Local Ames musician Chris Ford, better known as Christopher the Conquered, will be releasing a new live recorded album entitled “A Passing Melody” on Oct. 2.

This latest album is produced by Ford’s own Maximum Ames Records and is the first live album of his career. With an audience of about 70, the album was recorded at Des Moines’ Salisbury House on the Salisbury’s prized custom-made grand piano, which is worth over $1 million.  

Ford donated a concert as an auction item to the Salisbury House and decided to record the concert because of how special the venue was. After hearing the recording, he knew he wanted to make a live album that would be unique.

During the night of the recording, Ford said most of the audience had not heard of him before. Ford explained that most live albums are in front of huge crowds of dedicated fans and how the small audience factored into this album.

“I wanted [the album] to have sort of a more intimate and awkward vibe to it, where you are meeting me for the first time, and it makes it more personal,” Ford said.

Ford made it clear why “A Passing Melody” is a musical self-portrait. He wanted to compile songs from past albums and some of his new songs to paint a picture of who he is and what he has done so far in his career, all while reintroducing the songs in a new setting and form.    

Every song on the album is written by Ford himself, and it features eleven tracks. Some of the songs include “I’m Not That Famous Yet,” “I’m Giving Up on Rock and Roll” and “The Greatest Record Ever in the History of Pop Music.” 

Between tracks Ford, his mother and grandmother can be heard in a sort of ongoing conversation throughout the album.

Ford had this idea after his mother wanted to interview his grandmother about her past.

“[My grandmother] has this really interesting story, she never talks about her family,” Ford said.

He saw this as a duel opportunity to help his mother out and have a way to tie his tracks together.

Many guest artists who are friends of Ford also accompany him, including Kyle Gowin on tenor saxophone and Tina Haase Findlay on backup vocals. This is also the group’s first major project together.

Inside the cover, the album features a special poster, with sketches drawn by Jennifer Leatherby. On one side are four frames, modeled after the ones in the Salisbury House. In each frame, there are sketches of Ford, Gowin, Findlay and producer Patrick Tape Fleming, who is also in Gloom Balloon. The other side of the poster features a portrait of the Salisbury stage. Ford said he loved the style of Leatherby’s quick sketches and that he wanted to combine them with the frames of Salisbury to create a unique style that would capture the night.

With this being an experimental album, Ford hopes it will inspire more simple and raw music.

“What I would say more than anything is that I would like to see more people being comfortable producing albums that are relatively stripped down in terms of the music,” Ford said.

Ford is currently on tour promoting “A Passing Melody.” He plans to do shows around the country and even take the show abroad to Germany and Italy in early 2016 right before the release of his next studio album “I’m Giving Up on Rock and Roll.”

For more information, visit Christopher the Conquered’s website.