About
CHAPTER
BIOGRAPHY
Known for their elegant and inspired songwriting, Chapter have returned with two releases dripping with quality, craftsmanship and ingenuity.
Hailing from the UK, frontman Alexander J.S. Craker teamed up with his Belgian sidekick Thierry van Osselt to create Chapter in 2003, after having played in various bands such as Knut (Conspiracy Records) or Demilliac (EMI).
In 2004, a first release of Angst-filled songwriting, alternating between slower, reflective parentheses and faster pop-driven escapes, spread across Europe before reaching the shores of America and getting some airplay on student radios.
A second album, released in 2007, earned the band some involvement from a record label and a press agency as well as some distribution in Europe (Rough Trade Records), in Canada and the US (Internet only). The band then toured Europe, delivering spellbinding performances. The band also featured in a rockumentary called “The House on The Hill”, shot in Switzerland by Eloise de Breteuil.
In 2008, Chapter was called upon to take part in the original soundtrack for the international movie «La Mère» by A. Cattin and P. Kostomarov, which received numerous awards (in Buenos Aires, St. Petersburg, Sevilla, Agadir, Nyon, Leipzig).
A third album followed in 2010, while a vinyl EP was also released to general acclaim by a new record label set up by Mama Rosin (a Cajun band currently storming the world, from the BBC radio and the Jools Holland show to worldwide press). The record hit the airwaves, also getting some airplay on US radios, notably in Phoenix, Los Angeles and Portland.
The band has been playing live around Europe and will be travelling to the US in May and June as a duo. A stop in New York will be followed by a West-Coast trip from San Diego to Seattle during the month of May. They will be looking for concerts along the way, so if you feel like you’d like to book some awesome folksy European music, with a tinge of blues and well-digested Americana, please contact us!
Chapter’s live acts have received awesome reviews. The theatrical appeal of front man Alex Craker and his powerful and versatile voice have ripped the hearts of many an audience. Likened to Nick Drake, amongst other great names, the band creates a cosy atmosphere, sitting you down in a worn and comfortable couch to tell you wonderful stories.
RECENT PRESS
Mellow and enchanting, almost classical in its nature, Chapter evokes such names as Bob Dylan, Kings of Convenience, Will Oldham, Nick Drake or even Pinback and perpetuates a tradition of brilliant and essential folk music.
This release is truly an opus. Songs don’t focus on a unique genre line – although they stay predominantly acoustic and gently folk – but show some absolute magic and melancholy, with repetitive guitar riffs that move you to tears. It’s like an old book evoking stories and sad destinies; it’s about music linked with literature – an impossible-to-ignore creative effort. Their compositions are rich and intense: the best vulnerable soundtrack for an Indian summer.
