Chris Hodder was born in Scarborough, Ontario but grew up in Stoneville, a small town in Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland. Since before he was born, there was always a guitar propped up in some corner in his home. His father played guitar and button accordion and by the age of four, Chris was stretching his arm around the top of his father’s acoustic guitar learning to strum a few chords. He started to learn in conjunction with his older brother and as the learning advanced, more and more instruments showed up in their home. As the 1980’s rolled in, His father bought an electric bass and Chris fell in love with that instrument. Since Stoneville was a community saturated with religion he’d spent a lot of time participating in church and started playing bass in the church orchestra at the age of 10. In high school he played in a group that performed during assemblies. Eventually Chris, his two brothers and their childhood friend started a country gospel band and continued to play. A close friendship with a Newfoundland artist Danny Randell led Chris to another gig playing Classic Christian Rock and Blues.
Chris has made a career in journalism; a writer and photographer, but is the kind of guy who picks up a guitar every day. He has dabbled in songwriting and enjoys tinkering with the piano and button accordion. Artists such as Jonny Lang, Andy McKee, Edwin McCain, Bare Naked Ladies and Diamond Rio can be found on his ipod. He says that while his thoughts on what makes a good song or a good band are probably outside the mainstream, it doesn’t change the fact that a good beat and simple chords are what generally hook people. “I respect real songwriters; poets. And, if you dig around on most albums out there today, you’ll always find there’s one or two great songs that never get airplay,” he says. Since joining Dungarvan in 2010, Chris has been given another opportunity to expand on his musical experience and knowledge. “I still listen to great guitarists and it always awakens me to just how poorly I play, despite having played for over 30 years,” says 37-year-old Chris. “I listen to bass greats like Victor Wooten and it just reminds me that to be good or even great, music has to be more than a pastime or a minor passion to a person. It has to consume you to the point that you willingly neglect other passions.”
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