Chris Urbanowicz
Encyclopedia
Christopher Dominic Urbanowicz (born 22 June 1981 in Aslockton
, Nottinghamshire
) is the lead guitar
ist and synthesizer
player of the British
indie rock
band Editors
. He studied music technology
at Staffordshire University
for three years with the other members of Editors
. He then worked in a shoe shop with Editors drummer
Ed Lay in Birmingham
for two years before the band signed to Kitchenware Records
.
He lives in New York. He supports Nottingham Forest Football Club
. He is influenced by such bands as The Walkmen
, The Strokes
, LCD Soundsystem
, Kraftwerk
and Elbow
. He has synesthesia
. Urbanowicz features prominently in an amateur music video produced as coursework during his studies at Staffordshire University. He provided additional production on Airship's debut record Stuck In This Ocean.
His left arm is tattooed with a half sleeve design of coloured roses, a swallow and a modified version of the c1981-1982 Andy Warhol
piece "Gun" featuring three coloured revolvers. His grandparents were Polish but both mother and father were born in England.
Chris once said in an interview for NME that his childhood hero was Bruno Brooks, and that the Top 40 chart show was without a doubt his "favourite thing about the weekend". In 1994 Chris won a competition to go fishing with Brooks, and still regards it as the best day of his life.
Aslockton
Aslockton is a village and civil parish twelve miles east of Nottingham, England and two miles east of Bingham on the north bank of the River Smite opposite Whatton. It has a population of around 1,000 ....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
) is the lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
player of the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Editors
Editors
Editors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...
. He studied music technology
Music technology
Music technology is a term that refers to all forms of technology involved with the musical arts, particularly the use of electronic devices and computer software to facilitate playback, recording, composition, storage and performance. This subject is taught at many different educational levels,...
at Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :...
for three years with the other members of Editors
Editors
Editors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...
. He then worked in a shoe shop with Editors drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Ed Lay in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
for two years before the band signed to Kitchenware Records
Kitchenware Records
Kitchenware Records is an independent record label based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. It was founded in 1982 by Keith Armstrong and Phil Mitchell, and was originally part of The Soul Kitchen, an artist collective and nightclub...
.
He lives in New York. He supports Nottingham Forest Football Club
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
. He is influenced by such bands as The Walkmen
The Walkmen
The Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon , Walter Martin , and Matt Barrick —and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer and Hamilton Leithauser . All but Bauer...
, The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
, Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
and Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
. He has synesthesia
Synesthesia
Synesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
. Urbanowicz features prominently in an amateur music video produced as coursework during his studies at Staffordshire University. He provided additional production on Airship's debut record Stuck In This Ocean.
His left arm is tattooed with a half sleeve design of coloured roses, a swallow and a modified version of the c1981-1982 Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
piece "Gun" featuring three coloured revolvers. His grandparents were Polish but both mother and father were born in England.
Chris once said in an interview for NME that his childhood hero was Bruno Brooks, and that the Top 40 chart show was without a doubt his "favourite thing about the weekend". In 1994 Chris won a competition to go fishing with Brooks, and still regards it as the best day of his life.