A Sonic Experience Created by Chris Loung and Ric Chandler
By Lisa Morgan
Their story is as unique and unexpectedly beautiful as the music they make together. Full of completely unpredictable melodic and dynamic twists, turns and depths, the life and the music of artists Chris Loung and Ric Chandler, seem to mirror each other. These two artists together, paint with sound much like Picasso painted with a brush and paint – with a depth that is continually revealed and rediscovered with each new listen. Chris Loung’s captivating voice takes you on a cinematic journey in her native French, wherein you eventually forget that the story is being told in a foreign language. With Ric Chandler on drums along with his musical direction and technological genius, this two piece mini-orchestra can overwhelm your senses with sound in a powerful way. As their music page describes, “Lung has influences ranging from modern electro to classic rock, coming under unity in cinematic soundscapes, going beyond the stereotypical sound of French popular music.” The self-titled album, released in February of this year, was co-produced by the infamous Scottish/Italian Electro/rock artist RICO, who also worked with popular artists such as Tricky and Gary Numan. The album tells a love story from front to back. As Chris says in her gorgeous French accent, “Everything is about love”. As they shared the story of how their music and their romance evolved, I could easily see where she was coming from.
Struggling to find musicians who could collaborate with her love for rock influences in France, Chris Loung traveled to England in hopes of finding like-minded artists she could create with. It was there she met Ric Chandler. “I had been drumming since I was 6,” shared Ric. “With a lot of luck and hard work, I had the good fortune of working with some really great people: Gary Numan, Calvin Harris, Tricky and so many others as a musical director and drummer. When I met Chris, it was perfect. I had just finished working with Calvin, and I was ready to do a project of my own.” When the two met, their musical union was born, soon followed by one that became much more personal. Initially, Chris was hesitant to allow the passion and energy they had discovered through their music into their personal lives, not wanting to upset the magic of their musical partnership. Ric was obviously quite successful in relieving her anxieties.
Initially, Ric and Chris’ project, “Lung” performed as several pieces. But as Chris says, “Life gently pushed us in the direction of making it less complicated.” Lung eventually became just Chris and Ric performing with friends who would occasionally sit in. Meanwhile, being an artist in London was very difficult. “London is a very expensive town,” shared Chris. “You have to work very hard to make a living. We were both teaching – I was teaching French and Rick was teaching drums, and we had very little time to focus on our music. We also started to hate the weather in London,” she laughed. Both Chris and Ric shared a dream of traveling to America. When Ric became the session drummer for Modern English, the English New Wave band best remembered for their song “I Melt with You”, the two were able to realize that dream. Ric was able to obtain a work visa. They literally sold everything they owned in their flat, put everything else in storage, and hopped a plane to Palm Springs. “We love it here,” said Chris. “We love the sun. It was natural for us to come here. We booked a hotel for about 10 days, and then decided to purchase an RV. For us, we were like two kids. It was all new and exciting to us. As a musician, it was a dream come true, to free ourselves and to focus on music…to go on the road.” With their primary roots now here in the desert, the two have traveled throughout America from venue to venue, presenting international musical classics to their audiences, with huge success. “We are happier than ever here in America, concentrating only on our music and traveling constantly.” Ric shared that he plans to bring the band Modern English back to the desert in the fall as he has done once before, providing the desert with the rare opportunity to experience the band in a smaller venue such as The Hood, in Palm Desert.
Lung recently shot video for the first single set to be released from their album: A Robin. The single and the video should be available in the fall. Chris had stumbled upon the site for the video purely by accident when she took a wrong turn in Borrego Springs and found herself lost. Suddenly, she looked over and saw the huge dragon sculpture there in the desert. “It ended up being the right road,” she shared. “It had such a strong pull on me, it was almost scary…I had to stop the car.” It was perfect – the word ‘lung’ in Chinese means ‘dragon’, and they were already using the dragon symbol on their album cover. But the magic didn’t stop there. The song, A Robin, is about super-heroes, Batman and Robin. During the shoot, just when Chris mentioned the word “bat”, a non-choreographed bat flew into the shot!
August 17th, we will all have the opportunity to experience the one of a kind musical experience Lung has to offer. Hosted by the Skylark Hotel in Palm Springs, “Some Fabulous Leos” will feature Lung at their annual Leo party. This year, all the benefits will go to CASA, the charity organization that works as advocates to children within the foster care system. Chris and Ric are happy to use their music as a vehicle to help such a cause, and are even considering becoming child advocates for CASA themselves. You can find out more about the event at somefabulousleos.com. You can also follow Chris and Ric and their music on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lungworld. You will not want to miss the opportunity to meet these two artists and hear their music in person. I assure you, that you will find yourself enchanted by both.
