Chasing Gypsy (Christy Larsen) Biography

My name is Christy Larsen and I was born and raised in a beautiful, quiet town of Munising, MI, right on Lake Superior.  As a child, I was a huge fan of watching MTV and jamming with my dad to 80s music.  Bands like Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Heart, Guns n Roses, Aerosmith, and Journey would take me to a place of dancing, rocking and dreaming. Dreaming of what it would be like to play that kind of music!  Then, the 90s came!  Singers like Jewel, Dido, Natalie Merchant were my heroes.  But, I’ll never forget when I first heard the raw and talented Alanis Morisette and her hit album Jagged Little Pill.  She was not afraid to say what she felt and express it in a true authentic way.  I fell in love! Dreaming, singing in my room, writing…I felt in my heart, maybe I could do that someday.
 
I bought my first guitar at 19 years old and set off for college in Grand Rapids, MI, where I spent countless hours teaching myself and meeting others who played as well.  However, it was not until the age of 29, did I finally start playing!  I was led to a local church in Neenah, WI where I played in a rocker contemporary service. I was hooked! I just didn’t want to sing because I thought, “I can’t sing that well.”  I was content to just play guitar.  However, when the female worship leader could not sing the solo that day, it was my time to see what I could do.  It turned out I could sing!! It was there I realized, you got to take chances when you love what you do.  Have there been times when things didn’t go great? Sure! That’s when you learn and get better😊

I moved to Destin, FL shortly after living in Wisconsin and soon found a church, Destin United Methodist Church, that had beach services and needed a musician.  I played every Sunday for years and learned how to sing and play guitar better and better with other amazingly talented musicians!   Years later, I formed a band with one of them, Russ Whitten.  We called ourselves The Bonhoeffers and started gigging in 2018 at local restaurants and cafes.  After a year and a half of gigging and creating a unique Fleetwood rock & jazzy/bluesy sound, we were asked to perform at the 25th Annual Mattie Kelly Concerts in the Park in Destin, FL. It was a rocking show of a hodgepodge of so many cool sounds that had people dancing to Bobby McGee and then later head banging to Zombie from the Cranberries. All the while, I had my fourth baby in my belly on stage😊 The show must go on!  It certainly did and we were so pleased to have reached this height! 

As life takes its stops and turns, so did our band.  In 2021, I continued on my solo career and was able to land some gigs at Tommy Bahamas in Sandestin, FL.  Here I sculpted my voice, my sound and created a smokey indie rock vibe with any cover song I did.  I continued to write songs and in 2022, I was given the privilege to work with the studio producer, Rob Gilmore.  I was blessed to record here for the last year!  With the help and guidance from Rob and some excellent musicians, we have created a “killer” EP!  So much thought and precision went into every piece of equipment used and instrument added.

As the sound was created, so was the name of this band.  Chasing Gypsy stems from my childhood and having a wandering heart like a gypsy.  I would run the fields in my grandparent’s backyard and sing at the top of my lungs and get lost in my dreamworld of becoming a singer songwriter. Singing songs has always taken me to places deep in my heart.  It takes me to specific times in my life, journeys I took, feelings I felt, places I’ve seen, you name it.  So, when I sing, I hope that when you close your eyes, you can travel to your places and feel the music in your heart and dream the dreams you have.  Which, leads to the name of my first EP, ”Fistful of Dreams”.  If you know me, you know I am a dreamer. Chasing after my dream of one day becoming a recording artist has come true!  Now, my dream is that you not only enjoy this EP, but you feel something deep. That tug of chasing your dream- Chasing Gypsy.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! Wish me luck! God bless and keep chasing your dream!

-Christy Larsen

------  BIO -------
The Foothill Tribe (f/k/a Steel Dog Cafe) is a three piece alternative-psychedelic-progressive rock band (and recording artist) from the tiny ocean-side town of Destin, Florida, USA. The Tribe is: Clay Urquhart (Guitars | Vocals); Rob Gilmore (Drums | Vocals); Daniel Bertram (Bass Guitar).  

A Note On The Photos: The picture beside each uploaded song is the Cover Art for the Album, EP, or Single the song is on. We will update our Profile with our discography soon.   

We really enjoy (and continue) trying  to push the creative envelope with our music, whether it be with our songs or instrumentals. We often incorporate different genres, styles, and sounds into our music. Our desire and goal is to create original music that is interesting, different, and uniquely recognizable as The Foothill Tribe's own sound. Thank for listening and we truly hope you enjoy our material.   

As a three piece power trio we have no separate front man. We tried out several "would-be" front men when we were first forming the band, but ultimately we were not satisfied with any of the proposed lead singers because they just did not fit with the band or our vision for the future. Out of necessity we made the decision to handle vocals ourselves in what would become a "twin lead-singer" approach with Clay (guitars) and Rob (drums) both handling lead vocals, and with Dan (bass guitar), Clay, and/or Rob handling back-up vocals depending on who was singing lead. This twin lead-vocal approach has developed over the years and forms a key ingredient (and some have gone as far as calling it a trademark) of the band's sound.   

Over the course of writing and recording our various Albums, EPs, and Single releases the band's sound has developed significantly. There are a handful of songs along our path that show the growth of our sound and are witness to a change in the band's direction creatively. We hope to have a chance to tell some of the stories about these key songs and what was going on at the time. We try to offer a bit of background on each song, and sometimes even the lyrics are posted, in the song description for anyone who might be interested in a bit more info about a song.  
 
Since joining Sound Cloud, we have made some awesome new friends and met some great bands and artists. We really appreciate all who listen to our music and who have elected to follow us. Our sincerest thanks! We look forward to continuing to share our music, to making more new friends, and to continuing to discover new and inspiring music/artists/bands as we all grow together. THANKS TO ALL for  sharing in our story and for allowing us to share in yours!  Thanks again for listening to The Tribe!

Dale is a player.  Loves to play live or in the studio!

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