Blake Chen

Blake Chen (born 1971) is a contemporary musician/composer and graphic artist. He has sometimes called himself "The Haunted Troubador" or "The Hungry Ghost."

Born in Singapore, Chen emigrated to the United States and graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He recorded and produced his first CD, titled "An Immigrant Song," in 1997; he followed this with "Shadow" in 2000, and "The Hungry Ghost" in 2002. Chen has cited Bob Dylan as his greatest influence, along with Leonard Cohen, Moby, Beck, and Portishead. His music blends influences from techno, goth, trip-hop, and acoustic rock. He has also collaborated with the Detroit group N2 Submission.

In live performance, he appears as a caped figure (he has a self-described "penchant for capes, masks, double identities") singing and playing guitar, backed by drum loops and sonic effects.

In graphic arts, Chen is noted for writing and drawing the on-line comic "Twilight Lady," which explores themes of occultism and alienation in contemporary culture.Fact|date=October 2007 The first volume of "Twilight Lady" was released in print in 2007 by Ghost Media. In the visual domain, he cites David Lynch and Hitchcock's "The Birds," and the "Swamp Thing" comics of Alan Moore as influences.

Discography

* "An Immigrant Song" (1997), Snakeweed Records; also called "Old Ghosts"
* "Shadow" (2000), WHIMusic Records
* "The Hungry Ghost" (2002), WHIMusic Records

External links

* [http://www.twilightlady.com "Twilight Lady," Chen's webcomic.]
* [http://www.thehungryghost.com "The Hungry Ghost," Chen's website.]
* [http://www.blogger.com/profile/14793446792666207535 Chen's blogger profile.]