Chris Cates is a man of many hats in the entertainment industry, but music (writing, producing and performing) is his lifelong pursuit. You will believe that as soon as he picks up his trusty Gibson. Two people or two thousand to play to, it doesn't matter, he lives to make music.
Cates's lastest endeavor draws from his special talent for creation on the grandest scale. "I will write and record a song day and blog about it" he declared on January 1st, 2010 and was off and running; creating the site 365songsfor2010.com to be it's base. Since then he has already released more than a hundred new original songs.
"This task is totally unprecedented in the history of music, mainly because it is the first time the technology has been available to make it all possible". Cates plays guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, mandolin, harmonica and many layered vocal parts on each track, producing them to be radio ready (or close to it).
As Chris says in his mission statement "I'm not going to phone it in... although I may use my iPhone." As for the writing part, Cates remains steady and is consistantly writing his best songs. "I was a prolific writer in my teens and now in my 30's I feel like I've found that same inspiration again. It's very liberating to be able to write any kind of song about any subject and immediately release it to the world."
Making the song a day task even more extreme is the fact that Chris commutes 110 miles a day to drive a truck and pick up curbside recycling throughout Burke and Caldwell counties for his family's Simply Green Recycling service. An endeavor that is literally changing the carbon imprint of entire counties. Along with his brother Bryan and his dad Jim, they have recycled almost 1,000,000 pounds of materials in the last two years. "Some nights it's tough to go out (to the studio) and write and record after an eleven hour day but somehow I keep digging deep and getting it done".
Cates is releasing the greatest hits of 365 Songs for 2010 in volumes. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are now available!
As a long time unabashed independent artist, releasing albums through his own Synergy Shift label, Cates is making big changes to how he sells music in 2010 by making it cheaper to download songs and by selling all cds for $5.
Cates currently resides in Asheville, North Carolina where he tours with his award winning band Chris Cates & the Master Plan, as a solo artist and with his wife, gifted speaker and author Adair Cates.
No stranger to the golf industry, Cates also performs hilarious original 'golf music' from his hit rock n' roll golf comedy cd "Triple Bogey with 17 Holes to Play" at major golfing events around the world.
Recently UNC TV featured Cates and "Carolina Songs" on it's 'Carolina Now' show and Cates has been featured on WBTV, WSPA, Mountain TV Network, WLOS and in many magazines and newspapers across the Carolinas (Chris Cates News & Press) over the last year.
Look for Cates is his band The Master Plan in your town spreading good times and Carolina songs.
Performing with a fluidity that only a band of seasoned musical brothers can, Chris Cates & the MasterPlan thrive on taking you on a musical journey each time they pick up their instruments.
Their ability to connect with the audience and to jump across music genres has always been a trademark with Chris Cates's unique vocals, guitar, harmonica and analog synthesizer, Chris Singleton's bass virtuosity, Jason Peeler's fantastic drumming/vocals, John Kell's brilliant sax/vocals and Tricia Peeler's vocals and percussion.
Chris Cates & the MasterPlan have been together for six years as a collective unit, however, each member has a rich musical history together older than the band itself. For example Cates and Peeler started their music careers together almost 20 years ago as kids and Cates and Kell have toured the world in several bands since 1999.
Chris Singleton, the youngest of the group, made a name for himself as a bass prodigy performing and recording with countless bands before (and since) he and Cates crossed paths. One of the highlights of a Chris Cates & the MastePlan show is the synergy that Singleton and Cates have together.
Live and in concert, the band seamlessly intertwine songs and musical segments that are a celebration of live music itself. Cates's music has always crossed cultural barriers which is why you find the band performing as many private events and weddings these days as they do club gigs and festivals.
A true testiment that good music translates to all audiences.
"Passion & Purpose" is the perfect title for a Chris Cates album because that is exactly how he has lived his life. From a young age Chris was always attracted to music, art and sports and wholeheartedly participated in all three.
As far back as third grade Cates and long time music/business partner Jeramy Lamanno were publishing their own line of comic books and were making primitive music albums on cassette; while Cates was aggressively playing whatever sport was in season.
Several years and many many albums later, Chris Cates is still staying true to his life purpose of entertaining and inspiring others through his music and art.
Cates performs all over the world with his band Chris Cates & the Master Plan and as a solo artist while continuing to create and produce new albums every year in the studio. His latest albums are Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of the greatest hits of his ambitious 365 songs for 2010 project. Each CD features 20 songs and a vast musical range.
Cates's breakthrough album from 2009, 'Carolina Songs', is an emotional and highly musical album of songs inspired by life in the Carolinas. Songs like "Outer Banks" and "Carolina Moon" tug on the heartstrings when Cates isn't taking you on a journey through 'beach music', electric mountain jams or jazzy interludes.
"Carolina Songs" followed a year where Cates and Co. put out two albums. The ultra-rockin "Dead Man's Suit" which features some great songs like 'My Town' and the album "Passion and Purpose" which combines rock n' roll with positive thought affirmations.
When Chris Cates isn't releasing his own records on Synergy Shift Records, he's producing artists in his Mealtime Brown Studios, now located in Asheville, NC. Tim Alimena's "Knock 'em Dread" and Neil Laurence's "Heartstar 7" are a few great full lengths co-produced by Cates.
"Triple Bogey with 17 Holes to Play - The Golf Cd", Cates's music comedy about the trials and tribulations of golf put him squarely in the golf entertainment industry in 2007. This is the best of both worlds for Cates who is a low handicap competitive golfer, "I get to play golf and play music, together!!", exclaims Cates.
It was 'The Golf Cd' that led Cates to join golf radio and TV personality Tom Horan as a regular member of WWNC's "Speaking of Golf" radio show. On the show, Cates joined his wife Adair and the husband wife team of Tom and Mrs. Speaking of Golf to talk about all things golf. From interviewing big name celebrities like Fuzzy Zoeller to commentary, Cates was now in the media industry and even performed at the Carolina's Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Pinehurst which was wonderful personal accomplishment.
No longer on "Speaking of Golf", Cates still freelances about golfing events for newspapers and keeps a running sports blog, while remaining a regular at Member Guests and charity events everywhere performing his golf songs MCing or swing the club. He is also an active member in the Carolina Golf Reporters Association.
CHRIS CATES'S
ROOTS |
Growing up in Morganton, a small town in the foothills of North Carolina provided the perfect inspirational setting for a budding songwriter and Chris Cates took advantage with his many bands (The Seeing Eye Band, The Silver Plated Six Shooters etc.) and talented friends.
At the tender age of 13, Chris started professionally playing music as an entertaining drummer (sometimes using large plastic bones for sticks) before switching to guitar, harmonica and singing.
"I heard Neil Young and realized that guitar was my true calling, then when I saw CopperHead, a local band with a record deal on Mercury Records, I knew it was the end of my drumming days"
Immediately Cates became a prolific song writer, sometimes recording several full length cassette albums in a week with his inventive and imaginative friends Jeramy Lamanno, Greg Beaver and Jason Peeler. Through this time period, when Cates was 15 to 17, he managed to write more than 200 songs and to build a following with his band The Seeing Eye Band, opening doors to help establish Morganton's young music scene.
At Freedom High School, Cates's Mom bribed him with new amps or microphone's to be class president each year and he eventually claimed the Student Body President title senoir year. A position Cates used to declare a school assembly for The Seeing Eye Band to perform a full rock concert.
After high school Chris moved to Boone, attended and graduated from Appalachian State University with an English major and music minor while never stopping a feverish schedule of touring, writing and recording.
Cates cut his teeth as a young troubador playing hundreds of coffee shop style gigs at the BeanStalk, Caribbean Cafe and other venues in the region.
After college, Cates moved to the music rich streets of Athens, Georgia and started his music production business Mealtime Brown. He spent six years doing one service or another for virtually every musician and group (big and small) in the Athens/Atlanta area including artists like DangerMouse, The Drive By Truckers, Randall Bramblett, Kevn Kinney, Widespread Panic, Soundtribe Sector Nine and hundreds more.
During Cates's stay in Athens he toured the world, put out four records under the name PARAKEET NELSON which featured some of the southeast's most talented players like John Wayne Tuggle, Dwayne Wallace, Mike Elam, Seth Hendershot, Gary Hartle, Chris Eckenroth, John Kell, Dave Brockway, Hiro Noodles and Moo Goo Gai Pan.
Cates also produced, photographed, designed and peformed on countless records and played guitar and sang for several other bands while building a name for himself as a songwriter and stage persona. See production credits
On the eve of his departure from Athens in June of 2004, Cates and Parakeet Nelson won Funk Band of the Year for the second year in a row and Album of the Year for "Risky Biscuits" at Athen's annual Flagpole Music Awards, miraculously edging out one of Cates's favorite bands, the Drive By Truckers "Decoration Day".
The mountains were calling again, so Cates moved back to the western North Carolina to set up his new studio complex in Asheville and has had an explosion of creativity as an artist, producer, writer and musician releasing: "Getaway Plans", "...sneak preview", the incredibly successful "Triple Bogey with 17 Holes to Play - The Golf CD", "Dead Man's Suit", "Passion & Purpose", "Carolina Songs", and recently "365 Songs for 2010 - Vol. 1 and 2". 2010 will also mark the re-release of The Seeing Eye Band and Cates's first elecronica album "Tales of the Triton", composed fully on his Korg Triton.
Asheville has also been a great place for Cates to produce other bands, to dabble in modeling (Freds, Double Tree Biltmore, Flamingo Hotel & Casino), to do a bit of movie work and of course to start his new radio/media career on "Speaking of Golf". However, the setting and the climate of Asheville is what has benefited Cates the most.
2008 in general was a very productive year for Cates even though he played a much more limited live schedule on (only performing about 65 shows). The year began with the release of 'Dead Man's Suit,' a fun uptempo rock album by Chris Cates & the MasterPlan. With thoughtful up beat songs and just the right amount of humor, the album really focuses on the band's live sound with lots of guitar & sax solos mixed with Singleton's massive bass riffage. The song "My Town" rivals Cates's immensley popular song "Gasoline" in it's backwoods drama and "Why Not Right Now" may have been the feel good song of the year!
Cates's positive thinking rock album "Passion & Purpose" has also been a huge hit in the self development industry and spirtitual community. It actually landed him onstage performing for several days with Bob Proctor, one of the great speakers of our time and star of the hit movie "The Secret". This album was done in conjunction with Chris's wife, Adair Cates's book 'Live With Intention' which teaches people to become aware of their thoughts and to focus on their goals in different areas of their life. Together Chris and Adair created Synergy Shift, a multi-media company dedicated to inspiring people to live to their lives with passion and purpose.
Another exciting album release Heartstar 7 'The Future is Now" co-produced by Cates and brillant songwriter Neil Laurence was also a musical hightlight of Cates's career. It features incredible songs performed by Laurence on vocals and ukulele with Cates on guitar, keys and piano and the MasterPlan's Chris Singleton on bass. Together the two create a unique new sound with some of the most beautiful music ever recorded. Definitely one of Cates' best performances on piano and guitar.
Also in 2008, Chris Cates & the MasterPlan won the Earthday Asheville Award for best rock band based on an online vote of more than 5400 people. Chris Cates was also featured on WLOS TV , WSPA's 'Your Carolina' and has garnered a lot of press for his rising popularity in the golf world.
See recent news for all the latest.
If that's not enough, Chris also helped launch and create his brother's new recycling company in Morganton, where the two along with dad Jim Cates, and the rest of the family have now saved more than ONE MILLION pounds of recylable materials from the landfill.
Even more studio projects in which Cates has had a hand made it to the market with several more in currently in the works.
2009 looks to be a huge year. "Carolina Songs" is rapidly becoming a hit in the 'beach music' community and Cates is appearing on TV and in the papers more and more each week championing his love for the Carolinas.
This is definitely a 'touring' year again with Cates & the Master Plan playing shows worldwide, performing in virtually every scenario.
The band splits it's dates between club dates, festivals, private and corporate parties and puts a special focus on charity events. Look for their fun genre bending music in your area.
Cates can also be found performing at golf courses around the world " or with his wife Adair Cates at her speaking events.
You can also find Chris Cates performing solo acoustic, having fun and playing songs almost anywhere on the East Coast.