Greenwood has learned in his seven
year's under the moniker “Manafest” is that small sparks can ignite wildfires.
Following on the heels of the internationally acclaimed Glory, Manafest returns
with a new mindset, refreshed style and a powerful arsenal of songs aptly
titled, Citizens Activ. “The record is about people taking action in their own lives.
We need to be inspired and active in chasing our dreams”. Coming from humble
beginnings Manafest has learned this lesson first hand, dramatically increasing
record sales 5x over with the release of Glory. It's the same unrelenting desire
and refusal of stagnancy that inspired his message in Citizens Activ. “On this
album I really worked hard at connecting my music with the emotions of people.
I've learned to take real life experiences and have tried to create songs that paint
realistic and common themes of people. I want the listener to feel like it's them in
the song.”
Manafest teamed up again with renowned chameleon producer Adam Messinger
(New Kids on the Block, Eva Avila) to bring Citizens Activ to life. The result:
eleven skillfully designed tracks, bursting with raw emotion and flawless
production. “This is definitely my most commercially appealing record', says
Manafest. 'I've been listening to a lot of diverse music, which has definitely been
an influence. On this record you'll find a mix of pop, rap, rock and gospel flavors.
The first single of the record is the dynamically rock infused “So Beautiful”. The
song conveys a message of hope over blistering guitar lines and tag-teamed
vocals (featuring Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch). “The song speaks
of the struggle and hard work you put into something, and getting to finally see
the beautiful outcome. A lot of times you need to look inward to see the big
picture.” In addition to arena-crushing rock tunes, Manafest has certainly not
neglected his hip-hop roots. From the opening track “4321” to the club anthem
“Top of The World”, Greenwood has left no stone left unturned, truly crafting a
genre spanning record to unite the masses.
If you've spent any time with this sojourner, or his records, you will quickly
discover that in addition to writing heartfelt tales of truth, he also has the ability to
tastefully capture the lighter side of life. On “Break Up” Manafest paints a jovial
picture of how communication lines between men and women can easily get
crossed. “Nobody likes breakups, and it's crazy when you look back at some of
the things people fight about”. It's the great attention to the detail of our
idiosyncrasies and struggles, as well as our triumphs that makes this record a
complete portrait of the human condition.
Armed with Citizens Activ in hand, Manafest plans to cover coast-to-coast, and
nation-to-nation in 2008 with USA, Canada, Denmark, U.K, Ireland, Sweden and
Japan all on the target list With a very promising schedule looking forward, one
cannot ignore a very impressive tour history. Manafest has shared the stage with
a very respectable handful of artists including Stellar Kart, Thousand Foot Krutch,
Seventh Day Slumber, LA Symphony, Grits, DJ Maj.
Given the right conditions a fire is easy to start. It takes time, patience and
experience. With Citizens Activ, the groundwork has been laid and the tools have
been created… now its time for the vision to be realized. “My goal is to hear one
thousand stories from kids saying that this record sparked a change in their life.”
On June 24th, Manafest will strike his microphone to the flint and watch the
hearts of the world ignite.
Waddup... page layout looks dope, Mana. did the wifey help? Say hi to her for me. Love the fact that you are everywhere... keep up the hustle. Hope to bring you back to the QC in the next year.
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