Words and music -- they are Christopher Ave's passions. As a career journalist and lifelong musician, Christopher has spent countless hours telling stories with sound as well as text. Along the way, he has played in various bands, performed in clubs, coffee houses and corporate gatherings and written and recorded dozens of pieces of music for numerous clients. He began recording original music in the early 1980s using a noisy four-track analog recorder, a "Rockman" amplifier simulator and a No. 2 pencil and a set of keys to a Toyota Celica Supra (for drums). Now, from the slightly updated Getting Better Recording studio in Kirkwood, Mo., he creates custom, royalty-free music in a wide variety of genres for websites, video projects and business customers. He also works fulltime as political editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Christopher is married to Melanie and has four children. In his spare time he immerses himself in all things Beatle and counts his interviews with Beatles balance engineer Geoff Emerick as a career highlight.