A little while ago, I connected with a label called Winding Way Records through my song "Prison Bound Man". They offered me a Master & Synchronization Representative agreement. That means they would be shopping my song to people who are making advertisements, movies, documentaries, television shows. Synchronization is when a song get synced to video. After doing a bit of research on their website to learn a bit more, I set up a Zoom meeting with John and Katie at Winding Way Records, and after the meeting, I patiently and calmly waited to receive their contract while they got things together on their side. By "patiently and calmly" I mean I checked my emails first thing everyday and also as much as I should've been drinking water. (The hold up was because of a pandemic and lockdown, in case you haven't heard that happened). 

Not very long after, we signed by the x's, I sent them my materials, and here's the press release from windingwayrecords.com.

Freezing Fire  •  Timbercreek  •  In Circles  •  Riverbend
Country Roads  •  QEW  •  Love You Anyhow
Moonshine  •  Afraid Of Ghosts  •  Annabella
Wildflowers  •  Still Standing  •  Millionaire
Tiny Dancer  •  Unforgiven
Prison Bound Man  •  One More Shot...

"At the end of the day, Lord, I pray, I have a life that's good."

I've heard it said that people in Nashville don't watch "Nashville". I don't know if that's true or not but I watched the whole series and determined that if it's true, people in Nashville are really missing out! I love the story, I got so attached to the characters the way you do with a show that you submerge yourself in a series, and I loved most of the songs they featured. (*SPOILER ALERT* I also love how the very last scene of the series showed the entire cast and crew on stage at The Ryman, with series creator Callie Khouri thanking viewers and the City of Nashville for a great 6 years making the series. It was very cool to see something like that type of appreciation. *SPOILER ALERT OVER*) I love most songs I hear, but when they're used in a story, I feel that extra connection. This song has been sitting with me a lot lately. Ashley Monroe and Sarah Siskind did a fantastic job writing one of the most humble songs I've ever heard. This week, I'm needing some uplifting songs. I'm sure a lot of people are. This is a great song about home, rather than dreaming about reaching for the stars.

"Gonna take what scares me the most, and turn it into something real."

It's been a while since I've posted anything here. Truth is, I've just figured out how I want to execute this blog and get the most out of it. As I write this, we're in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, I spend most nights not even realizing I haven't gone to bed until the Sun comes up, and I'm riding a pendulum between alright and fucking miserable. Since I posted the news on Facebook and Instagram as it happened, it probably won't be terrible to write about it here, on my actual website. Natalie and I had an amazing baby girl named Annabella on March 14th. Although we were prepared for what was going to eventually happen on March 17th, it was absolutely soul crushing when she passed away. Butch Walker's album, "Afraid of Ghosts" is one of my all-time favourite albums, it also happens to be mostly inspired by his Dad passing away. I can't stop listening and humming the title track, so a few nights ago....well, at about 7am a few mornings ago...I made a cover video.

This is "Afraid of Ghosts" from Butch Walker's album of the same name.

"Days Like This Come Often"

I woke up one morning, full of doubt about my work and my self-worth. I find being creative and constructive always helps me clear the fog from around me. So I started writing what turned out to be this song and posted a video on Facebook. It had a great reception from people who related to the song. My producer Iain McNally, who was working with me on my album "The Moonshine" at the time, thought it would be a great addition to the album, so we decided to add it as the last track. I always thought it would be great to try this concept for a music video, so I took some time to reach out and collect some clips from folks I'm connected with and I'm most happy with the diversity of these signs.
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© 2018 ChevyCat Music
Written by Chris Strei
Music by Chris Strei & Iain McNally

"A smattering of Tragically Hip in there as if they were doing a new country song."
- Big Rude Jake.

I've already done a feature on this song, so this blog post will likely be pretty short. As I mentioned in my earlier post, this is a can't walk away kind of love song. Some people go crazy not being able to get out every weekend or need they're coffee every day or else they can't function. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't play or make music. That's what this song is about. There have been many times when I thought I wanted to give up on music, turns out I just needed a break from music as a business. You can visit my acoustic video if you'd like more of the story.
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© 2018 ChevyCat Music
Written by Chris Strei
Music by Chris Strei & Iain McNally

Chris Strei: Lead Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, High String
Iain McNally: Electric Guitars, Bass, Shaker, Banjo, Tambourine
Rick Roach: Drums, Background Vocals
Jay Riehl: Background Vocals
Janna Leduc: Background Vocals