“Chris McCooey can surely write a song. He can also hold an audience. In the EP Better Days, McCooey, aligned with a pair of seasoned musicians in Max Butler (guitar) and multi-instrumentalist Thomas deBourbon, inject the culture, tones and aspirations of The Bay Area. California’s sound, which can range from The Beach Boys’ summer-sun-kissed-pop harmonies to the fullness and jamming of the Grateful Dead, as well as the punk all stars in Green Day (think “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”, somehow melts its way into the stylings on Better Days. McCooey reminds the listener of the world’s beauty, as well as its human anxieties. He makes it sound so easy and you want to keep revisiting these open-diary entries. All six of them. ” - Mindy McCall

— https://indiepulsemusic.com/

Bay Area Americana Musician To Release New Single & Album

Chris McCooey Will Release His Newest Single, “Just Like You,” in November 2022 Prior To The Record, “Missing Pieces,” To Be Released in December 2022

Nov. 21, 2022 – Singer-songwriter Chris McCooey, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is excited to announce the release of “Just Like You,” on November 25th, the lead single on the record “Missing Pieces” which will make its official debut on December 23rd, 2022. 

Chris McCooey is truly a musical product of his California roots. Inspired by the grooves, twang, soul, and rock n’ roll music he was raised on, Chris has converged the sounds of his upbringing with the lyrical narratives of love, loss, hope, and suffering to cultivate a style that modernizes and deepens the California sound.

Following the successful release of his 2021 EP “Better Days,” on which McCooey collaborated with long-time musical partner and producer Max Butler, “Just Like You” follows Chris McCooey’s unique Americana sound and musical storytelling abilities as it references the struggle to overcome trauma that shapes our identities. 

McCooey said, “Musically and thematically, the song looks to Roy Orbison as inspiration for its dark, complicated themes around love and relationships and its sweeping, cinematic arrangement that features a string quartet.” 

As the song progresses through lyrics that suggest the pain of a broken or lost relationship, percussive beats juxtapose with sad yet hopeful violin notes to create a poignant image of looking back on one’s life to find closure.

“Want you to know I’ve made my peace, 

I forgave a long time ago

This letter don't reflect my pain

It's just a child's need to know

'Cause, all I really want is to know just who you are

'Cause I've been wondering all my life if I am just like you”

Watch McCooey perform “Just Like You” in the music video produced with MG Media Creative and follow along with his music on chrismccooey.com, Apple Music, or Spotify.

Written, recorded, and produced in and around Oakland, California by Chris McCooey & Max Butler, “Just Like You” credits Jackson Felton (percussion), Nat Butler (violin and bass), Ariel Wang (violin), Stephanie Railsback (viola), and Lewis Patzner (cello). In addition to his writing and producing credits, Butler is also credited with the electric guitars and synth glockenspiel recording. 

For more information and press inquiries, contact Chris McCooey at chris@chrismccooey.com

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Chris McCooey: Singer, Songwriter

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris McCooey is a singer-songwriter and producer who discovered his love of music as an 8th-grade boy starting his first band. The passion he’d uncovered early on in life led him to perform at haunts throughout Oakland & Berkeley where he began to form his unique sound.

Since 2018, Chris and his longtime, multi-instrumentalist friend, Max Butler, have written, produced, and recorded two EPs, 2020’s “Lovers and Cynics” and 2021’s “Better Days,” both of which maintain Chris’ Americana sound & deep lyrical storytelling.

Drawing heavily on his Bay Area roots and the grooves, twang, soul, and rock n’ roll he was raised on, Chris has cultivated a style that converges his rustic vocals and heartfelt lyrics with poignant yet upbeat Americana sounds.

Of the 2021 album, “Better Days,” Mob Angeles author Michael Rand said, “These aren’t passerby songs. Intoxicating guitar melodies and riffs, along with the breezy drums, the songs on Better Days are just what the day calls for and the doctor ordered. “

In late 2022, Chris and Max Butler released his 3rd EP, “Missing Pieces,” featuring the November 2022 lead single “Just Like You” which is inspired by the struggle to overcome the trauma that shapes identities.

Reflecting upon his music, McCooey says, “I hope my time this side of eternity counts for something, and I can leave something behind that matters or means something to somebody.”

Chris McCooey’s collective works are now available on all streaming platforms. Following a record release event for the new EP in January, Chris plans to share his music at live performances in the spring and summer of 2023

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