We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chris Till a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Chris, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
For me, any positive attribute that I may have, like confidence or self-esteem, comes from God. God is good, and all good things come from God.
As a route to achievement and success, confidence is more important than intelligence, beauty, or money. If a person believes in their God-given abilities, all is possible.
God has gifted me and blessed me immensely. When I show proper confidence, which is not to be confused with the false confidence of arrogance, I am shining God’s light.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I write the songs for Toadstool Shadow. I also play guitar and serve as creative director. We’re a three-piece all-original folk band from a hidden gem of a city called Chillicothe in southern Ohio. It’s the same city that the awesome hillbilly gothic author Donald Ray Pollock lives in and writes about.
Right now, Toadstool Shadow is putting together a festival act that mixes original songs with corny jokes, like an old-time vaudeville stage act. The songs aim to be both amusing and visionary. We’re blessed to have two fantastic singers, Ellie DeGarmo and Margaret Colligan. They are a pair of songbirds who harmonize like nobody’s business. Ellie also plays kazoo, and Margaret plays melodica.
Thematically, Toadstool Shadow mines a different territory than many bands. We do songs about mythical creatures, like “Mermaid Shantey” and “Leprechaun Man.” We do songs that turn proverbs upside down, like “The Late Bird Who Caught a Worm” and “The Apple Who Fell Far from the Tree.” And we do waltzes, like “If You Were the One for Me” and “Flower Store Girl.”
In the past, we focused on our three-part fairy tale opera “Twin Spheres,” putting out two albums and a short movie in 2020-2021. It was a lot of private recording and video work, instead of playing for people live. Now, with our new festival act, we’re just trying to entertain people the old-fashioned way, one song and one smile at a time.
What’s on our schedule? We’re doing a lot of small-town festival gigs around southern Ohio this summer and fall, like the Sunflower Festival, the Bigfoot Festival, the Potato Festival, and the Fall Festival of Leaves. They’re all listed on our website. We’re particularly excited about playing the historic Majestic Theatre in Chillicothe, Ohio on December 1 for the Rock for Tots Benefit. The Majestic is the oldest theater west of the Allegheny Mountains. It’s a classic 19th century theater building. I love playing old opera houses and vaudeville theaters. It’s a dream come true.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I’m not sure I could analyze myself objectively like that, but my wife says three of my key strengths are my desire for truth, my creative nature, and my loyalty. I can’t really give others advice about their journey. I have no idea why God gave me the ability to write songs. I felt shy about it for many years and didn’t much share them. In art, it’s vital to persevere. Popularity is no measure of quality. I think I’m at my best when I’m not thinking about myself.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
It’s all due to God. My eyes are just two of God’s infinite eyes. My little mind is just an atom of God’s mind. The more I credit God, the more true and real the dream of life seems. Life’s challenges are bewildering and horrible. I spent many years lost. God brought me home.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.toadstoolshadow.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toadstoolshadow/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toadstoolshadow
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToadstoolShadow
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/toadstoolshadow
Image Credits
Photos by Rhiannon Till
