Chris Funk is the multistring instrumentalist in a nationally signed and successful modern rock group, The Decemberists.

Funk is also a local kid, reared in Valparaiso, who loves his hometown region and its people. Those local folks who knew him then feel the same way about him.

"I bought a guitar from Chris when he was working at Front Porch and we got to talking," said Chad Clifford, band leader of region rock group, The Crawpuppies, and current manager of Front Porch Music in Valparaiso.

Clifford soon after began teaching at Front Porch and the two became fast friends with Funk sometimes sitting in and jamming with Clifford at his solo shows around town at places like The Court and at the Front Porch basement coffeehouse.

"When Chris came through our (school band) program he was a baritone saxophone player," recalled Dan Pritchett, a 32-year veteran of Valparaiso High School's Band Department.

"Chris was in All-State Band and in the National Honors Band, so he went to Washington, D.C., and played his saxophone there in a national concert with kids from all around the country. I know he is famous for playing guitar now, but Chris was certainly one of the finest baritone saxophone players we have ever had in this school."

Pritchett hailed his former charge as being "very much a musical renaissance man even back then.

"What I remember most about Chris, was that the minute he saw an instrument that he was not familiar with, he had to pick it up and learn how to play it. He would always be the first guy to roll up his sleeves and sit down with it and figure it out. And he'd always be able to play something passable on it within a few hours," Clifford said.

"That is why he plays such an important role in The Decemberists. He's a very good guitarist, but there are a lot of good guitarists. Chris is so good with so many instruments. He has this knack for picking things up so quickly."

"Chris comes from a very fine family. His parents were very involved in the music department here in the school, chaperoning band trips and helping with fund raisers and whatever they could do," Pritchett said. "So I got to know Chris and his family quite well.

When Chris attended Valparaiso High, Pritchett's own kids were quite young and often tagged along with their dad. "Chris and his family invited my kids over to swim at their house. He was always nice to them, so they also think the world of him and are also very happy for his success," Pritchett said.

Clifford's wife, Michelle, was a band student with Funk.

"She played clarinet and saxophone. Chris was always happy to help her and other kids with things," he said.

While he has never seen The Decemberists live in concert, Pritchett knows their music well.

"I have their latest CD ("The Crane Wife") in my truck right now. I've watched Chris and his band on 'David Letterman' and on the 'The Colbert Report,' and my kids let me know when he is going to be on television," Pritchett said.

"I know he will never let success go to his head, because he's a well-grounded kid. No matter what happens, he'll always just be 'Chris' and for him, it will always be about the music."

While Clifford may have influenced Funk some years back, the creative impact has come full circle.

"I'm currently writing songs for the second Crawpuppies album and after listening more and more to The Decemberists and what Chris is contributing to those records, I'm hearing more eclectic instrumentation in my own head," he said.