CHRIS BOTTOMLEY
SONGWRITER/MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST/COMPOSER
Contact: crispy@chrisbottomley.com
‘SOMEBODY HELP ME NOW' - ’NEW SINGLE OUT NOW!
“a good & grindy alt rock take on looking for a way out of an accursed head space, from this seminal, multi-genre Toronto artist.”
Earshot Digital Distribution System
Canadian Campus Community Radio
‘Cranked loud on a good stereo, ‘Somebody Help Me Now’ will hit you hard, right in the solar plexus. And if the down and dirty bass and guitar don’t get you, then Perry White’s baritone sax, which enters the fray at the 2 1/2 minute mark, most certainly will.’
Michael Panontin
Canuckistan Music
‘SOMEBODY HELP ME NOW’
DOWNLOAD FOR FREE https://chrisbottomley.com/track/4116548/somebody-help-me-now
- BOTTOMLEY's NEW ALBUM “HI VIBRATIONS VOLUME 1 & 2” AVAILABLE at LINKS BELOW
Hi Vibrations Volume 1 is my tribute to island music and appreciation of roots rock reggae. When the chips are down, reggae music has always spoken to me. These 10 songs were written in February of 2021 at a particularly low point at the start of the pandemic, saving me from a dark spiritual oblivion.
LISTEN & BUY HERE https://chrisbottomley.com/music
Hi Vibrations Volume 2 is a return to my rock roots. I’d been wanting to go there for some time and drummer Bob Scott was urging me to, so most of these songs are influenced by groups I grew up with - The Beatles, The Who etc.”
LISTEN & BUY HERE https://chrisbottomley.com/music
Says Bottomley “I wanted to make a songwriter’s album. It’s a bit different from what I’ve been doing performing with Brainfudge over the years, where we do a lot of extended jams with my songs and take an open approach to most of the arrangements. There's a simplicity in the arrangements and I wrote most of these songs on guitar."
BACKGROUND
The distinctive funk, rock, reggae and jazz stylings of bassist, percussionist, singer and songwriter Chris Bottomley have been vibrating through Canadian music lovers for over 40 years.
Bottomley first burst onto the Canadian music scene in the mid-80s with his post-punk rock band Tulpa , who he formed with his brother John on guitar & vocals and drummer Mike Severin. Legendary New York City club CBGB's owner Hilly Kristol described Tulpa as “one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen.” Along with exposure by Daniel Richler on The New Music, Tulpa’s 1985 debut album Mosaic Fish earned the band touring dates, radio and video play, and media attention all across Canada and in 1988, they opened for punk-funk idols Living Color.
In the 90s, Bottomley was inspired by the fast-growing funk and groove scene in Toronto and started the Brainfudge collective that continues to this day.
Currently including Great Bob Scott (drums), Donne Roberts (African Guitar Summit, guitar) Richard Underhill and Perry White (The Shuffle Demons, saxophones), Brainfudge’s illustrious alumni list includes a who’s who of top Toronto players such as Howie Beck (Mixed Feist, Communism, Buffy St-Marie) Odel Johnson (Messenjah, Mikey Dread), the late James Gray (Blue Rodeo), Eric St. Laurent, Bryden Baird (Feist) and many more. “The Fudge” lay Bottomley’s signature rock, Afrolatin and reggae-infused funk grooves thick and heavy, performing regularly at music clubs, festivals, and private events across Ontario. They’ve shared the stage with the likes of Adrian Belew, Grupo Fantasma, and Souljazz Orchestra.
With Brainfudge, Bottomley has released four full-length records --1995’s self-titled debut ‘Brainfudge’, The internationally-acclaimed ‘Knotty Bits’ (2003) which won a Unisong International Song Competition grand prize in the world-reggae category for ‘Belize City Bakin’ , the 2006 double instrumental album ‘Cerebral Lubrication’ which received airplay worldwide, and the expansive 'Bright Eye Day’ released in 2014.
In 2020 he released a single - ‘Lonely Days’ co-written with Russ Goozee. The following year 2021, he released ‘Brainfudge - Live at Supermarket 2007’ followed by two more singles - Summer (2022) and ‘Pull It Together’ with guest singer Kathryn Rose (2023). His new 24 song double album ‘Hi Vibrations Vol 1 & 2’ release date is late January 2025.
Over the years, he has played and collaborated with musicians such as Look People, Rich Underhill’s Funk Explosion, Donne Roberts, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Wayne Lavallee, John Bottomley, The Kensington Horns, Asani, Andru Branch & Halfway Tree, House of David Gang, Abjeez (Sweden), Eccodek, Ainike, Boogiewall Sound System and Vancouver's Mofunk Collective.
His songs ‘Seize The Day’, ‘African Head Dub’, ‘Brazilian Thunder Throb’ and ‘A Better Day Will Come’ have been placed in feature films and documentaries.
"True to his reputation as one of the Big Smoke's best bass thumpers” - NOW Magazine
AWARDS
2013 - Recipient of Ontario Arts Council Popular Music Grant
2012 - Recipient of Toronto Arts Council Composition Grant
2005 - Unisong International Song Contest - 2nd place award for ‘Belize City Bakin’ (World/Reggae)
2005 - Unisong International Song Contest - Top 20 Finalist - ‘Where Our Hearts Belong’ (Social/Political )