Chris Egan aka The Salesman is a singer/songwriter from Newport, KY. Egan is the only official member and the project relies on collaboration from other local musicians (although Egan writes all of the songs). We sat down with The Salesman to get some background. Make sure to read all the way until the end…he is offering Free Music for readers of CincyMusic.com!
Give us some background on The Salesman….
The Salesman is my newest musical project but in many ways, I’ve been working on it for the past decade. Some of the songs being released were written 5 or more years ago. I’m just finally organizing it and putting it all out there. I just released my first EP, titled The Year Was 2015. I’ll have some more music coming out later this month.
Musicians always get the question, “Oh you’re in a band. What kind of music do you play?”
My go to answer for this project has been, “Well, if the Ghostbusters quit ghost-busting and started a band, it would sound like The Salesman... With Egon on vocals of course.” It’s a completely meaningless answer but it gets people’s attention and I think it’s funny. In reality, the songs blur the lines between folk, alternative, and rock. I play guitar, sing, and also play some synthesizers on a few tunes. When a song calls for an instrument that I don’t play I invite other musician friends over to lend their talents.
You have an interesting approach on your band. What made you decide to be the only official member?
It wasn’t really a conscious decision; it’s just the way that works for me. I work better on my own. But, I don’t want to discount the people that have added to this project: Daniel Walton, who is also in local band Near Earth Objects, plays cello on several tracks and hopefully more in the future. And guitarist Jake Adams, whom I’ve played music with for years, plays on some of the songs. Both of these guys are incredibly talented and the stuff they add really brings some of my songs alive. Ultimately, collaboration will play a big role in this project. I plan on bringing on a lot of different musicians to add to my songs.
How did you determine your band name?
Well, I am a salesman. I work in the moving and storage industry and sell moving services by day. I wanted to call this project something common yet interesting and I think “The Salesman” fits that bill and has a bit of a mysterious sound to it when applied as a band name. It does to me at least.
What is next for The Salesman?
Next for the Salesman is lots of music. I have committed publicly to release one or two new songs every month, and that’s in addition to one or two albums per year. There are no more hurdles to jump over when it comes to distribution in the music industry. The challenge today is standing out and building a fan base. I think by releasing quality music regularly, a band can stay relevant and on top of their fans minds. When a band releases one album every year or two, it’s easy to be forgotten because there really is so much good music out there. I want to make good music and get it to the fans as often as possible.
I also wanted to share:
Exclusively for readers of CincyMusic.com, they can go to this URL and download our debut EP for free! http://www.thesalesmanmusic.com/cincymusic
