Christopher Ryan Walla (born November 2, 1975) is an American musician,

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (ke ...

Musical career

Early bands

While at Bothell High School in the early 1990s, Walla started a program called Open Microphone with creative writing teacher Laura Drumheller, as a noon-time forum for the arts, which allowed any student to take the stage and perform. Walla regularly performed at these shows, as well as serving as MC. One performance by Walla included a song by

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

. These early Open Microphone shows proved popular and continued for over twenty years, moving from Bothell High School to Inglemoor High School when teacher Drumheller transferred there. Walla was in a short-lived band called The Wallflowers (not to be confused with

The Wallflowers The Wallflowers is an American rock solo project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan. The Wallflowers were originally a roots rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1989 by Dylan and guitarist Tobi Miller. The band ...

of California). Later, in 2001, he was an early member of the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

band The Long Winters.

Death Cab for Cutie

Walla joined

in 1997, while attending Western Washington University in

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (loc ...

. Eventually releasing seven albums, four EPs and two live EPs with the band, he co-wrote many of their hit songs, including "

Title and Registration "Title and Registration" is a song by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, the third single from their fourth studio album, ''Transatlanticism''. It was officially released in 2004, as an internet-only single that could be streamed through the b ...

" and " I Will Possess Your Heart". On August 13, 2014, after 17 years with Death Cab for Cutie, Chris Walla decided to part ways with the band, stating that he plans to "...continue making music, producing records, and erring on the side of benevolence and beauty whenever possible." Walla's last performance with the band occurred on September 13, 2014 at the

Rifflandia Music Festival Rifflandia Music Festival is a four-day multi-venue music festival held at the Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, British Columbia. With no fixed date, the festival has occurred in the month-long span between the last weekend of August and the last ...

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

Solo projects

Walla has recorded a variety of solo material and released his debut solo album, '' Field Manual'', in 2008 on

Barsuk Records Barsuk Records ( ) is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington, that was founded by the members of the band This Busy Monster, Christopher Possanza and Josh Rosenfeld, in 1998 to release their band's material. Its logo is a drawi ...

. The song "Sing Again" became available for free download from Barsuk's website. Before the release of ''Field Manual'', it was reported that two tracks recorded for Death Cab for Cutie's 2005 album, '' Plans'', would be featured, but this is unconfirmed. Some of Walla's solo work has been released using the name Martin Youth Auxiliary, such as a cassette was released in 1999 on Elsinor Records. A solo instrumental album, titled ''Tape Loops'', was released on October 16, 2015.

Production

In addition to being a musician Walla has a long career as a producer, earning production, engineering, and mixing credits on over thirty albums and EPs. His first credit was as the producer for Death Cab for Cutie's debut album, ''

Something About Airplanes ''Something About Airplanes'' is the debut studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released August 18, 1998 on Barsuk Records Barsuk Records ( ) is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington, that was founded by the ...

'', released in 1998. Walla has produced all releases by Death Cab for Cutie to date, with the exceptions of Thank You For Today, Kintsugi and 1997's ''

You Can Play These Songs with Chords ''You Can Play These Songs with Chords'' is an early (1996-97) demo from the rock band Death Cab for Cutie, which at the time consisted entirely of founder Ben Gibbard. This demo was originally released on cassette by Elsinor Records. It proved ...

'' EP, which was produced by Ben Gibbard. However, Walla earned production credits on the 2002 re-release of ''You Can Play These Songs with Chords'', which featured 10 new songs. It was announced via Kelly Porter's Facebook Page Walla would be doing guitar work for her upcoming recording work.

Studios

Walla founded his own recording studio, located within his home in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

, named the Alberta Court. Prior to moving to Portland, from 2000 to 2005, he was the owner/proprietor of

recording studio, the Hall of Justice, where Death Cab for Cutie and many

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Thou ...

bands recorded over the years. In 2012, Walla began rebuilding the Hall of Justice after moving back to Seattle.

Personal life

Walla married scholar, knitwear designer, and illustrator Dianna Potter in February 2013, at the Swedish Cultural Center in Seattle. Since leaving the band, Walla and his wife moved to

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

before later settling in

Trondheim, Norway Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, a ...

Discography

;Selected credits * Pinegrove, ''

11:11 11:11, 11-11, or 11/11 may refer to: * 11:11 (numerology) *''Eleven Eleven'', the literary journal of California College of the Arts California College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in ...

'' (2022) – Mixer * Braids, '' Shadow Offering'' (2020) – Producer * Foxing, '' Nearer My God'' (2018) – Producer * Lo Moon, '' Lo Moon'' (2018) – Producer * Gotch, ''Good New Times'' (2016) – Co-producer *

, '' Kintsugi'' (2015) – Writer *

Rocky Votolato Rocky Votolato (born March 8, 1977 in Dallas, Texas, United States), is an American singer-songwriter. Biography He was raised in Frost, Texas, roughly 50 miles south of Dallas, until the age of 13. After his parents were divorced, his mo ...

, ''Hospital Handshakes'' (2015) – Producer, engineer, mixer *

Fences A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary. Fence or fences may also refer to: Entertainment Music * Fences (band), an Amer ...

, ''Lesser Oceans'' (2015) – Producer, engineer, writer, programming * William Fitzsimmons, ''Lions'' (2014) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

The Lonely Forest The Lonely Forest was an American indie rock band from Anacortes, Washington with two EPs and four studio albums. In 2011 lead singer, John Van Deusen, was selected for Seattle Weekly’s best male vocalist award and the band appeared on Jimmy ...

, ''Adding Up the Wasted Hours'' (2013) – Engineer, mixer *

, ''

Codes and Keys ''Codes and Keys'' is the seventh studio album by Death Cab for Cutie, released on May 31, 2011. Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer have both been quoted as saying that the album will be "a much less guitar-centric album than we've ever made before". Th ...

'' (2011) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

Telekinesis Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...

, ''12 Desperate Straight Lines'' (2011) – Engineer, mixer, writer *

, ''Arrows'' (2011) – Producer, engineer, mixer * Ra Ra Riot, '' The Orchard'' (2010) – Mixer *

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY) is an American indie pop band from Springfield, Missouri. They are named after Boris Yeltsin, the first President of Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Their first full-length album, ''Br ...

, '' Let It Sway'' (2010) – Co-producer, engineer *

The Thermals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, ''

Personal Life Personal life is the course or state of an individual's life, especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity. Apart from hunter-gatherers, most pre-modern peoples' time was limited by the need to ...

'' (2010) – Producer, engineer, mixer * Gordon Downie, '' The Grand Bounce'' (2010) – Producer, engineer, mixer *

, '' The Twilight Saga: New Moon (soundtrack)'' (2009) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

, '' The Open Door EP'' (2009) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer * Tegan and Sara, '' Sainthood'' (2009) – Co-producer, engineer *

, '' Telekinesis!'' (2009) – Producer, engineer, mixer * So Many Dynamos, ''The Loud Wars'' (2009) – Producer, engineer, mixer *

, '' Narrow Stairs'' (2008) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer * Mates of State, '' Re-Arrange Us'' (2008) – Producer, engineer, loops *

Youth Group Youth Group is an Australian rock band based in Newtown, New South Wales. Built around the vocals of singer Toby Martin and production of Wayne Connolly, the sound of Youth Group is reminiscent of indie rock artists such as Teenage Fanclub, P ...

, '' The Night Is Ours'' (2008) – Guitar, vocals (background), mixer * Nada Surf, '' Lucky'' (2008) – Engineer * Chris Walla, '' Field Manual'' (2008) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer * Tegan and Sara, '' The Con'' (2007) – Producer, engineer, mixer *

The Decemberists The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band consists of Colin Meloy (lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion), Nate ...

, ''

The Crane Wife ''The Crane Wife'' is the fourth album by The Decemberists, released in 2006. It was produced by Tucker Martine and Chris Walla, and is the band's first album on the Capitol Records label. The album was inspired by a Japanese folk tale, and cent ...

'' (2006) – Producer, engineer, mixer *

, '' Plans'' (2005) – Producer, engineer, Mixer, writer * Youth Group, '' Casino Twilight Dogs'' (2005) – Mixer * Youth Group, '' Forever Young'' (2005) – Mixer * Nada Surf, '' The Weight Is a Gift'' (2005) – Producer, engineer * The Decemberists, '' Picaresque'' (2005) – Producer, engineer, mixer * The Decemberists, '' The Tain'' (2005) – Producer, engineer, mixer * The Thermals, '' Fuckin A'' (2004) – Producer, engineer, mixer *

, ''

Transatlanticism ''Transatlanticism'' is the fourth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on October 7, 2003, by Barsuk Records. At this point in their career, the group had toured and recorded for nearly a half-decade. With tensions risi ...

'' (2003) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer * The Long Winters, ''

When I Pretend to Fall ''When I Pretend to Fall'' is the second album by indie rock band The Long Winters. It was released on Barsuk Records in 2003. Track listing # "Blue Diamonds" – 3:49 # "Scared Straight" – 4:17 # "Shapes" – 4:03 # "Cinnamon"& ...

'' (2003) – Producer, engineer, mixer * The Postal Service, '' Give Up'' (2003) – Engineer, piano, drums, vocals * The Stratford 4, ''Love & Distortion'' (2003) – Producer, engineer, mixer *

, '' More Parts per Million'' (2003) – Mixer *

, '' Suicide Medicine'' (2003) – Producer, engineer, mixer * Rocky Votolato, ''Light and Sound EP'' (2003) – Producer, engineer, mixer *

, '' The Stability EP'' (2002) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

, ''

'' (2002) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/ Netflix sitco ...

, ''

Shut Up You Fucking Baby! ''Shut Up, You Fucking Baby!'' is a double- CD, live comedy album by David Cross, compiled mainly from shows performed in Portland, Oregon, and in Atlanta, Georgia, Cross's hometown. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 2 ...

'' (2002) – Engineer *

Carissa's Wierd Carissa's Wierd was an American indie rock band based in Seattle that formed in 1995 and disbanded in late 2003. Their sound has been described as "chamber rock".Hot Hot Heat, '' Knock Knock Knock (EP)'' (2002) – Producer, engineer * Hot Hot Heat, '' Make Up The Breakdown'' (2002) – Additional recording, mixer * The Long Winters, '' The Worst You Can Do Is Harm'' (2002) – Producer, engineer, mixer * Nada Surf, '' Let Go'' (2002) – Engineer, mixer *

The Velvet Teen The Velvet Teen is an American independent rock trio from Sonoma County, California. History The Velvet Teen is originally the name of Judah Nagler's electronic solo project, whose official debut was made during a brief Icelandic tour that be ...

, '' Out of the Fierce Parade'' (2002) – Producer, engineer *

, ''

The Photo Album ''The Photo Album'' is the third studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released October 9, 2001 on Barsuk Records. The albums spawned three singles: " A Movie Script Ending", " I Was a Kaleidoscope", and " We Laugh Indoors". All ...

'' (2001) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

, ''

The Forbidden Love EP ''The Forbidden Love EP'' is an EP by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released October 24, 2000, on Barsuk Records. The songs "405 (Acoustic)" and "Company Calls Epilogue (Alternate Take)" are an acoustic version and remix, respectively ...

'' (2000) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

, '' We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes'' (2000) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

, ''

'' (1998) – Producer, engineer, mixer, writer *

Mike Edel Michael Richard Edel (born December 18, 1985) is a Canadian folk musician, guitarist, and songwriter. He has released four studio albums, ''The Last of Our Mountains'' (2011), ''India, Seattle'' (2015), ''Thresholds'' (2019), and ''En Masse' ...

, Thresholds (2019) - Producer

References

External links

20 Questions to Christopher Walla
from 2000.
Hall of Justice Recording

Chris Walla interview, Jan. 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walla, Chris 1975 births Living people Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American alternative rock musicians American indie rock musicians American male singers American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers Death Cab for Cutie members Singers from Oregon Singers from Washington (state) Record producers from Washington (state) People from Bothell, Washington Musicians from Seattle The Long Winters members American film score composers Guitarists from Washington (state) Guitarists from Oregon 21st-century American singers American male film score composers Barsuk Records artists Atlantic Records artists