BIO INFORMATION:

"You learned to play the steel drums where?...."

It's a question he's been  
 asked countless times    
before. This fair-skinned,  
 blue-eyed steel drummer  
knows that his simple answer 
begs explanation; to which  
he is only too happy to oblige. 
Sharing the history of his      
exotic instrument and his   
 association with it has be-  
come part of the persona   
 that is Christopher Arpad.   
The surprising answer is, " I learned to play the steel drums of     
Trinidad in Kansas while taking a class in ethnomusicology
at the Wichita State University".                    
                        
Yes....as strange as it may seem, Christopher has yet to make
 it physically to the islands in the Caribbean. So far anyway, his
         closest connection with an island has been South Padre Island in
    Texas and the island of Catalina off the coast of Southern California

You wouldn't know it to hear him though. In fact his
 island vibe is so convincing: Christopher has been
 promoting the islands of Grand Cayman through his
 music on both coasts of these United States since
1997.  Perhaps a state-side ambassador fate has
 made, time will only tell.  Still he plays on....           
...in an island state of mind.

         "My connection to steel drums is beyond nationality and 
ethnicity. It speaks to my soul and offers me a voice that 
illuminates my true nature. I am a sun sign, born a Leo and 
attracted to all things associated with the sun; and steel 
drums reflect that. I could study Calypso my entire life and
 never know all there is to know about it. It's not who I am. 
I don't pretend that I am.  I'm a Kansan, now living in 
Los Angeles, California. I love the music of the islands- the
 beat and the feel, it speaks to me and I represent it in the 
best possible way that I can while remaining true to myself 
and who I am, so I do not limit myself or the instrument 
to one particular genre. "                                                 
                 "I perform music that people request of me and selections
   that move me. That will vary from one performance to the next.
             I always try to reach everyone in my audience at least once
           musically in a performance. We are all one when you get 
right down to it and I play to the people. Sometimes I think of 
my pans as satellite dishes radiating out vibrations of love.
 It's amazing the rush that comes over me when I'm performing
 and that love is sent back to me a hundred times over from 
my audience. It is very rare for me to feel anything but good
 when I am performing.  Bad feelings and thoughts leave me
when I am in that space."                                                         

             That intent and reaction is obvious to anyone who has seen
    Christopher perform. Dancing ever so slightly to his own 
infectious groove, his hands stirring effortlessly over bubbles 
of steel and at times he seemingly appears to be caught up
 in his own musical spell, but then you'll catch his gaze and swear
 that he is singing to you alone.  " I love what I do for living ".     
               "I realize the possessive nature that Trinidadians have over 
           their national instrument and I respect that. You almost have to.
      I learned about steel drums from Andy Narell, the most widely
    recorded steel drummer in the world, and legendary steel
drum craftsman, Ellie Mannette, who is credited as the creator
 of the modern steel drum. They instilled in me respect for the
 heritage of the Steel Drum and I speak of its origins at my
       performances whenever I can."                              
        "I feel almost as though the steel drums found me and I 
couldn't resist. I started out as a drummer in the back of the
 band, moved to steel drums and found myself at the front of the
 band, and now finally... performing as a soloist, I am the band."

------------------------------------------------------------------------
To understand this evolution it is necessary to understand
some of Christopher's past.                            
The story of Christopher Arpad
 begins in his Midwest hometown
 of McPherson, Kansas. In his
 formative years his need to
 express himself brought
Christopher to experience
many creative mediums such as
painting, drawing, acting, teaching,
drumming, singing, and performing.
It's not surprising then to note that he was aptly voted            
Mr. Performing Arts of his graduating class,                 
McPherson High School, circa 1985.                        
          Music was the early victor over art as he began playing drums
at the age of 10.  In his music studies and life experiences
Christopher associated with many musical styles and genres.
 He was very active in all music classes available to him in
school including Jazz, Concert, Marching, and Symphonic
 bands, including the Orchestra.
                       It was at the age of 14 that he first began performing
               professionally across the state of Kansas with Jerry Driskel's
        country swing band "Southern Comfort", ala Bob Wills and the
                    Texas Playboy's, with twin fiddles and a steel guitar.
 

Then enters a diverse interest         
in Bagpipe Bands as Christopher  
becomes the drum sergeant of the 
City of McPherson Bagpipe     
 band for five years starting in his   
 high school years and continuing   
 through college. He actively            
participated in teaching, performing,
competing and ultimately judging Highland drumming competitions.

While in college he also
played in various Rock,
Top Forty Dance bands,
and Blues bands.  In 1987
 Christopher toured Europe with the Wichita State
University European
Tour Orchestra and
 played for the RingLing
 Bros.,Barnum and Bailey Circus  just after his college days.
              
    It was finally during his    
    study of music at the     
  Wichita State University,   
  under the tutelage of the   
   renown Percussion     
   Instructor Dr. J. C. Combs, that Christopher was first  
 introduced to the inspired  
 sound of steel drums and later
 formed his first steel band
 "Stainless Steel"      
(Associated Press News Articles Available )           

 It was also during this time at Wichita State University that   
 Christopher was introduced to such Pan Masters as Andy and  
Jeff Narell, Tom Miller, Calypsonian David Rudder, and the   
father of the modern steel drum, Ellie Mannette.   
          

Stainless Steel became a Midwest success as it toured   
 the states of  Minnesota, Kentucky, Colorado, Oklahoma, 
 Texas, Missouri, and Kansas ... opening concerts and      
 sharing stages with such notable performers as legendary   
guitarist Carlos Santana, steel drum virtuoso Andy Narell, 
 jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan, comedian Sinbad, power   
jazz group Tower of Power, singer guitarist Bonnie Raitt, 
classic rock and roll band Head East, blues guitarist      
Jeff Healey, reggae great's Steel Pulse, most recently  
opening in concert for Jimmy Buffett.                 

  
Christopher made two recordings with Stainless Steel between
1986 - 1997 on the World Beat Record label:              
A four song EP "Know Bounds, No Barriers"
available on cassette only
       and an album " What You See"
        available on CD and Cassette.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the demise of Stainless Steel, Christopher began 
 experimenting with performances as a soloist and fronting new
steel drum acts with various formats. Eventually he made the
decision to relocate to Los Angeles, CA in search of larger
audiences and the pursuit of his dreams.                     
While "paying his dues", making ends meet - working as a
mobile computing expert at Mobile Planet, Christopher had
the idea to utilize a laptop computer in sequencing MIDI
instruments, as wells as his own voice and live instruments
 to capture his vision of a live solo performance.               
Many of the "island" guys he knew and was playing with 
at the time would tell him, "buy yourself a beat machine boy, 
a steel man have to have the beat".  But playing to drum    
machines just seemed to sterile and mechanical to Chris. His
    experience with computers at Mobile planet offered him insight
 to new possibilities to explore ....                                            
And so he decided to utilize a  
laptop computer in sequencing 
 MIDI instruments, as well as his 
 own voice and live instruments 
 to capture his vision of a live  
 solo performance.  Now he   
 would have not only the beat, 
 but the whole band, including 
 his own voice for back-up   
vocals and harmonies.     
 This new found medium provided him an opportunity to explore
 his fondness of playing guitar and percussion and bring
 these elements to his live steel drum                   
performance as a band of one.                    
 
Christopher joined the Musicians Local 47, offered his new 
 niche' act and found resounding success.  In fact, he got his
 first gig for a private party with his "cyber" band through the
professional network office before the ink had dried on his
application form to join. It was well received and began to 
 mushroom immediately. Christopher remains a member 
 in good standing with the Union and is a consistently    
 requested performer through their office.                
" I highly recommend to all performers who are serious about
 being professional to join the Musicians Union. They have
so much to offer... they're a musician's natural resource."   
   Christopher continues to perform
    and record music full time
    throughout the United States for a
    variety of events and functions. 
   People are fascinated and drawn to
    the captivating sound of the steel
    drums, mesmerized by its amazing
    properties, and often caught off
    guard by the seemingly magic effect
    of his ability to sound larger than life
    in his unique solo performances.
An unorthodox approach to be sure, but also a bridge between
cultures to audiences that otherwise might not have listened   
and a shared realization that we are all one.                 

Stay tuned for this work in progress......         

"In my performance of music... I try to radiate universal 
love and understanding to accepting souls seeking to 
 remember themselves physically in the realm of      
 three in one - body, mind, and spirit. "              
Christopher John Arpad                             
"Simply Pantastic!"                                  
"For a walk on the sunny side of the beat.....Arpad is the choice"   

 Currently residing in sunny Southern California, Christopher Arpad 
loves to travel and perform for audiences of all ages. 
Grand events or intimate gatherings are all special occasions to 
remember as his fans can testify across the United States. 

Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA
Century Plaza Hotel, Century City, CA
Sheraton Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ
Greek Theater, Los Angeles, CA
The IceHouse Comedy Room, Pasadena, CA
LA Mart, Russ Berrie Gift Expo
Grand Havana Room, Beverly Hills, CA
Leo Carillo Beach State Park, Malibu, CA
Pasadena Pops Orchestra - Family Festival, Descanso Gardens
Balboa Bay Club, Newport Beach, CA
Jonathan Club, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
1999 Absolut Chalk Festival, Pasadena, CA
Ramada Plaza Hotel, LAX Culver City, CA
Montrose Travel Expo, Montrose, CA
Cayman Island Tourism, Southern and Northern California
The Radisson Resort, Quarterdeck Club, South Padre Island, TX
Shebang Club, Shangrila, OK
Palm Springs Hilton Resort, Palm Springs, CA
Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego, CA
Garcia's Club, Matamoris, Mexico
Cessna Aircraft International Convention, Wichita, KS
Roseanne Barr - Private Party, CA
Californos- Westport, Kansas City, MO
  Miss USA 1995, South Padre Island, TX
Louis BackYard, South Padre, TX
Patriotic Hall, LA, CA
Shrimp Festival, Port Isabel, TX
Little Rock Arkansas River Festival
Wichita Jazz Festival, Wichita, Kansas
Universal Studios City Walk, Universal City, CA
Duke's Malibu, CA
Culver City Chamber of Commerce, Culver City, CA
Central Plaza, LA, CA
MetroPlex Wilshire, LA, CA
  John Steward's Home, Sedona, AZ
Portland Oregon State Fair, Portland, OR
Mission Inn Hotel, Riverside, CA
Scott's Seafood Grill & Bar, Costa Mesa, CA
Hyatt Regency San Diego, CA
Cheese Cake Factory, Corporate party Malibu beach, CA
The Sterling Hotel, Sacramento, CA
Radisson Hotel Berkeley Marina, CA
Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, CA
Rick's Cafe, Catalina Island
The Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, CA
CSULA, 50th Anniversary, CA,
Torrance Hilton at South Bay, Torrance, CA
Shutters On The Beach, Santa Monica, CA
Woodland Hills Hilton & Towers, Woodland Hills, CA
Pierpoint Inn, Ventura, CA
El Encanto Hotel & Garden Villas, Santa Barbara, CA
Barnaby's Hotel, Manhattan Beach, CA
La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA
City Club, Downtown LA, CA
Hyatt Newporter, Newport Beach, CA
Catalina Island, Descansa Bay Club, CA
SXSW, Austin TX
Catherine Hotel, Catalina Island
Catalina Chamber of Commerce, Catalina Island
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA