old news

2.1.2008
NOTICE: The Schuba's show for Friday has sold out!

1.2.2008 CD Release Show Coming Up!
Essex Chanel is having a CD release show at Schuba's Tavern on February 1st for Dancing at Weddings! Travis will be performing with many friends (Stephen Dranger, Mike Regan, Mike Rice, & Micah Trivisonno) to play the whole CD live.
click this image
Dancing at Weddings CD Release Show
2.1.2008
Schuba's Tavern
3149 N. Southport Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
9:30 pm, +18, $10
w/ Ra Ra Riot & The Virgins
Essex Chanel will be performing the CD in its entirety, full band.


Dancing at Weddings officially released 1.18.2008!
You can order a copy in the store section of www.travisleewiggins.com! A video was filmed for the song Get up and Dance with AnC Movies, and it should be done shortly.
Click here to listen to the single, Get Up and Dance.

11.28.2007
Two new songs released for The Album is Dead! Listen to them here.

11.28.2007

Dancing at Weddings is complete! A video was shot for the song Get up and dance with AnC Movies. While the album officially releases on 1.18.2008, you can order an advance copy in the store section! You can download and preview the single version of Get up and dance here.

10.30.2007
Thanks to everyone who came out to the show on Saturday! Pictures at Travis's flickr page. Video will be up soon.

10.24.2007
The Essex Chanel albums Biting the Hand that Feeds You & 67 Car Commercials has been review by Score! Magazine. Read the Review here.

10.10.2007 Essex Chanel Show Announced!
Saturday 10.27.2007
Essex Chanel Show this Saturday! FREE BEER!

I’ll be supplying FREE beer (while supplies last & if your +21) to those who come to see Essex Chanel this Saturday @ South Union Arts. I know most everyone is heading out to a Halloween party Saturday and this will be a great start to a fantastic Halloween night! See Essex Chanel and drink some free beer! Essex Chanel Live! w/ Brett Rosenberg (Nashville) & The Metapuffs. I’ll be playing some Essex Chanel songs with Stephen Dranger & Mike Regan (yes we all used to be in Fetla). This is the first time you'll be able to see live all your favorite songs from my albums full band! We start at 9:00, so they'll be plenty of time to head out to your party.

Take care and have a great Halloween Party Night!
- travis

South Union Arts
1352 S. UNION (just 2 blocks south of Roosevelt Rd)
Chicago, IL
Essex Chanel will be playing full band w/Stephen Dranger (bass & keys) & Mike Regan (drums).
w/ Brett Rosenberg (who has played with Damien Rice, Of Montreal, Josh Ritter, and John Doe [of X])& The Metapuffs
All Ages, BYOB (FREE beer while supplies last)
8:30 pm, $10 suggested donation

8.15.2007
A new song for the Album is Dead called The day I forgot to put deoderant on has been uploaded! Listen to it here. ALSO! The Travis Lee Wiggins Online Store has been created, where you can get most of the Essex Chanel albums! Click above to check out the merchandise!

8.5.2007
Spur of the Moment is now available on iTunes & Rhapsody.com!

7.14.2007Travis is working on a new Essex Chanel CD, loosely titled Dancing at Weddings. This album is quite a departure from some of the Essex Chanel sound, and was quite a surprise from the get-go. It's really fresh and we'll see where it takes us. He's still working on Love is Proximity, but when you have many musicians involved, maybe it isn't the best idea to start a CD with 38 songs!

6.23.2007
3 new songs released!

The album is dead as we know it. The album itself was a response to the medium it was distributed on. The Album is Dead is how albums will be in the future, released as Music Collections. Releases as they are complete (sometimes minutes after the final mix is approved), not a marketing campaign with a date 5 months in the future. All songs released online, for free. Download the songs, and put the songs in order as you wish. Include the ones you love. New tracks all the time, so check back often.

5.28.2007 Thanks to Everyone who came out to the Essex Chanel Show at the Note!! I performed some of my favorite songs with just me and my guitar. Some of them were old classics and some I haven't really got around to recording yet, so hardly anyone has heard them. It was a cozy night, and I even broke out the harmonica for a couple tunes. It was a good chance to hear some of these songs played without all the production. I'm hoping to record them more like this eventually. The set list of the show was as follows:

1. American Dream
2. Thank You For...
3. When They Leave
4. I Know You Didn't Think About
5. My Right Hand is My Best Friend
6. Lost in Details
7. Heart Of Darkness (Sparklehorse cover)
8. Disappearing Act
9. Bottom of An Empty Cereal Box
10. That Girl From St. Louis
11. Time
12. Things Aren't Like They Used to Be

I handed out free CDs at the show if you made it. It was the beginning tracks to a new Essex Chanel project that's called The Album is Dead. For this project, I will release songs when they get completed, not to go on an album. The album, for most people, is dead anyways. I say this and realize I'm doing this project and writing and recording albums as well. Isn't contradiction great?!

4.18.2007Travis is working on a new album called Love is Proximity This one is going to be a little bit different than most Essex Chanel releases, in part because he's not playing the majority of the instruments on the album. Travis is doing a lot of arranging, and working with some friends who play: violin, cello, drums, lapsteel, pedal steel, and some female singers. He'll probably release an album or 2 before this one comes out, so stay tuned.

4.18.2007 SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT:
Yes indeed, Essex Chanel's first 'real' show in 19 months. Real meaning I didn't make a surprise appearance and am actually on the bill to play! Don't miss it!
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

@ The NOTE
1565 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL
w/ The Shaky Hands & The Monocles
8:00 pm, +21
$ 8 in advance (www.mpshows.com)
$10 at door

4.9.2007 Cropcircles Released!
You can download the album for free. If you'd like (and I'd like) you can donate $5 for downloading the album (in the buy shit$$ section). Essex Chanel only lost $4,339.18 last year! Maybe someday this won't be some glorified hobby!

3.13. 2007
BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU RELEASED!

3.5.2007

A new Essex Chanel album will be released on 3.13.2007! 19 songs! To wet your appetite, today I'll make available 7 BONUS car commercials that didn't make it onto the original 67 Car Commercials.

Also, I've made a zip file for the January 2007 project, so you can download all the mp3s with tags at once!

1.1.2007.
January 2007 Happy New Year! Essex Chanel will write, record, & release a song every day in January. Check back often to listen to the songs as they get complete!