Christian Hansen & The Autistics

Christian Hansen
Also known as CHATA
Origin Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Genres Alternative Pop, Dance, Disco
Years active 2007 (2007)–present
Labels Unsigned
Website christianhansenband.com
Members Christian Hansen
Molly Flood

Christian Hansen is a musical group out of Edmonton, Alberta. Formed late in 2007, the band consists of Christian Hansen and Molly Flood. The band describes themselves as "the dazzle of disco mixed with the immediacy of punk rock. A dangerous sweat and love fest of epic proportions." They built up a local following in Edmonton before beginning a cross Canada tour and gaining radio play on CBC radio. All of this led to their first full-length album, "Power Leopard," which debuted in March 2009.

Early years

Christian Hansen formed a band in early 2007 with Molly Flood with the name Christian Hansen and The Autistics. Shortly after, they released a short three-song demo, the Power Leopard EP, and its single "Cocaine Trade" was named Song of the Year from local newspaper The Edmonton Journal. With this build of momentum, CHATA won Sonic 102.9's Band of the Month February 2009 and by the end of February, the band sold out their venue in just 6 minutes. In March 2009, they were awarded a $10,000 development grant for Edmonton artists from Rawlco Radio. This grant lead to the band's first full-length album Power Leopard.

Power Leopard

in March 2009, the group released their debut full-length album titled Power Leopard. The album was produced and recorded by Doug Organ of Edmontone Studio. Power Leopard gained recognition with the singles "Cocaine Trade" and "Pump It", which were put into rotation on Edmonton’s Sonic 102.9 FM. The album received numerous accolades. "Cocaine Trade" became the 4th most requested song of the year on Sonic 102.9 FM, and was also declared song of the year by Sandra Sperounes of the Edmonton Journal. Power Leopard reached number 5 on Megatunes top 30 record sales for the week of 10 September 2009. A four-song EP, Swans, was released on 4 June 2010.

The band's live line-up changed in spring 2011, adding a rhythm section of Doug Organ on drums and Doug Hoyer on bass. Molly Flood and Christian Hansen announced that they would be relocating to Toronto via the Edmonton Journal on 28 September 2011. On 26 April 2012 the band officially changed their name to Christian Hansen, due to the change in musical style and band personnel.

Relocation and second album

Core members Hansen and Flood relocated the band to Toronto in 2011. In October 2012, the band released their second full-length album, C'mon Arizona, emphasizing the guitar-based rock esthetic that had been hinted at on the first two releases. 2012 also saw the addition of Dustin Hawthorne (formerly of Hot Hot Heat) on bass and Al Boyle (of You Say Party) on drums.

Discography

Albums

Year Album Details Chart Peak Positions
2009 Power Leopard N/A
2012 C'mon Arizona N/A

EPs

Year Album Details
2008 Power Leopard 3 Song EP
2010 Swans 4 Song EP
2014 Small Fry 4 Song EP

Singles

Members

Awards

Voted one of Edmonton's Favorite Bands in SEE Magazine
In March 2009 they released debut full length POWER LEOPARD. 2 songs from the album were picked up by Sonic 102.9FM and XM Satellite Radio
They were nominated for Best New Artist by XM Radio, played SLED ISLAND, NMW, Boonstock, and NXNE (June 2010).
Edmonton Journal published an article naming "Cocaine Trade" as 2008 Song of the Year.
Stuart Derdeyn from Vancouver's Province Newspaper included them in his TOP 10 PERFORMANCES OF 2009.

Miscellaneous

Both members of the band are University of Alberta alumni, graduating with the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama. Christian Hansen and Molly Flood were married 5 September 2009.

The band’s name has been a controversial topic but the band has maintained a positive outlook towards their name saying they are paying homage to Autism and the people it affects. In 2009, Hansen told an interviewer, "People have thought that we're making fun of autistic people, but nothing could be further from the truth. The name is an absolute tribute." 2009 was also the same year Christian Hansen won an award for Support Worker of the Year from the Autism Society of Edmonton for his actions working with autism and other conditions.

References

External links

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