Backroads is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

With money by the vote of the people November 4th 2008.

[Instrumental music] First day jitters, I hop into my clothes like I am cool calm and collected.

I'm a real go-getter but growing up can kill you and it's not a thing like we expected [Instrumental music] Oh, the life I always wanted feel's so close Oh the dreamer deep in me is just a ghost and I don't want it anymore I don't want it anymore [instrumental music] I'm not bitter but I'm not who I was when I was young and optimistic The shoe won't fit her so Cinderella's home to dance alone so cue into the mystic.

[instrumental music] Oh, the life I always wanted feels so close Oh the dreamer deep in me is just a ghost and I don't want it anymore I don't want it anymore [instrumental music] In my Xl sweater I'll pull myself together and I'll swim inside the stitching we'll be friends forever I don't keep in touch with you too much, I don't even know what I'm missing Oh the life I always wanted feels so close Oh the dreamer deep in me is just a ghost I don't want it anymore I don't want it anymore [instrumental music] Can I be the one who falls in love?

To stay the one who falls in love?

To be the one who falls in love too fast?

Should I be the one who falls in love?

To stay the one who falls in love?

To be the one who falls in love too fast?

Oh the life I always wanted feels so close but oh the dream that's deep in me is just a ghost and I don't want it anymore I don't want it anymore I don't want it anymore My name is Christian Wheeler and I'm a singer-songwriter who lives in Saint Paul Minnesota.

I am in a lot of projects and I am like both a freelance professional musician/guitar player/drummer and do original music in town.

My dad was a professional studio drummer in the late 80s and early 90s so my earliest memories were carrying drum cases into clubs I wasn't allowed to be in and going into studios and they'd take my little baby finger and press record for like big jingle sessions and stuff like that so I grew up around musicians and those are kind of the people I feel most comfortable around so then I got a little older and then kind of got the bug and all of a sudden I was playing with those same people so it was great.

[instrumental music] Well you're next to me when you're next to me And you're nice to me when you try to be You're moving out and starting over [instrumental music] Well I feel for you Yeah I really do so go on and follow through make your dreams come true you're moving out and starting over [instrumental music] You don't want to cry Cause we were wonderful Yeah we were wonderful and this is not goodbye You don't want to cry Cause we were beautiful Yeah we were beautiful and this is no good [instrumental music] Well I believe didn't you believe just you, the cat, and me, a family You're moving out and starting over [instrumental music] you don't want to cry cause we were wonderful, yeah we were wonderful and this is not goodbye You don't have to cry and cause we were beautiful yeah we were beautiful but this is no good, no good, no good [instrumental music] I'm moving out and starting over...

So I play a lot with a lot of original music projects uh in the twin cities I've been part of a collective called Kremblums for a number of years which includes 26 Bats and Lucid Vanguard and the singer-songwriter Warren Thomas Fenzie and that's been a really important part of my musical life for the last few years and then in addition to those you know I've been playing with Jillian Ray for a number of years.

I straddle the line between original music and being a gun for hire session player like my dad was and so I actually do a lot of musical theater stuff.

I love playing in pits for musicals.

So it's nice to have that balance of you know showing up and playing sheet music or you know making some other songwriters so vision come to life and then being in a more collaborative situation with my friends where it's a little more laid back and we're trying to make something a little bit more new and a little more boundary pushing.

Well I'm fine but I've been better I like standing still outside when there is stormy weather.

Is that a crime?

I'm not a first offender.

It'll take time before I piece my whole life together.

Will you open up your door?

All my friends think I'm a bore.

I'm not the man you love but I'll get over it.

I'm looking for a way to finally grow from this I'm not over you.

I'm not over you Well I'm tired but I'm still standing.

I'm so wired this party's physically demanding.

and I get better at disguise and still get shy when people ask me how I deal with him.

Will you open up your door All my friends think I'm a bore cause I'm not the man you love and I can deal with it.

But I don't have to like the way you feel for him.

I'm not over you.

I'm not over you.

I'm not over you.

oh I'm not over you.

[Instrumental music] Would you remember me when we're both 83?

And wonder what might have been.

No.

Do you remember saying that you were ready for love or were you now ready for me.

I don't know what goes on inside your mind and I don't know what goes on inside your heart I need you to start to explain it to me.

Love me.

Let me down easily.

Tell me.

cause I don't think that I can sleep not knowing where we stand.

How you feel.

Not knowing if this time is for real.

So love me now or let me down [Instrumental music] Will it be me and you when we're both 42.

Will you even know my name I never did listen much I'm a little cold to the touch but you never once thought to explain And I don't know what goes on inside your mind.

And I don't know what goes on inside your heart start to explain it to me.

Love me.

Let me down easily tell me cause I don't think that I can sleep not knowing where we stand how you feel.

Not knowing if this time is for real.

So love me now let me down [Instrumental music] I absolutely love the Minnesota music scene and I've talked about this when I've been on the road in different places, how great and small it feels for a medium large sized city.

It's really supportive.

I've met a lot of amazing songwriters here and I wouldn't be who I am as a musician if it wasn't for Minneapolis.

I'm a big music history nerd and I again I could go on for you know hours about how important to me the replacements and who Skirdu and Prince obviously.

And all the great jazz musicians.

You know when I was 15 years old I would sort of not sneak in but i got special dispensation to go into the artist quarter with my dad.

And you know listen to Phil Haye and Eric Gravatt and all these great jazz musicians who are here too.

And so I've been just really inspired and raised by the musicians of Minneapolis, quite literally raised by them.

Whether it's the session players or the jazz guys or the songwriters or the you know the rock and rollers or the you know the punk rockers.

Like this city sort of has defined my musical identity in a lot of ways and I'm infinitely grateful for that.

[Instrumental music] Sunset on the stone arch bridge.

No place to be alone.

I'm flirting with my phone again as lovers melt the snow.

A sappy kind of lonely, I'm happy and depressed.

I need someone to show me about love and all the rest.

So sing me to sleep, string up the moon alone in the street.

I'm homesick for you, sing me to sleep is that all you can do believe in me.

I'm homesick for you.

She tripped and then I caught her for real I swear it happened.

It's no romantic metaphor, we kissed and started laughing.

Somewhere by the water, the city's smiling down and I'm so glad I caught her with nobody else around.

So sing me to sleep and string up the moon alone in the street.

I'm homesick for you.

Sing me to sleep it's that all you can do believe in me I'm homesick for you.

[Instrumental music] My questions filled the chapter, your answers filled a book.

No happy ever after after all the time I took.

Somewhere by the water where I saw your raven hair.

I thought of how I caught her but I blinked and she's not there.

Oh.... oh...

So sing me to sleep, string up the moon I'm homesick for you.

I would never want to be a you know stale traditionalist.

I think boundary pushing is extremely important because at the end of the day all the things that I said, that I loved in music, were some form of you know modernist.

And that is based in sort of form pushing and you know rejection of the old.

So if I'm coming at rock and roll or jazz that is defining in some ways but came out of experimentation.

Especially the beetles like they are they were very popular but they were also very avant-garde.

And so if I were to just be a a backward-looking artist I would actually have missed the point completely.

I want to seek what my heroes sought.

I don't want to be them.

[Instrumental music] Now that I got you crying let's have some fun.

Woah... Stop.

Woah... Stop.

Cause I'm in love, but not with you.

Slow down It's time to turn your big brown eyes around.

Cause I'll stay true, if not for you You are not the girl I love You are not the girl I love You are not the girl I love You are not the girl I love Think I better back up baby Think I better back up baby, I think I better back up baby, tonight.

[Instrumental music] Woah..

Please.

It's time to get your hands on my knees, cause I'll be true if you'll let me be... You are not the girl I love You are not the girl I love You are not the girl I love You are not the girl I love Woah..

I think I better back up baby.

think I better back up baby think I better back up baby tonight.

Let's do another one..

I was in a hurry, time was running late, my time was running out, nowhere to wait tonight.

No no not tonight, slowing to a stop stuck on 94, my time was running out, nowhere to go tonight No, No not tonight, well it's stop and go... stop and go see you, Stop and go stop and go Well it's magic to fall in love in traffic, Well It's stop and go stop and go... see you.

Stop and go stop and go... cause it's magic.

Magic to fall in love in traffic.

Traffic.

[Instrumental music] I was running out.

Time was running out.

there is nowhere to go.

No way out tonight.

No no not tonight.

Slowing to a stop stuck I'm 35.

My heart is gonna drop.

I'm barely alive tonight.

No no not tonight.

Well let's stop and go stop and go... see you Stop and go stop and go... cause it's magic.

Magic You're falling loving traffic.

Traffic.

Do it at home... Stop and go stop and go... see you.

Stop and go stop and go... well it's magic.

Magic.

To fall in love in traffic.

Traffic.

You are not the girl I love... You are not the girl I love... You are not the girl I love... You are not the girl I love... Woah...

I think I better back up baby.

I think I better back up baby.

I think I better, I think I better, I think I better, I think I better.... Backroads is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

With money by the vote of the people November 4th 2008.