Chris O’Brien’s upbringing could hardly be classified as typical. O’Brien was raised in Western Massachusetts. He is the son of two women. As the cliche goes “It takes a village to raise a child.” That’s exactly what O’Brien got, a village of talented and supportive people, mostly women, who raised him. Music was an important part of his life from the beginning but it wasn’t until summer camp, when O’Brien was 14, that he discovered his love for the guitar and songwriting. At 21 his passion for performing pushed him to join the renowned Boston music scene, where he met and befriended musicians such as Ellis Paul, Antje Duvekot and Meg Hutchinson.

Chris O’Brien has made quite a name for himself in Boston’s competitive music scene and it didn’t take long for the rest of New England to catch on. Within three years O’Brien made a splash nationally after being chosen from a pool of nearly 1,000 contestants to appear on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion". The following week, Lighthouse became a bestselling singer/songwriter album on iTunes, peaking at #5. The album was also featured on iTunes “Best Albums of 2007” compilation. An added bonus: Actress Cobie Smulders (of How I Met Your Mother) included O’Brien’s song “Ocean Stone” on her iTunes celebrity playlist. O’Brien was nominated for a coveted Boston Music Award as well as being named WUMB’s “New Artist of the Year”. A captivating and engaging performer, O’Brien’s youth belies his maturity as a songwriter and vocalist.

2010 brings us Little Red, a collection of songs about introspection, which represents O’Brien’s growth as a songwriter. “I wanted to confront my boundries as a writer through honesty and self exploration. I’ve already felt the rewards of that honesty in the reactions I’ve gotten from people after hearing these songs. The challenge has proven to be more than worth it” Produced by Zachariah Hickman (Josh Ritter, Lori McKenna) Little Red is a testament to O’Brien’s evolution as a first-rate singer/songwriter. 

The album starts off with the melodic song “Carnival”, which in itself feels like a carnival ride. The song explores the difficulties of knowing when to let go while feeling like the last person willing to hold on. A perfect example of O’Brien’s exploration into his inner demons. The last song on the record is another good example. “Blood Like Yours” has caused quite a stir at O’Brien’s live performances. The song deals with his relationship with his Father, who has battled severe substance abuse, and the parallels and fears this evokes in himself. This is, by far, the most powerful song on the record.A born performer, O’Brien is on the road for most of the year, headlining in clubs from the East coast to the West coast. He’s regularly featured as a headliner at Cambridge’s legendary Club Passim and the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California as well as the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. He’s performed at many of the country’s finest festivals including the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and has been invited to open for some of the finest songwriters in the country, including Ellis Paul, Antje Duvekot, David Wilcox, Richard Shindell and Cheryl Wheeler. Chris has plans to put together his first European tour in the fall of 2010.