“This was really emotionally difficult for me to film,” confesses Chris J Norwood of candid, gripping “Good Guy With A Gun” music video.

 “Losing a parent at a young age is always going to be a part of me,” he says, hoping song draws attention to Suicide Prevention Month.
 
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Chris J Norwood as photographed by Alyssa Leigh Cates
 
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PLAY, POST & SHARE
 
Chris J Norwood | “Good Guy With A Gun”
 

[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX_Eq7XZq5Y
 
[STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/ChrisJNorwood-GoodGuyWithAGun
 
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Check out “Good Guy With A Gun” from I Am Not Cool by Chris J Norwood at The Bluegrass Stuation and/or watch the video at the link above. Norwood discusses the song with Dallas Observer here.
 
​“I struggled with whether or not to include this song on the album,” Chris J Norwood says of his latest single “Good Guy With A Gun,” from his new album I Am Not Cool (Out Now, State Fair Records), but I realized that losing a parent at a young age is always going to be a part of me, it’s part of my story, and it’s good for me to keep singing about it.”
 
Of the video, Norwood confides, “This was really emotionally difficult for me to film.  And I knew it would be, so I knew that I would have to get it done in one take.”
 
“As a country, we need to talk more openly about suicide,” he continues. “Especially as it relates to the gun debate and gun culture. I feel like suicide is often overlooked in the debate about guns here in America. We’ve been given fruitless answers about how to stop a bad guy with a gun, but little in the way of how to stop a good guy with a gun.
 
“I don't have any solutions to offer,” he concludes, “but my hope is to encourage dialogue, and my hope is also that anyone who needs help will feel the courage to seek it out.”
 
If you are in need of help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 and/or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org
 
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Chris J Norwood | Live
 

 
*=w/ Brandon Callies Band, Brandon Padier
 
09/23/2021 Nashville, TN @ Cabana Taps (12PM, Americanafest)        
 
10/01/2021 Fort Worth, TX @ Main At South Side*
 
10/02/2021 Denton, TX @ Andy's Bar & Grill*
 
10/03/2021 Dallas, TX @ Three Links Deep Ellum*
 
10/06/2021 Dallas, TX @ State Fair Of Texas 2021 (2PM)
 
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Chris J Norwood
I Am Not Cool
Out Now
(State Fair Records)
 
Streaming Link:
STREAM FULL LP
 

Track Listing:
 
01. I Am Not Cool (Prologue)
02. The Final Girl (VIDEO)
03. Good Guy With A Gun (STREAM | VIDEO)
04. Creature of Bad Habits
05. Leaving Louisiana Behind
06. I Am Not Cool (STREAM | VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO)
07. 85 Feet
08. Grandpa Was A Farmer
09. I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart) (STREAM | VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO)
10. Home Is You And Me
11. Love And Mercy
12. I Wrote You A Song
 
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Chris J Norwood | In The Press

“Norwood wants you to know the truth.” — The Boot

“His clear, plain-spoken tone is ideal for this type of storytelling.” — Dallas Morning News

“A tale about the uncertainties of life and the adventures it may bring.” — Central Track

“Unpretentious and genuine.” — Americana Highways

“Great lyrical hooks.” — Americana UK

“Talk about making a statement.” — Twangville

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PLAY, POST & SHARE
 
Chris J Norwood | “I Am Not Cool”
 

 

[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VpibyXuq-s
 
[STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/ChrisJNorwood-IAmNotCool-Single
 
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Check out the video for the title track from I Am Not Cool by Chris J Norwood at The Boot or listen at Americana Highways or at the links above.
 
“This video was so much fun to make,” says Chris J Norwood of the clip for “I Am Not Cool,” the title track from his new album (Out Now, State Fair Records). “Getting to wear fancy clothes, getting to pretend I have fans, and win awards. It’s a pretty perfect picture of my life and pretty perfectly captures the sentiment of the lyrics.”
 
Norwood’s wife and bandmate Carrie Norwood agrees, “Preparing for this video wasn’t too different from performing with the band. I lined up a babysitter, put on the only make up and dress I’ve worn all week, had a great time singing with Chris, and came back home to kids who will be waking up early needing breakfast.”
 
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Chris J Norwood | About
 

Chris Norwood isn’t cool.
 
Or Chris J Norwood, as the Dallas-based singer-songwriter bills himself, is not cool.
 
So “not cool” that when searching for a synonym for “uncool” that starts with “J” in order to complete a lame joke, this writer could not find one.
 
Pretty damn uncool.
 
Norwood is honest, however, and in a world that becomes more cynical by the moment, the kind of honesty that he conjures and delivers so eloquently and elegantly on his new, very uncool, album I Am Not Cool (Out Now, State Fair Records), well, that kind of uncool is... cool?
 
The album is the follow-up to Norwood’s much-praised 2017 debut record Longshot.
 
In addition to Norwood’s genial ability to say things you may not want to hear and leave you appreciating the experience, he is also masterful at a kind of tongue-in-cheek levity that is sorely missing from this genre.
 
There’s only two kinds of music / What’s true and what ain’t / It only takes three chords to set the record straight
 
Norwood sings these lyrics on the “I Am Not Cool” title cut, a perfect example of how his economy of words is quizzical, meta, and puts a smile on your face all at the same time.
 
But, wait, there’s more.
 
Norwood really gets going on the album’s second single “I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart),” which is such a plainly evocative song title that other songwriters should be shaking a fist in Norwood’s general direction for thinking of it first. A universal sentiment succinctly stated.
 
“It’s a 10-year marriage kind of love song,” he says of the tune, and as if to hammer that description home, Norwood’s wife Carrie joins him on vocals, which adds a whole new level of “what is going on here?!” to the proceedings.
 
Further on, “Good Guy With A Gun” will remind listeners of the political rhetoric it references, but is more tragically tied to the songs from Norwood’s debut album, which dove head-first into his very personal story of growing up as a child of a father who died by his own hand.
 
“This song is about that,” he explains, “But more than that it’s about the ridiculous theory that the NRA likes to tout. The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun? My dad was a good guy with a gun, so how were we supposed to stop him from killing himself?”
 
Once again, it is astounding how Norwood is able to take such personal matters, write about them with conviction and clarity, make it catchy and memorable, and make you feel like you challenged yourself and had a chuckle all at once.
 
Uncool? Hmm.
 
Frankly, Norwood says that claiming himself “uncool” may be an awful career move. “I’ll either make it or break it as uncool Chris J Norwood,” he opines on the topic.
 
But, the thing is, Norwood’s work is righteous no matter how it is perceived by anyone who makes judgments about “career moves.” This brand of vulnerable, self-effacing songwriting, salted with a bit of required brainpower... it’s unique. And it’s here to stay.
 
Maybe the J stands for “justified?”
 
I Am Not Cool, the second album by Chris J Norwood is out now via State Fair Records. Chris J Norwood is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.
 
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Chris J Norwood | Links
 
ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE : STATE FAIR RECORDS
 
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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact
 
WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL