This episode is not only long awaited … apologies again for the long break, but also a break from the usual. Instead of waxing lyrical by myself or interviewing an industry expert in voice or physical freedom, I’m interviewing a former Voice Movement Therapy client of mine, Chris Portka.

Chris came to me a number of years ago hating his job, not really loving life and generally feeling “What’s the point?” about everything. His ‘musician self’ was fully in shadow and he was riddled with anxiety at the prospect of revealing him. What’s more he could no longer stand the status quo. He was suffering. He realized “My desire to make music is never going away, it’s always going to be eating at me”.  He said it was finally, “more painful NOT to do it, than to do it.”

Over the last few years I have been watching him flourish ever more courageously in his life and am so impressed by his creativity and generosity. 

In this very candid episode Chris Portka tells us what it’s like to go from “crippled with anxiety” to someone who will release tracks of his shadow made bare, sing live on instagram in a bathrobe and santa hat and go on tour with the Al Harper a band all over the USA.

I loved this conversation with Chris, he’s real, raw and funny and his tunes are excellent too!

Here are links to his music and his bio:

Chris Portka Music

Chris on Instagram

Chris Portka, a musician based in the Bay Area, has channeled his lifelong passion and internal struggles into a unique genre he calls "trash music" - releasing the eponymous album on vinyl in 2023 and numerous other full albums throughout the years.   Initially a drummer drawn to 90s grunge, Chris was held back by crippling anxiety that muted his voice. At 31, he undertook a transformative five-year odyssey through Voice Movement Therapy, gradually unlocking the joy and power of his own voice. He now plays solo acoustic shows around cafes in the  bay area, in a relaxed robe on instagram Live, and is going on tour later this year, playing guitar and singing with the Al Harper Band.  Chris’ solo produced music oscillates between ethereal glitch rock and raw folk, often venturing into the avant-garde. With tracks like "Ambient Jazz Metal" and "A Candle is a Raging Fire," Chris delves into subconscious conflicts in his ongoing quest for self-acceptance.  Also known as djpants.eth in the NFT music community, the previous album "The #NFTBlues" reported on the ecstatic highs and vacuous lows of the never-ending simulation which exploded in 2021.

Pull Quotes / Articles

"...after hearing the radio for a few minutes, 'Trash Music' might just be the palette cleanser that you need" - Alt77

"' trash music' is akin to a grand canvas, a symphony of musical mastery, where Chris Portka artfully wields his brush and adds hues of both vivid brilliance and haunting darkness, giving birth to a truly peculiar and dreamlike album." - Indie Boulevard

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Julia Norton on Instagram

If you are ready to bring your singer or creative self out of the shadow I encourage you to join my transformative group coaching program called Your Free Voice Lab, details here, the next round starts in January.