Chris Ayer's attempt at bringing his music to new audiences has led him from Virginia to California to New York to -- more often than not -- his own car. "When I decided I was going to just do this, I decided to move to New York," Ayer told Spinner. "And then I decided I was going to tour, and I moved into my Toyota Camry."

The singer-songwriter, who's been playing live shows "pretty much non-stop this year" and most of last year, made Spinner's office one of his destinations when he recently came by to perform songs off of his new album, 'Don't Go Back to Sleep.'

"You're not going to sit in your bedroom and just play to yourself," Ayer said of his frequent time on the road. "I feel like the point is to share, to create situations where people kind of come together."

Ayer, who was a winner in the 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Competition, was brought up on Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, James Taylor and Bob Dylan, and the "subconscious effect" of it shows in the folk-pop of the tunes 'Awake' and 'Opening,' and the bluegrass of 'Roy G. Biv.'

Ayer eventually found himself in Nashville, where he recorded his album. "It's a country place, but there's so many people there that don't listen to country," Ayer said. "But really, whether you like mainstream country or not, there's so much about the American roots tradition that is a rich style of music ... for me it was the perfect match."

Now, Ayer is still on the road promoting his new release. When asked about the tattoo we spotted on his arm as he performed for us, Ayer laughed and admitted it was actually only the mark of a tour routine: "I lose set lists, so I just write them on my arm."

Chris Ayer Tour Dates
on TourTracker.com