She practiced performing live in local venues and touring while attending college at the University of Florida. Her music and personality grew and changed through these experiences and friendships. She studied classical piano beginning at the age of 5. Her first guitar performance before a live audience at the age of 18 was tentative at best. After graduating from the College of Journalism and Communications, she hit the road full-time and dedicated her life to traveling across the United States and abroad to share her music.
Vivid, accessible, and fiercely introspective, Cris has experimented with solo acoustic guitar, touring with a full band, and an acoustic duo with lively arrangements to move any audience. Honest and funny live acoustic shows have the warmth of a living room concert. Devotees say, "She has the most amazing energy and she makes you feel good about yourself."
Her current project is
titled "Hold the Empire,"
and features mature
songs forged from the pressure
of recent life experiences which speak to the power of being
a survivor. Her previous acoustic CD, “...
on the inside,” rings with instinctive melodies
and poetic lyrics. The motivational songs beg the question
how did she just sing what
I've been thinking? Other works
include
the limited-
edition EP "Wanted:
The Band Tour,"
featuring drum, bass and lead guitar soundscapes from the
Cris Williams Band.
Her first CD, "Just
Between Us," is a powerful compilation of songs
Cris composed beginning at the age of 15, including the
private a capella final track for which the album
was named.
Formerly based out of Gainesville, Florida, the fiery “songstress” hails from the same fertile music scene that gave the world Tom Petty, Sister Hazel, Less Than Jake and other nationally acclaimed bands. However, Cris decided at a precociously young age and early stage in her music career to forego the major label path in favor of being a down-to-earth, real person and producing her music through her own independent label, CKRockStar Music.
The Independent Florida Alligator newspaper listed Cris Williams as one of Gainesville’s most popular bands. People Magazine shot a cover shoot for Cris in Gainesville, Florida, during which her friends were sitting behind the lights and equipment making lighthearted fun of her because she just can't seem to get into the fame game. She has been a guest performer on nationally syndicated radio stations. She has sold albums from California to Puerto Rico. Internationally, she receives radio station and album sales royalties through ASCAP (including Ireland, the Netherlands, and Uraguay). She has performed the National Anthem at Ben Hill Griffin football stadium in Gainesville and has shared stages with James Brown, Vertical Horizon, Train, Danielle Howle, John W. Lee, The Chris McCarty Band, The Fire Apes, Berg, The Curve and more. She has been compared to Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos and Aimee Mann. More importantly, her family and friends know her as someone spontaneous who loves to perform her music, explore the world, work hard and challenge herself.
Cris has performed as a house musician for national chain restaurants including The Mellow Mushroom, T.G.I. Friday's and the Ale House. Her greatest performance moment was on stage at Jammin' Java one night on tour when the entire audience was singing the lyrics to her song, "Somewhere In Between" back to her, leaving her completely awestruck and overwhelmed.
Cris
supports charities and organizations including Awendaw
Green, SC Pride, Women for
Women International, her local Humane Society/Animal Rescue,
The American Heart Association and Just Plain Folks. She is
fluent in Spanish, reads Portuguese and needs to work on her
French. Her hobbies include equestrian sports, surfing,
writing, shooting sports and construction projects. She has
two dogs, a horse and must restrain herself from adopting
more animals. Her goals include developing a nationwide
outreach program to teenage girls to share a postive message
of empowerment and healthy self-esteem. Her favorite song is
"Not A Pretty Girl" by Ani DiFranco.