Folk singer/songwriter Chris Ayer grew up in McLean, Virginia, and began playing guitar and writing songs in his teens. While attending Stanford University, where he studied philosophy and music, he launched his performing career and self-released his debut EP, STATIC, in 2003. Following college, after a year of playing around the Bay Area, Ayer decided to move to New York, eventually settling in Brooklyn in 2005. He booked himself into shows around the country and released a second EP, NEW SONGS, in August 2005. A full-length album, THIS IS THE PLACE, followed in 2006 and included the song "Evaporate," which won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the folk category. Ayer next released LIVE SESSIONS and the CENTER RING EP, both in 2007. And his second full-length studio album, DON'T GO BACK TO SLEEP, came out in 2009.