For our first Artist of the Month article, we will be featuring Christofer Drew Ingle, better known by his previous stage name Never Shout Never. For those of you who don't know who this artist is, here's a quick run-down. Christofer Drew is a 20-year old musician from Joplin, Missouri who can sing as well as play the guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, violin, drums, various percussion instruments, tambourine, cabasa, djembe, glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, sleigh bells, piano, keyboard, banjo, and harmonica along with using programming to create beats and sounds on his tracks. He began his rise to fame by posting demos that had become his first EP, Demo-shmemo, on his MySpace page. (Remember, this was back when MySpace was still popular.) On July 29, 2008, he released his second EP entitled The Yippee EP, which included the single "Bigcitydreams" that gained him quite a few fans. Having gone though different phases with the spelling of his stage name, eventually settling on Never Shout Never for his release under Warner Bros. and his label division, Loveway Records. Prior to his first mini-album What Is Love? that was released in 2010, Christofer Drew went on tour with his live band known as "the Shout" to promote the EPs that he continued to release. Following The Yippee EP came Me & My Uke Ep, The Summer EP, and an self-titled EP released in January, June, and December of 2009, respectively. January 26, 2010 saw What Is Love?, the debut mini-album from Never Shout Never, in stores, with his full-length Harmony following on August 24. Melody - EP provided a filler between the two bigger releases, and a second EP with The Maine, Split - Ep, as a thank-you to fans that helped with the charity tour that the two bands did together.
Christofer Drew's music has a distinct sound, often categorized as a mix of the acoustic pop, indie pop, and pop rock genres. With lyrics that are drawn from his own life and delivered by a voice with an impressive vocal range, each song allows fans to relate to the meaning of the words, even if it's not always in a literal sense. A new feeling and tone is introduced for each track, catching your attention with unique usage of extra instruments and programmed beats. Some songs have a softer sound, while other songs lean more toward the pop rock style of music. No song fails to be true to Christofer Drew and his view on things, and despite some negative associations with his stage name because of his sometimes blunt way of sharing his views he continues to be successful with his music. Extremely talented for his age, he doesn't shape himself to be what the people want, but instead shapes himself to be what he wants. His music practically screams that fact, especially his older songs. Some of his more popular songs are "Can't Stand It" from What Is Love?, "CheaterCheaterBestFriendEater" from Harmony, "Trouble" from Me & My Uke Ep, "Happy" from The Summer EP, and "Bigcitydreams" from The Yippee EP.
Here's a video for his song "What Is Love?" to give you a taste of his style.
