CHRISTOPHER HOLLAND - biog/discography

Chris took up the piano as a small child growing up in South East London. He started piano lessons aged seven but soon started playing by ear (which was a bit painful at first). He found it more satisfying spending hours on end in his bedroom practicing and recording his first song, ‘It’s Getting Late' when he was just 12.Using a very old reel to reel tape machine and RMI electric piano that was handed down from squeeze. It was around this time in the late 70's that his elder brother Jools would rehearse with Squeeze in their front room. When they all finished and went to the pub he would sneak in and have a play on their instruments, including a brand new polymoog synthesizer that sounded something like a space ship taking off. His twin brother Rich would also jam along on the drums.

By his early teens while still at school he formed his own band B Sharp playing mainly organ and singing, featuring Rich on drums, James Butler (school friend) on bass and Lisa Covington and Lorriette Saunders on guitar and backing vocals who he met at a local party...They made their first TV debut at fifteen years old when they were spotted by Mick Robinson for a new show he was presenting for the BBC. Inspired by 60s/70s singer/songwriters like Randy Newman, Carole King, James Taylor Neil Young and bands like Little feat, Beach Boys, Traffic and The Kinks. He left school at16 to concentrate on the band, touring extensively around the country for a couple of years before being signed to Miles Copeland's IRS Label, releasing a couple of singles While The Goings Good and Tell Me Straight produced by Pascal Gabriel [S-Express, Inspiral carpets, EMF]

In between working on his own music he has continued to tour and record with various other artists including Green On Red, Squeeze, Stereophonics and Paul Weller. As well as regularly playing organ and writing with Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

In 1999 he released his first solo album Cosmic Harmony Companion (on Beautiful Records BT003CD) containing some of his earliest compositions and featuring various guests musicians including Sam Brown, Kim Leslie, Rico Rodriguez, Gilson Lavis and Pino Palladino. This self-financed debut was recorded in-between various tours during 98/99 but with limited funds to promote it confidently slipped into obscurity. A follow up studio album 'Hoopatasso' was released in 2002 in a very limited number of just 250 and was only available at live shows, This served as a taster for Brother sun Sister moon (BT004CD) which was officially released in the summer of 2003 to much critical acclaim, featuring Ash Soan (ex Del Amitri, Faithless) on drums, Lisa Covington [ex B Sharp], Ron Box on guitars, Dave Swift on bass and Sam Brown providing B vocals. This was partly produced with Laurie Latham and Ron Box and has a very uplifting and summery feel about it…

Continuing to tour throughout 2004 with Cosmic Harmony as well as doing various solo acoustic shows and festivals, he spent the summer recording a one off project, A joint collaboration with original B Sharp guitarist Lisa Covington. Featuring 13 original songs and one very early unreleased Squeeze cover, using a wide range of vintage keyboards but with a definite ear to the future Butterfly Effect was released in 2005.

In 2006/7 in between touring Chris has been in the studio putting the finishing touches to his latest album 'Everything you can imagine is real' which is now available from the shop .

Chris Holland Discography

Albums Chris appears on

LISA COVINGTON

Although she plays guitar in Cosmic Harmony, Lisa actually learnt the piano first, playing boogie on an old upright in her uncle's East End pub at the age of 4.  Her hands were too small to play a fast left hand, so she played it two handed while her uncle improvised up the top end.  

After her Mum bought her a cool and groovy red & white guitar for her 6th birthday she proceeded to teach herself guitar with the help of the invaluable Bert Weedon's Play In A Day Book ("I can highly recommend it!")  

She started an all-girl guitar band at the age of 13 with Lorriette Sanders (featured backing vocalist on the new album, Butterfly Effect).  They met Chris & Richard Holland at a party in Blackheath, who then suggested teaming up with their all-boy band.  And thus The B Sharps were formed.  They became the hottest property at local South East London pubs and parties.

Lisa signed to Miles Copeland's IRS Record Label at the age of 19 with the Holland twins and they released two singles (While The Goings Good, Tell Me Straight) as Twinset and The Pearl. As lead singer/guitarist with this band, they toured the UK supporting Squeeze.  Their first single was subsequently featured on the soundtrack to the film 'The Hidden'.

She continued writing songs for Miles' publishing label Bugle Songs long after Twinset split, collaborating at one point with former Go-Go's and Bangles members.  

Lisa got back together with Christopher Holland in 2002 to co-write a couple of songs and play guitar on his Brother sun sister Moon album 

She spent 2003 writing songs for Butterfly Effect. Co-writing and recording with Chris at her new studio during 2004.  And so Cosmic Harmony was born.  The new album was tested out live on the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra tour during the summer of 2004.  More recently, Cosmic Harmony have been touring with former Squeeze frontman Glenn Tilbrook on his acoustic tour of UK.