Given the question: Facts:   - instrument: vocals , guitar    - years active: 1996 ? -- present    - origin: usa chicago , illinois    - genre: indie rock , folk      - name: chris mills    - background: solo_singer    - website: -lsb- http://www.chris-mills.com/ chris-mills . com -rsb-    - associated acts: fruit bats   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of chris mills -lrb- musician -rrb- .
The answer is:
chris mills is an american singer-songwriter .in the 1990s and early 2000s he established himself as a mainstay on the independent chicago folk and alternative country scene before moving to brooklyn in 2003 .after playing in a high-school speed metal band with rob lloyd named crystal meth death , mills turned his attention to country and folk music .mills released his first eps in 1996 and 1997 , and signed to chicago indie label sugar free records in 1998 .a tour in england followed his 2000 release , `` kiss it goodbye '' .after the collapse of sugar free records , mills released `` the silver line '' on his own label , powerless pop records .in 2005 mills signed with brooklyn indie label ernest jenning record co. and released `` the wall to wall sessions '' , an album recorded and mixed entirely live to 2-track tape .he toured england in 2005 , following an american tour opening for lucero .in 2008 he released `` living in the aftermath '' on ernest jenning followed again by tours in the u.s. and europe .in 2009 , the track `` such a beautiful thing '' from `` living in the aftermath '' was featured on the popular television show `` criminal minds '' in the episode `` cradle to the grave '' .in 2011 he released ` the heavy years 2000-2010 ' a career retrospective collection .