Photo by Lee Rayment Photography
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Norwood
The “acoustic rock” of Norwood is an infectious
“modern folk” take on the typical
folk music sound.
With relatable, nuanced lyrics, and a
strong violin element, eponymous frontman
Chris Norwood explained their
sound: “It’s got the rough-around-theedges
quality of folk music with the intensity
and focus of rock music. If the band’s
sound is a Hostess cupcake, the folk and
rock parts are the actual cake. Then I liken
adding the violin as the graceful ribbon
of cream running up the center.”
Norwood is the band’s lyricist, singer
and lead guitar player, and his pretty and
poetic songs come with strong, positive
messages.
“This band is all about encouraging
folks to not be afraid or ashamed of who
they are,” he explained. “I write songs as
gifts for people. So I try not to muddy the
words up at live shows, and the music that
the rest of the band makes to accompany
those words is always written to serve the
message. We play really well together,
which is more uncommon than you might
think.”
Norwood began playing music in the
Astoria music scene the old-fashioned
way, through open mic nights at the
usual suspects, beginning at The Quays
in 2015.
“No matter what you’re making, the
people here in Astoria will come see you
do it and cheer you on the whole way,” he
said. “And I’m sure we inspire each other
in ways we don’t even notice. Having an
artistic community like that makes everybody
a little more ballsy, which is always
a good thing.”
The band’s lineup consists of old
friends and new ones.
“I’ve known Keith Michael Pinault (bass)
and Hannah Fairchild (singer) through day
jobs in NYC, and I met Max Maples (drums)
and Hajnal Pivnick (violin) through mutual
friends when I put a Facebook message out
saying I was looking for collaborators,” he
said. “What brought us all together are the
songs. I’m pretty lucky in that way.”
Norwood said that he has learned to
be fearless from being part of the Astoria
music scene:
“Don’t be afraid. Of anything,” he said.
“Fear is a completely useless thing. Be
aware. Be prepared. But don’t be afraid.”
HTTP://WWW.CDBABY.COM/CD/
NORWOODNYC
INSTAGRAM: @NORWOODBAND
FACEBOOK PAGE:
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NORWOODTUNES
Photo by Nonlinear Knitting
Photo by Miguel Hernandez
