"You guys @ctconquered is the real deal. This record is blowing my mind!!!" - from Ryan Adams on Twitter
"It’s a little like Freddie Mercury singing selections from David Bowie’s Young Americans and the Rocky Horror soundtrack."
- from a review by Houston Roby on the website, 1 2 3 O'Clock 4 O'Clock Rock
"Singer-songwriter Christopher The Conquered may be one of the most underrated musicians in all of music. His lyrics are from the heart, the instrumentals alternate between beautiful and infectious to hypnotizing and haunting."
- from an interview by Reggie Edwards from the website, The Front Row Report
"Normally if someone tells me this I just assume that they are friends with someone in the band. But because I hold him in such high regard, I took Patrick at his word and I listened to the music with an open mind. And as it turns out, not only was Patrick (Fleming) being one hundred percent sincere, if anything he undersold it. After hearing these songs a couple times, I have to say that Christopher The Conquered, along with his Black Gold Brass Band, should be a lot of people’s favorite band...
"Ford and his band have a 'throw it all against the wall and see what sticks' philosophy. They cover more genres than I can count, often in the same song, but it works. As the leader of the band, Ford reminds me of a couple very well-known and liked artists-Randy Newman and Ben Folds. Newman for the biting social commentary and Folds for the irreverence. He’s never afraid to speak his mind or turn something on it’s head. Writing from the heart is always the best way to go, and on this album Ford does that in spades."
- from a review on the website, Music. Defined.
"Christopher the Conquered is a soulful pianist who performs verbose ballads with a soulful groove. He performs with an authentic, infectious energy equal to the level of openness in his poetic lyricism. Christopher taught himself drums, trumpet, piano and guitar and built his chops performing in a church worship group. He harnessed the emotional-spiritual connection between audience and musician prevalent in this setting to elevate the performance of his own powerful tunes."
- from a feature on the website, Audiotree.tv
"This act channels everything right with retro pop rock. Every song contains a light-hearted and compelling narrative (don’t sleep on “I’m not Famous Yet”, it’s brilliant); every song has a melancholy punch; every song is just plain catchy. The stripped-down use of auxiliary instrumentation... delivers good vibes without being too aurally overbearing. 'In Des Moines, I’ll do whatever I feel like,' Christopher The Conquered mastermind Christopher Ford said regarding the city’s influence. 'The result is that I end up making music that is sincerely me.' Sincerity works for Chris, let’s hope he doesn’t stop using it any time soon."
- from the article, "Des Moines' Retro Pop Scene Will Put You in a Musical Time Machine", by Matthew Leimkuehler on the website, Vice
"Several other blogs and zines have already noted the vocal similarities (in range/delivery) to Jeff Buckley, so we hate to repeat, but, really, if this is your first time reading about Christopher Ford’s music, it’s a quick-yet-effect acquaintance. Those poignant chimes from his piano under his yearning, crackly vocal arches are adorned with jazzy elements like the loungy bass grooves, the swooning winds, the purring brass and the shuffling percussion. His winning charm is subtle and earnestness; if he has to sing a downbeat ballad rife with wary words straight from the heart, he’s going to do it. But if his piano solos are unconventional and his ponderous lyrics seem coy, it’s often downplayed into the decorous blend of instrumentation."
- from the article, "12 Iowa Bands You Should Listen To Now", by Jeff Milo from Paste Magazine
"Even more striking is Christopher’s expressive tenor which covers the vocal ground from gentle whisper to gospel belting — sometimes in the course of one song. He uses this range to both complement and ironically counterpoint the lyrics.
"On his website bio page, Christopher lists his influences, and two of them stick out to me: Randy Newman and John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats). I hear it in the self-deprecating humor; the smart turns of phrase show that even as early as Christopher the Conquered is in his career, he has the chops lyrically as well as musically — making I’m Giving Up on Rock & Roll a rich tapestry of music, vocals and lyrics, one that the listener can wrap themselves in, one that reveals itself in layers on each listen."
- from a review by Micheal Roeder on the website, Little Village
"After ten years of writing, recording, and performing, Ford finally feels like his songwriting has made the proverbial leap. Over those years, Ford has plunged into every corner of the music business with a doggish devotion to the Iowa music scene: recording and performing as his main project Christopher the Conquered; playing in other bands; starting Maximum Ames Records in Ames, Iowa, and learning how to record and produce records; serving on the Des Moines Music Coalition, which aims to build a diverse music community in Des Moines, Iowa.
"Implicit in his resumé is a clear desire to foster and share musical growth, whether it is his or other local artists, with as many ears as possible."
- from the article, "Christopher the Conquered: Memphis, Italy and the Proverbial Leap - Concert Preview", by Andrew Stellmon on the website, Hear Nebraska
Home page:
http://www.christophertheconquered.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/christophertheconquered/
ITunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/christopher-the-conquered/id330669086
To download the whole podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode57/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2057_.mp3
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