Chris Blanton CD release set for tonight

Chris Blanton has gone through a lot of stages and snapshots - both good and bad - in his life. But the sum of those parts has led him closer to his creator, he says.

That's why Blanton's latest Christian music album is a little scattered. He poses questions and praises God. He's both thankful and thoughtful, drawing from his own struggles and salvation.

The result is an album that he hopes can touch everyone who listens.

"I want everyone to hear at least one song on there that resonates with their journey," Blanton said last Friday. "My music is meant to make you think about the reality of the relationship we have with our creator."

Blanton's reality is nothing like the one he dreamed up 15 years ago. At 34, he teaches music to about 50 students a week and goes from church to church leading worship bands.

He didn't see himself doing that when he was 20. He was supposed to be leading services at some mega-church with a big-name evangelical pastor.

But the life God has given him now is so much better than anything he could've scratched up, he said.

He and his wife, Laura, have built a successful music school in their finished basement on Athens' east side. Laura teaches classical piano, while Blanton handles guitar, bass, drums, singing and mandolin, to name a few.

His office is a musician's playground, complete with thick gray carpet, a handful of amps and guitars, a digital piano and jazz-kit drum set.

W