Thought-provoking and epic: the modern sound and poignant lyrics of Chris and Conrad [Chris Kuti and Conrad Johnson] will push your heart to desire a closer relationship with our Savior and inspire you to return the worship that is due to the Kind of Kings.
Influenced by Jars of Clay, David Crowder and Lifehouse, Chris and Conrad also pull from the ranks of yesterday’s mainstream hit makers such as Chicago, The Police and U2. Not to limit their music to these influences, Chris and Conrad encourage and insist on working with a multitude of other writers in generating new ideas. The debut benefits from co-writes by some of the industry’s most successful talents: Sam Mizell (who co-wrote 2008’s most played song “You Are Everything”), Ian Eskelin (Francesca Battistelli), Andrew Osenga (Chris Tomlin), Doug McKelvey (Switchfoot), and Clint Lagerberg (Point of Grace).
One other important co-writer on their debut is Big Daddy Weave front-man Mike Weaver who brought his insight to the song “Who I Really Am” and had this to say about the ministry of Chris and Conrad; “Over the past couple of years I've become a huge fan of these guys... I've considered it a privilege getting to know them. They are such strong song writers and worship leaders to be so young!”
“Writing for us consists of a multitude of, what we like to term, hook ideas, which come to our minds as we’re driving around town”, says Kuti. “We typically have to record them onto our iPhones before we forget them. These ideas might not even have a subject topic, but they give us something to bring into a writing session, a conversation starter so to speak. Often times these collections of hooks and ideas turn into a single song, which is never a bad thing in our opinion.”
And their new project is not the only beneficiary of these ideas hastily saved for another day, Chris wrote “We Want The World To Hear” on the current Big Daddy Weave album “What Life Would Be Like.”
Their heart for artistry doesn’t stop with the songs they craft but also the soundscape they create. “Production is a big thing for us”, says Johnson. “In a market that is so saturated with great sounding bands both from a production and live perspective, it’s up to us and the producers that we worked with on this project (David Garcia, Greg Hill, Roy Mitchell-Cardenas) to bring a fresh sound to every song. This often means pushing the envelope with tones and textures that resonate with the current culture.”
In addition to their own music, Chris and Conrad stay busy recording and producing other artists in their Lakeland, Florida compound - Inertia Sound Studios. They currently serve as worship leaders in their respective churches. Chris also founded and leads the heavily attended Late Night outreach to Florida Southern University.
The 2009 Chris and Conrad tour with worship leader Ricardo Sanchez is sponsored by Teen Challenge.
The Chris and Conrad debut album will be released to retail on May 5th, 2009 by VSR Music Group and will be distributed by EMI CMG.
Band Members
Chris Kuti, Conrad Johnson
Influences
Switchfoot, Lifehouse, The Fray, U2
Other Artists
Bebo Norman, Lifehouse, Switchfoot, w
Website
www.chrisandconrad.com
