1. Mustard heard about the fable of Shannon Cable. Could you give more detail about this fable?
That was a zero budget feature my film friends made in Oklahoma. I played Shannon, a high school student house-sitting a haunted house for her neighbors. It’s a pretty wacky movie, a mix of comedy, horror and also a musical. It took like two years to make. We would film on weekends and during the summer.
2. Could you further elaborate about what the hell was that?
That’s a song I wrote after I got ghosted. I was having dreams about stories the person would tell me, a lot of them set in Costa Rica. The song is kind of a mix of scene descriptions from real life and dreams.
3. Earlier this year you released “cherry stems.” What role do cherry stems play on this EP? How have you grown as an artist on this EP compared to your first, “CINEMATIX?”
The opening track was a project I started a long time ago when I was in an Ableton music production course. I shelved it for years but it would pop into my head at times. It was unnamed, but the song references the scent of cherry and I literally had the “stem” files of the track sitting on my computer, so it’s a very literal title.
All of the tracks on the EP are quite old, I had released two of them in other capacities on SoundCloud. I noticed I still had a few listeners on Spotify last December from Cinematix, so I figured why not release these tracks just sitting on my computer so someone could enjoy them.
It was more of a clearing of the slate from the same “era” as Cinematix, and I’m hoping to get back into songwriting and new projects now that I’ve relocated to LA.
4. Describe your creative process.
For the music I’ve released, I compose almost everything on guitar and then work on building up the demo with my friend/producer AJ Katsinas, who is so talented. He has really helped turn my songs into works I can be proud of.
5. What music does Christopher have on his playlist?
I think just that sad generic instrumental song from the videos is on loop forever. Out of guilt.
6. Mustard wonders if you are from a musical or artistic family?
My dad plays guitar, but otherwise not really.
7. How has TikTok helped you as an artist? What advice would you give musicians looking to join the platform?
TikTok has helped me more with my comedy content. I haven’t been able to figure out the music side quite as easily. I would definitely say try it out. I don’t know what strategies work with music as well as with comedy content, but you never know when some idea you have might blow up. Always good to have your music out there and accessible.
8. If you were an instrument, what would you be and why?
Probably a flute or a harp. I love the use of harps in pop music (Florence + The Machine) and high, plucky, magical sounds in general.
9. Cinderella versus Christopher’s Dead Wife versus Nurse Sue. Who wins in a battle? Which role is the most challenging to play?
Dead Wife destroys both of them, but Cinderella (Into The Woods) requires a lot of vocal stamina so I’ll go with her.
10. Mustard would like to hear about your best/and worst performance.
It’s hard to remember specific performances, especially with my music. I usually just did acoustic stuff on my own, which could go fine or rough. I had a few full shows with a band that were pretty fun. But most of my stage experience has been comedy, I had some really fun shows at the improv theatres in Chicago. I had a two-woman show called Shitty Bitches and our Christmas shows were great.
11. Who or what inspires you to create music?
Usually negative events in my life inspire me to cope through writing. I do have some happy songs, but nothing makes me feel musical like getting screwed over by a mediocre dude I was barely dating. I’m partially kidding.
12. Mustard wonders what musician inspires you the most.
Kimbra is one of my favorites, and in my opinion probably the most underrated musician I can think of. She’s like a production genius, super experimental with genre. She reminds me of Michael Jackson/Prince. Also Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die” era is musical perfection in my opinion.
13. How do you balance creating content, music, and acting?
I don’t (:
14. Do you have any projects that you would like to promote?
Just my TikTok at the moment. Give me 6 months in LA, hopefully I’ll have something more exciting to plug!
Music Shelf With Mustard 