HardyRisto

About the Artist

Risto is one man trying to play drum parts, bass parts &&&& guitar parts on an acoustic guitar. Oh, and sing at the same time. He wants his guitar parts to be interesting enough to listen to without the vocal. Of course, his lyrics give the songs enough depth for smart people to grasp, and his subject matter (he often writes about animals, street signs, meat, etc.) keeps the intellectually-challenged folks interested.

Imagine Dave Matthews, Sting, and Robyn Hitchcock together in a blender (relax, it''s just a metaphor)&#59; pour it into a 20 oz. cup and you''ve got Risto''s sound. His music appeals to all types - stupid, smart, ignorant, intelligent, etc. You probably know someone who''s a Risto fan...

But just who is Risto?

Risto (Real name: chRISTOpher Hardy) started this music thing in 1978 in Melrose, Mass., when an error in his junior high school schedule put him in band class. His early musical influences include DEVO, King Crimson, The Police, Robyn Hitchcock, XTC, and many other artists who offered something different than the tar being played on the radio. This insatiable desire for something different fueled Risto to stretch out his fertile mind to create songs that would probably make his influences proud. Or at least get a laugh or two...

Risto has been to the Philadelphia Music Conference twice, and 3 of his songs have won top awards in the BILLBOARD song contest. He plays mostly in coffeehouses &&&& bookstores, but you can occasionally find him playing a bar if the patrons are open to him.

Risto is now back home in Maine and plays his solo shows as well as shows with his instrumental funk trio ''the funk nuggets''. Risto plays fretless bass in the funk nuggets along with sax player Joe Kingston &&&& drummer Chris Marro.