Christopher studied jazz guitar under Rick Vandivier at San Jose State University — the same Rick Vandivier who co-led Primary Colors alongside Nate Pruitt, Michael’s mentor. Neither Christopher nor Michael knew that when they found each other in their early twenties. What they built together in those early years — a young crooner and a jazz guitarist shaped by one of the Bay Area’s finest — had the bones of something real. The early Vintage Noise stages, from Castlewood Country Club to Yoshi’s San Francisco, were theirs.
Christopher eventually moved on to pursue his own projects — composing, teaching, leading his own ensembles. The band evolved, the sound deepened, and life took them both in different directions. When Christopher returns, it feels less like a guest appearance and more like a reminder of where it all began. Some foundations don’t need to be seen to hold everything up.