Chris Yakopcic (ya-cop-sick) first charms you with his small town, boy next door voice, and smooth storytelling. Then he draws you in with a bevy of tasty guitar flourishes that mix Piedmont and delta styles of melody and moan, before laying down greasy slide on his resonator. The Dayton Ohio based guitarist is poised to break out with the release of his second full-length album, The Next Place I Leave. His style builds on the high-energy fingerpicking innovated by the likes of Robert Johnson and Blind Blake. Chris attempts to continue the wandering and uncertain tradition of these blues innovators as he tours the country as a solo blues artist and songwriter, in a continual effort to find a story worth telling. In January 2015, Chris was a finalist in the 31st International Blues Challenge (top 8 of 100 competing solo/duo acts) in Memphis, TN. In April 2018, Chris was able to not only claim the top spot in the Western PA blue challenge, he was also recognized with an award given to the best guitar player competing in the event.
