ABC “NASHVILLE” STAR CHRIS CARMACK TO UNVEIL DEBUT EP PIECES OF YOU THIS DECEMBER

Abuzz with the Season 4 premiere of ABC’s hit series “Nashville” last Wednesday (9/23), the multi-talented performer Chris Carmack will take his original music to a new level with the release of the title track from his forthcoming independent EP PIECES OF YOU to digital retailers today (9/29). To celebrate the release, SiriusXM’s prominent show “The Coffee House” premiered an exclusive acoustic version of the deeply intimate and soul-stirring “Pieces Of You” (9/24).

“Music came first, before the acting. I find that when I write songs, oftentimes it’s therapeutic. It’s an exploration of myself and either what I’m going through or what someone close to me is going through,” revealed Carmack. “Writing and singing these songs helps me deal with the emotions and I think they are things other people can relate to when they hear them. I’m excited to share the music.”

Produced by multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winner Ben Fowler (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Michael McDonald) and Phoenix Mendoza, PIECES OF YOU is slated for release this December and features five tracks written solely by Carmack that echo his wide range of influences; everything from the jazz and blues he grew up playing on saxophone, to rock, pop and country music. From the smooth, funky groove of “What Has Changed” through the gritty country-blues-soul of “Can’t Do It Again” and the gentler strains of “Always Mine,” “Being Alone” and the title track, the EP offers an impressive sampling of Carmack’s gift for turning personal experiences into universal sentiments and his notable guitar playing.

PIECES OF YOU Track Listing:

1. Being Alone

2. Can’t Do It Again

3. What Has Changed

4. Always Mine

5. Pieces Of You

The soulful singer/songwriter/guitarist left an undeniable mark after his first CMA Music Festival appearance in June with major music critics naming him to their “Best Of” the Festival lists. Rolling Stonepraised his “greasy guitar licks and soulful, yearning voice” and Billboard asserted “there’s a built-in prejudice against actors jumping into music, but he deserves to be taken seriously.” Even guitar legend Vince Gill branded Carmack a “wicked good guitar player” in a recent televised interview on local Nashville ABC Affiliate WKRN.

Currently in production on “Nashville,” Carmack has been featured on THE MUSIC OF NASHVILLEsoundtracks in addition to performing on the 2014 and 2015 “Nashville” concert tours. The popular show has received nominations for Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, People’s Choice, Teen Choice and Critics’ Choice Television Awards. Fans can see Carmack perform live with his fellow cast mates on 10/3 at the Grand Ole Opry’s 90th Birthday Bash in Nashville, TN.

For more information on Chris Carmack, please visit the newly launched site www.ChrisCarmackMusic.com.

The Washington D.C. native, who grew up playing saxophone at a young age, turned his attention towards jazz band and theatre in high school. Upon graduating, he studied at NYU’s esteemed Tisch Adler Conservatory before heading out to Los Angeles where he helped launch the theatrical production of “The Day I Stood Still.” Carmack would spend his off-time practicing guitar, which would later come in handy for his role on “Nashville.” His performance in “The Day I Stood Still” attracted the attention of the producers from the hit drama “The O.C.,” who cast him as “Luke Ward” in the series in 2003. After completing his work on the show, Carmack returned to the stage in New York at the Roundabout Theatre Company where he took on the role of “Sloane” in “Entertaining Mr. Sloane” alongside Alec Baldwin and Jan Maxwell. He also performed in London, playing John Buchanan in Tennessee Williams’ “Summer and Smoke.”