Kiss Me Hello is a record of my songs.
Produced by Mark Schatz.
& now... The Making of Kiss Me Hello! A self-guided documentary filmstrip.
Featuring: Scott Senior (percussionist from The Duhks), Ruth Ungar & Aoife O'Donovan (harmony vocalists from The Mammals, Crooked Still & Sometymes Why), Danny Knicely (guitar & banjo), Oliver Steck (piano & trumpet), Frank Russo (drums), Eric Merrill (fiddle & viola), Rushad Eggleston (cello), Jake Armerding(harmony), and more, and more...
Influences
My friends who play & listen to music.
Some dancers to start off with: Eileen Carson & Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, Megan Downes, Chrissy Galante, Emily Crews, Benoit Bourque, Step Afrika!, Jason Nious, Maureen Berry, Phil Jamison, Rodney Sutton & the Green Grass Cloggers, Matty Gordon, Heidi Kulas & the Bailey Mountain Cloggers, Sharon Leahy, Emma Leahy Good, Abby & Evie Ladin of Rhythm in Shoes, Sandy Silva, Nic Gareiss, Matty Olwell of Good Foot Dance Company, Joe Rankin, Betty Matheson, Helen & Dawn MacDonald & the rest from stepdance night at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Sydney, Cape Breton.
It's harder to choose amongst the songwriter, instrumentalist, spiritual & culinary influences. I'll think about it.
Sounds Like
NEW VIDEOS!
This music video was made by my friend Rose Polenzani at her very own birthday party on March Something. I’m on the Blue Team and I do something silly with Austin Nevins’ scarf. See me??
And now... these beautiful girls are known as the AKM Telegrammers, and they are singing my song Crayola in their pyjamas. One of the girls is singing Mark Schatz’ bass part note for note. I got to meet some of these lovelies while Uncle Earl was in Pennsylvania this winter.
Background: "Each of four different social clubs at the Academy of the New Church a couple of times a year pick 8 or so of their members to put together a little set of a cappella songs to sing (in some kind of thematic costume) for the other clubs. It’s an old tradition known as "Telegrams"... The kids are 100% responsible for arranging and teaching each other their parts."
And now... back to our (now)permanent exhibits...
EXHIBIT A:Uncle Earl made a music video! Kung Fu clogging comes to a theater near You(Tube).
Now more generally, here’s my discography, in reverse chronological order:
EXHIBIT B: This is a short "horror" movie and the soundtrack is all songs from Kiss Me Hello! Ha. It was made by some friends in 48 hours as a part of Boston’s 48 Hour Film Project.
EXHIBIT C: While recording Kiss Me Hello, Mark Schatz, mid-take, makes a dancing girl from a matchbox and attaches her to Scott Senior’s high hat sizzle beads. Madness...
I write songs and perform as a singer and dancer in a couple of different bands.
I announce new songs and dates in my very occasional newsletter.
I don't check myspace messages regularly. If you need a quick answer to a question, you can find my e-mail address (along with song lyrics, bio & more) at the Yellowcar Music web site.
And now all that's taken care of...
My new album is called Kiss Me Hello. You can listen to all the songs at CD Baby. You can also see pictures from "the making of" the record over there on the left. And you can find release info and downloadable print-quality pictures here.
Many people now know me best as a member of the "all g'Earl" stringband Uncle Earl. My bandmates are Rayna Gellert, KC Groves & Abigail Washburn. We have two albums on Rounder Records, each produced by a superstar: Dirk Powell produced She Waits for Night and John Paul Jones produced Waterloo, Tennessee. We play old-time traditionals and new-time originals.
My other band is the velvety "folk noir" vocal trio Sometymes Why. This is me plus Ruth Ungar and Aoife O'Donovan. We sing our original songs with dreamy ukuleles, glockenspiel, piano and many tiny instruments that fit in a suitcase.
For five years, I toured professionally and taught dance with the amazing Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, and I still do some flatfooting in the Uncle Earl show and also in Kung Fu clogging videos made by Uncle Earl. Seek this out...
A select few will know about two of the best records I ever made. These are Death & Taxes and Tax Return. If you like fiddles, banjos and found-sound loops, you must have a listen to what Pierce Woodward, Laura Cortese and I did as The Jolly Bankers.
And since you've made it to the end of this little blurb, I will now quietly admit that sometimes I am the Curator of a strange photo collection called The Wild Dead. Not to be viewed during lunch. That's all I'll say.
I'm from the Ft. Collins, Loveland, Boulder area. Way back in the day, before Uncle Earl, one of my favorite bands, leftover salmon played quite a bit on pearl street-- I really liked KC's music, and voice and saw her perform in various areas/ bands, and was thrilled when one day, I heard that one of my favorite Colorado artists, along with some other great artists formed a band called, Uncle Earl!
Of course, you guys are slightly different from The band, Leftover Salmon.
Your going to be playing at one of my old fave. hangouts, Avos's in Ft Collins. So, if you like veggie food, I highly reccommend their tempeh. They also have good coffee & beer.
kmay! wow! will i see you at fiddle tunes? am headed to seattle on friday and then shasta! no way, k, celtic connections is defo going to happen! what can i do? have not been asked about footworks show in march but would certainly be interested. missing you, your music and your placid presence. ICONs, right?
Just passing by and thought I'd say hi! Hope we'll see you back in Edinburgh some day - Laura, Aoife and pals knocked our socks off when they played at our club last week!!
Cheers from Martin and everyone at Leith Folk Club
Hi Kristin. I'm a big fan of Uncle Earl and hope you guys hook-up again soon! I really enjoy your singing in Bony on the Isle of St Helena. This song gets a lot of play on my profile.
I see you're catching up... you are a talented lady, with incredibly talented friends... but geography might not be your strength... I'm in Wisconsin.. HA...thanks for the great music.
Dear Kristen, I am in North Rein Westfalia Germany spreading the word about your music.You are the best female singer- song-writer on the planet!Don;t give up the faith baby.You have got to tour Germany and Norway and northern europe you would blow their minds!!! Love Craig
Hi!! Just wanted to say that I miss you and am thinking about you right now. :)
Have you seen 'Once'? It's a little foreign film all about music and I absolutely love it. Dad wasn't as sure he liked it, but I thought I'd point it out anyway. :)
Thanks so much! You sound fantastic...love love love the tunes! I'm looking forward to seeing you in a few. Our next big show will be at Symphony Space on Saturday May 17th...swing on by if you're in town. See you soon!
Thanks for the add I saw once on video a girl dancing a kind of beautiful American style of sean nos dancing (well I could only describe it that way), then I heard Uncle Earl, now I hear crayola, and it's all but the same person.... you !! Nothing to add, you're just great. Thanks a mil. Kind regards Jerome
