Poised in the drivers seat, Chris Greenwood watches the world fly by and sees a thousand faces between the blur of brake lights and highway signs. With each stop it's a new stage, an electrifying show, and a heightened desire to activate something within the hearts of those on the receiving end of the microphone. This is the mission, connect the dots one by one and set the world in motion. Each night is a small spark, but one thing Greenwood has learned in his seven year's under the moniker “Manafest” is that small sparks can ignite wildfires.
Following on the heels of the internationally acclaimed Glory, Manafest returns with a new mindset, refreshed style and a powerful arsenal of songs aptly titled, Citizens Activ. “The record is about people taking action in their own lives. We need to be inspired and active in chasing our dreams”. Coming from humble beginnings Manafest has learned this lesson first hand, dramatically increasing record sales 5x over with the release of Glory. It's the same unrelenting desire and refusal of stagnancy that inspired his message in Citizens Activ. “On this album I really worked hard at connecting my music with the emotions of people. I've learned to take real life experiences and have tried to create songs that paint realistic and common themes of people. I want the listener to feel like it's them in the song.”
Manafest teamed up again with renowned chameleon producer Adam Messinger (New Kids on the Block, Eva Avila) to bring Citizens Activ to life. The result: eleven skillfully designed tracks, bursting with raw emotion and flawless production. “This is definitely my most commercially appealing record', says Manafest. 'I've been listening to a lot of diverse music, which has definitely been an influence. On this record you'll find a mix of pop, rap, rock and gospel flavors.
The first single of the record is the dynamically rock infused “So Beautiful”. The song conveys a message of hope over blistering guitar lines and tag-teamed vocals (featuring Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch). “The song speaks of the struggle and hard work you put into something, and getting to finally see the beautiful outcome. A lot of times you need to look inward to see the big picture.” In addition to arena-crushing rock tunes, Manafest has certainly not neglected his hip-hop roots. From the opening track “4321” to the club anthem “Top of The World”, Greenwood has left no stone left unturned, truly crafting a genre spanning record to unite the masses.
If you've spent any time with this sojourner, or his records, you will quickly discover that in addition to writing heartfelt tales of truth, he also has the ability to tastefully capture the lighter side of life. On “Break Up” Manafest paints a jovial picture of how communication lines between men and women can easily get crossed. “Nobody likes breakups, and it's crazy when you look back at some of the things people fight about”. It's the great attention to the detail of our idiosyncrasies and struggles, as well as our triumphs that makes this record a complete portrait of the human condition.
Armed with Citizens Activ in hand, Manafest plans to cover coast-to-coast, and nation-to-nation in 2008 with USA, Canada, Denmark, U.K, Ireland, Sweden and Japan all on the target list With a very promising schedule looking forward, one cannot ignore a very impressive tour history. Manafest has shared the stage with a very respectable handful of artists including Stellar Kart, Thousand Foot Krutch, Seventh Day Slumber, LA Symphony, Grits, DJ Maj.
Given the right conditions a fire is easy to start. It takes time, patience and experience. With Citizens Activ, the groundwork has been laid and the tools have been created… now its time for the vision to be realized. “My goal is to hear one thousand stories from kids saying that this record sparked a change in their life.” On June 24th, Manafest will strike his microphone to the flint and watch the hearts of the world ignite.
