Local UC-Davis student wins third place in song-writing contest
By Melanie Glover Special to the Acorn

University of California at Davis junior Chris Thielen is careful when selecting which of his musical creations to share with others. Because of this, one might view his delicate, lo-fi pop songs as valuable treasures, the types of memories that, if tangible, would have been stored in a child's hobby box and hidden under the bed for years.

Take, for instance, his third placewinning Search Party entry "Braids," which tickled the hearts (and ears) of this year's panel of judges with its pretty strumming guitar melody, "pencil percussion" and gently distorted vocals, not to mention the story behind the tune.

Thielen said that, while he tried to write a new song for Search Party, on the last day of submissions he chose an older track.

"I kept the song," he said. "Even the crap, you should keep it around."

Thielen wrote and recorded the number in 2005 as a gift to a "lovely madam who later found the song lovely." The guitarist, who performed live in a public forum for the first time when he played on KDVS 90.3 FM Fri., June 1, said it was hard to actually give the song to the girl because he had to face the possibility of being rejected.

Perhaps it was this intimate, humble attitude toward his personally meaningful songs that hid Thielen's true musicianship from even his parents.

"I called my parents when I won (Search Party), and they were like, 'Oh, you write songs?'" he said. "I think they thought I just make noise in the garage with my friends. It probably doesn't seem coherent through the kitchen walls."

Inspired by bands like Nirvana, The Beatles and Sonic Youth, Thielen started playing the guitar when he was 18 and converted his parents' garage in Camarillo to a jam space for him and his friends.

Recorded on a four-track in Davis, "Braids" has a true inthemoment vibe.

"With a four-track, it sounds warmer and thicker overall, so it almost sounds better (than digital recording) because you are in the correct realm (for this style of music)," he said. "If you were Led Zeppelin, a four-track wouldn't do it, but if you just have a guitar and a microphone, it's perfect."

As for the future, Thielen has already begun to form a band and said he hopes to play shows once a group is solidified, which he believes will happen this summer.

On why he decided to submit "Braids" versus a song written specifically for a contest, Thielen's answer was honest: "When you do songwriting, you write about the stuff you really care about; otherwise it's just junk-writing."

Reprinted with permission of The California Aggie.