Lead Singer and Guitarist for the American Rock Band Dashboard Confessional

Chris Carrabba | Biography

Lead singer for the band Further Seems Forever and the vocalist for the folk band Twin Forks

• By Yunil Tamrakar
• Update : October 28, 2021

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Christopher Carrabba is the lead singer and guitarist for the American rock band Dashboard Confessional.

Who Is Chris Carrabba?

Chris Carrabba is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the lead singer of Dashboard Confessional, a Florida-based rock band formed in 1999. The band’s name comes from the song ‘The Sharp Hint of New Tears,’ which appears on their debut album titled The Swiss Army Romance. 

He is also the lead singer for the band Further Seems Forever and the vocalist for the folk band Twin Forks.

How Old Is Chris Carrabba?

Chris Carrabba was born Christopher Andrew Carrabba in West Hartford, Connecticut, on 10 April 1975. Carrabba is 46 years old as of 2021. 

Education

He attended Florida Atlantic University to study education after graduating from Boca Raton Community High School. While at Boca Raton, he also sang in the high-school choir group.

Family

Carrabba’s parents split up when he was three years old. Later, when he was 16, he moved to Boca Raton, Florida, with his mother, Anne, and brother Nick. However, Carrabba keeps in touch with several of his paternal family, but not with his father, Andrew in particular. 

Carrabba also has a sister. Unfortunately, his sister caught a catastrophic car accident in 2008, putting her in a coma for several months. It was when he was winding up work on the sixth Dashboard Confessional album. He recalled having difficulty waiting for his sister to wake up and getting sent out when the visiting shift ended.

Career

Upon graduating from high school in 1998, Carrabba joined the music band Vacant Andys. While at Vacant Andys, he filled in on guitar for New Found Glory while main guitarist Chad Gilbert was touring with his other musical band, Shai Hulud. Later in college, he joined another band called The Agency. 

From 2001 to 2002, Carrabba was a member of the band Further Seems Forever for their debut album The Moon is Down before forming Dashboard Confessional. Eight years later, he reunited the band on 24 August  2010.

Carabba had only a passing interest in his musical ability, receiving his first guitar from his uncle, choosing to skateboard instead. He then taught himself to play guitar. Finally, at 15, he recorded his first solo album (titled The Swiss Army Romance) for the happiness of family and friends. But his work quickly gained traction in the music industry, leading to its eventual publication and the discovery of Dashboard Confessional. 

Moreover, Carrabba was a special education teacher who kept a guitar in his workplace to write songs during his downtime before founding Dashboard Confessional.

Dashboard Confessional 

Dashboard Confessional was founded when Carrabba recorded the Drowning EP with Fiddler Records. “I started (Dashboard) as a side project from the band I was in. I was going through something really tough at the time and since I don’t write in a journal, this is what I did with it. It was a good way to get it out of my system. I never thought anyone would hear these songs, but I played some for my friends and one of them who owned a little label talked me into recording,” Carrabba said. The song ‘The Sharp Hint of New Tears’ inspired the name Dashboard Confessional. 

Dashboard Confessional began as a side project for Carrabba. Still, it grew into a full-fledged band that received an ‘MTV2 Award’ for their video ‘Screaming Infidelities’ at the ‘MTV Music Awards’ in 2002. The Strokes, The Hives, Norah Jones, Nappy Roots, and Musiq were all nominated, and the video was considered a ‘dark horse’ contender. Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry directed the video. The clip was shot on a low budget in Los Angeles, California.

Some albums of Dashboard Confessional are Alter The Ending (2009), The Drowning Ep (2001), Crooked Shadows (2018), Swiss Army Bro-Mance (2010), Covered and Taped (2017), Dusk and summer (2006), and more.

Other Features

Carrabba has vocals for Say Anything’s ‘Retarded in Love’ and New Found Glory’s ‘The Promise’ cover. For the album Covered In The Flood, he covered Guy Clark’s ‘The Cape.’

Carrabba has appeared on the albums of several musicians, including Hot Rod Circuit, Say Anything, Twothirtyeight, New Found Glory, and Notar’s song ‘Reach.’ His tunes were also featured on the soundtracks for “Spider-Man 2” and “Shrek 2”.

Bike Accident & Surgery

Dashboard Confessional’s official Twitter account shared his photo and message on 12 June 2020. “Hi friends, on 6 June I was in a motorcycle accident. My injuries were severe but not life threatening. I owe the amazing doctors, nurses and medical team treating me with my endless gratitude. I am determined to make a full recovery, but I have surgeries and months of rehab to come,” the tweet stated.

Carrabba severely fractured and dislocated both shoulders, severing his biceps and deltoids. He also suffered rib fractures and bruises. Unfortunately, his injuries, which left him with various screws, pins, and plates on his shoulders, weren’t the only consequences of his mishap.

Following a motorbike accident in 2020, Carrabba underwent two shoulder operations. He also had a COVID-19 scare, which resulted in him being isolated in between significant surgeries. Carrabba struggled to bathe, dress, or feed himself after surgery to redrape and sew his muscles together. Muscle memory, motor abilities, and range of motion were all affected.

Wife

Carrabba has been married to his wife for a long time. However, her identity has not been made public.

Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Carrabba has an estimated net worth of $16 million as of October 2021. Carrabba has accumulated his net worth through his music career for over two decades.

Did You Know?

• Carrabba was fascinated by skateboarding and punk rock music as a teenager. 
• Carrabba had been in love with a friend since his youth, and even though he was not sure if they’d end up marrying, only a song could adequately express his feelings. As a result, he penned ‘Hands Down’ because he knew the girl would always hold a particular place in his heart.