Kirsten Price

Kirsten Price’s sexy, gritty voice heated up Joe’s pub on Friday night. Price, a London transplant living in Brooklyn, classifies herself as “alternative soul”. She sings catchy sultry self-written tunes, that stand out in the viral/myspace music scene, but are truly exceptional on stage. She is Norah Jones with a harder edge, and a louder presence. She is Ani DiFranco with a better voice, and a more melodic result. Price started the night on the guitar, and then did the second half of her set on the piano. She rocked it out on both instruments—playing beautifully and bouncing around and gyrating energetically. Tackling both instruments so seamlessly transformed her from exciting new singer, to brilliant musician. _And of course, Price is a real musician. In her twenties she was writing songs constantly without ever having really trained. She “had a bit of a break down” and dealt with it by playing piano six to eight hours a day. Finally, she realized she had so much say and she “wanted to communicate it” properly. So Price auditioned for a conservatory in London. She didn’t have the classical repertoire of many of her peers, but her talent earned her a place in the school. She picked up what she needed from that training, and incorporated it into her unique sound.

Now, Price is working the way all new singer-songwriters are— touring, and (perhaps more importantly?) building her online fan base. When asked how she feels about the need to play into the online music scene, Price is surprisingly positive; “ [Doing music online] doesn’t mean it’s not valid. It would be stupid not to use it. It’s a window to the world.” Ultimately, Price is unusually optimistic and open about all forms of musical expression. Her opening act, the appealing Jeff Brodnax, is a man she met on the subway! “I never had the balls to do it myself” she says, but there are “some really incredible individuals on the subway”. _Price is appealing on many levels—her sound is unique without alienating anyone. Her onstage personality is vibrant and dry, flirty and tough. Her attitude is positive and warm. And her boundless energy wraps it all up in a package that feels as if it is moments away from a breakout success. She, if of course, not so sure. “That’s the business we’re in,” she says, her dressing room crowded with a manager, a publicist and a fellow musician, “in one hundred years, we’ll understand who’s good and who’s not.”
- NY COOL

Kirsten Price
There's another tree growing in Brooklyn ... and this one is magic.

Transplanted 26-year-old British songstress Kirsten Price has rapidly taken root stateside with a genre-bending mix of soul-driven compositions that put a new-era edge on the tried and true sound from the 1960s and 70s. Among those tunes is “Magic Tree,” a single that debuted nationally during the premiere episode of ABC's “Cashmere Mafia.” “Magic Tree,” like the majority of Price's work, draws its influences from the southern sounds of Gospel and features a funky fringe, accented by Price's sexy, sassy vocals. It's a lethal combination that Price labels “alternative soul,” largely because she doesn't have a better name for the carefully crafted musical cocktail.
“I just use 'alternative' because it makes it sound a little different,” says Price, who emphasizes that all of her compositions gravitate back to soul music. “I figure I can use it since lots of rock guys use 'alternative' to try to sound different even though it's always five white guys playing guitars.”
Price grew up indulging in a wide swath of music, listening to everything from medieval chamber music, to gospel and church choruses. Then there was her love of Bach derived from her time studying at a conservatory and her ceaseless passion for Prince and “West Side Story.”
Take those influences and add in what Price calls “The Kirsten Price Idiom” and you arrive at the engaging, but hard-to-pin-down, sound on Guts and Garbage, Price's debut album.
“I'm not exactly an interviewer's wet dream,” says Price regarding the writer's task of labeling her music.
Perhaps, but the uniqueness of her sound is precisely what gets music writers all hot and heavy over their keyboards. It has also gotten a few famous acts to pay attention. To date Wycleff Jean, Groove Collective and the re-formed Sly and the Family Stone have all signed up Price to open their shows.
Price isn't alone in the female soul genre — listen and you'll hear some similarities to Joss Stone — but Price adds a certain acid-washed authenticity to her music that sets it apart.
Price, who wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on Guts and Garbage, stayed true to her original design for the album, even though it took her through a laundry list of producers before she successfully paired up with Frederick Sargolini.
“I knew exactly what I wanted to be and this is an industry that doesn't really embrace women writing and producing,” says Price, who also notes she's an uncompromising perfectionist. “I was really blessed to meet Frederick. He and I ended up just clicking and we're pretty pleased with the release.”
The album, which is already available digitally and will be released on CD later this year, has already grabbed the ear of some TV executives, with songs snagged for shows “CSI” and “The L Word” before it even debuted.
The album wasn't entirely surrounded by rainbows and four-leaf clovers however. Initially Price had signed with Sony off-shoot label, Music With a Twist, but after a shakeup that brought Def Jam founder Rick Rubin to Sony, Guts and Garbage was set to be put on ice. Price regained the rights to the album and put it out independently, though the process did cost her.
“I had to sell my studio [apartment],” she says. “So I'm homeless and couch surfing. Hopefully I'll spend the whole year on tour.”
At least her immediate future is covered in that regard. Price will play the Birchmere on Friday, Jan. 25 when she opens for Antigone Rising. She then headlines her own show at DC9 on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
• For more on Kirsten Price, visit www.kirstenprice.com.


There's another tree growing in Brooklyn ... and this one is magic.

Transplanted 26-year-old British songstress Kirsten Price has rapidly taken root stateside with a genre-bending mix of soul-driven compositions that put a new-era edge on the tried and true sound from the 1960s and 70s. Among those tunes is “Magic Tree,” a single that debuted nationally during the premiere episode of ABC's “Cashmere Mafia.” “Magic Tree,” like the majority of Price's work, draws its influences from the southern sounds of Gospel and features a funky fringe, accented by Price's sexy, sassy vocals. It's a lethal combination that Price labels “alternative soul,” largely because she doesn't have a better name for the carefully crafted musical cocktail.
“I just use 'alternative' because it makes it sound a little different,” says Price, who emphasizes that all of her compositions gravitate back to soul music. “I figure I can use it since lots of rock guys use 'alternative' to try to sound different even though it's always five white guys playing guitars.”
Price grew up indulging in a wide swath of music, listening to everything from medieval chamber music, to gospel and church choruses. Then there was her love of Bach derived from her time studying at a conservatory and her ceaseless passion for Prince and “West Side Story.”
Take those influences and add in what Price calls “The Kirsten Price Idiom” and you arrive at the engaging, but hard-to-pin-down, sound on Guts and Garbage, Price's debut album.
“I'm not exactly an interviewer's wet dream,” says Price regarding the writer's task of labeling her music.
Perhaps, but the uniqueness of her sound is precisely what gets music writers all hot and heavy over their keyboards. It has also gotten a few famous acts to pay attention. To date Wycleff Jean, Groove Collective and the re-formed Sly and the Family Stone have all signed up Price to open their shows.
Price isn't alone in the female soul genre — listen and you'll hear some similarities to Joss Stone — but Price adds a certain acid-washed authenticity to her music that sets it apart.
Price, who wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on Guts and Garbage, stayed true to her original design for the album, even though it took her through a laundry list of producers before she successfully paired up with Frederick Sargolini.
“I knew exactly what I wanted to be and this is an industry that doesn't really embrace women writing and producing,” says Price, who also notes she's an uncompromising perfectionist. “I was really blessed to meet Frederick. He and I ended up just clicking and we're pretty pleased with the release.”
The album, which is already available digitally and will be released on CD later this year, has already grabbed the ear of some TV executives, with songs snagged for shows “CSI” and “The L Word” before it even debuted.
The album wasn't entirely surrounded by rainbows and four-leaf clovers however. Initially Price had signed with Sony off-shoot label, Music With a Twist, but after a shakeup that brought Def Jam founder Rick Rubin to Sony, Guts and Garbage was set to be put on ice. Price regained the rights to the album and put it out independently, though the process did cost her.
“I had to sell my studio [apartment],” she says. “So I'm homeless and couch surfing. Hopefully I'll spend the whole year on tour.”
At least her immediate future is covered in that regard. Price will play the Birchmere on Friday, Jan. 25 when she opens for Antigone Rising. She then headlines her own show at DC9 on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
• For more on Kirsten Price, visit www.kirstenprice.com.
- FC PRESS

Kirsten Price - An Exclusive Interview with BrooklynRocks

As a follow-up to Kirsten Price's show at Crash Mansion (see previous post), she was kind enough to do an interview with me.____Background_BrooklynRocks: How do people find you on the internet vs. the porn actress with the same name? How often do you get confused with the porn actress Kirsten Price? __Kirsten Price: I have had very little trouble with anyone confusing me with that entity. Most of the people who are looking for me on the Internet are acutely aware that my specialty is hardcore rocking out, as opposed to hardcore anal sex. Those poor porn “actresses” have a very limited shelf life and they need all the action they can get! I think that Google should sponsor a chocolate Jell-O wrestling match between she and I. We can get our thongs on and slop it out for the name. Of course legally there is no contest because it is my birth name, not hers. But then who wouldn’t want to see us both in our bikinis on all fours covered in chocolate? __BrooklynRocks: How did you get from London to Ft. Greene?__Kirsten Price: By plane…and Taxi. __BrooklynRocks: Most of the musicians that I have recently met seem to be from Ft. Greene. Without any music clubs in Ft. Greene, is there much of a sense of community among the musicians who live in the area? Do you play/jam with any your neighbors?__Kirsten Price: Fort Greene has a long history of artists and writers. It is very fertile ground. I feel more of a sense of community in Fort Greene than in any other part of New York City, mostly because of the socio-economic and racial mix that is represented there. Unfortunately in the 7 years I have been in the neighborhood, it has become a little more self-conscious and started to become somewhat of a parody of itself. Mostly because people from other parts of the city have started to try to buy in to the “lifestyle concept” of the neighborhood without respecting what made it so magical and special in the first place. I work with many local musicians / rappers at home in my studio. My neighbors have long been constant source of inspiration.__New CD_BrooklynRocks: When is the new CD due? __Kirsten Price: My Debut album “Gut’s and Garbage” is hitting the streets on January 1 2008, but I think the live date for iTunes is earlier. December 13th. It’s called “Gut’s and Garbage” because it took a lot of guts to make and I hade to go through a lot of garbage in the process.__BrooklynRocks: I understand you had multiple major labels chasing after you – what attracted you to ‘Music with a Twist’?__Kirsten Price: The executives over at“Twist” were so exited about my music that they admitted to performing my songs at home in front of their bathroom mirror using a hairbrush as a microphone. I always preferred using the tennis racket as a guitar myself but each to their own. Plus, they were an independent linked to a major label with a niche market which made them instantly more attractive since we all know that major labels are, well, the devil.__BrooklynRocks: What was the writing process like? How many songs didn’t make the CD? I have read that you are an accomplished studio engineer – did you produce the CD yourself?__Kirsten Price: I am constantly writing songs, working on soundscapes. When I get trough the coal, I always find a few diamonds. For this particular project about 5 songs did not end up on the album. Other artists have picked up some of the songs we worked on. __It took a long time to find someone who could produce music the in the style that I wanted who was actually better at doing it than me. I worked with a lot of great producers, but they couldn’t perform well in the Kirsten Price idiom, which I describe as “Alternative Soul”. It is a very specific but seemingly random blend and it took a master magician to help seal the deal…Fred Sargolini. __BrooklynRocks: How did you hook up with Fred Sargolini? Were you a fan of MING+FS?__Kirsten Price: Honestly I had never heard of Ming & FS, but that doesn’t tell you much because I live under a rock. A friend of a friend dragged me reluctantly to his studio and I couldn’t be bothered with him when I first met him but I was VERY pleasantly surprised during the collaborative process.__BrooklynRocks: Did you expect “Magic Tree” to take off the way it did? How do you feel about reviewers/critics calling this your signature song? __Kirsten Price: I had no idea would prove to be such instant ear candy. Reviewers and critics can call it whatever they want. As long as they keep loving it the way they do!__BrooklynRocks: A lot of musicians have told me that they get completely sick of their ‘signature’ or hit song(s). Do you ever think you will get ‘sick’ of any of your songs?__Kirsten Price: Yes, I become nauseated by my own work all the time. But then I come back to it after a while, like my favorite pair of jeans or an old lover. The songs on this album have remarkable durability.____Touring_BrooklynRocks: You have shared the stage with an interesting assortment of people. How did you end up on the bill with Sly & the Family Stone? Do you think you share a fan base?__Kirsten Price: Their booking agent approached me. Sly has not been actively present on the music scene for almost 3 decades but his legacy produced many of the artists that have influenced me the most and I am wetting myself with the opportunity to open for him. My music is very eclectic and I have been discovering that fans of all types & stripes are irresistibly drawn to my material, so I doubt that Sly fans will prove to be any different.__BrooklynRocks: You had a really enthusiastic crowd at last Saturday’s show at Crash Mansion. Is there such a thing as a “typical” Kirsten Price fan?__Kirsten Price: Crash Mansion is an intimate low profile spot. I like it because it’s off the beaten track and it doesn’t smell of piss and beer. It’s good to keep playing shows that the kids can afford to come to. We can’t all afford to fork out for 3 cocktails at Joes Pub or B. B. Kings. It’s also good to be at a venue where my fans can get really up close and personal. As for what constitutes a typical Kirsten Price fan I have no clue.__BrooklynRocks: Getting back on the subject of touring, what is the “weirdest” act you have been paired with?__Kirsten Price: A Brooklyn based female gymnastics troupe at a big festival somewhere in the Midwest this past summer. I can’t remember where, the summer festivals blended into a big homogenous experience for me. I just remember that they were staying in the same hotel as me (a really nice one). They invited my band and I up to party with them after the show. The Go Go Girls in Seattle last month were pretty F-ing weird too.__BrooklynRocks: Is there anyone (living or dead) that you would like to work with and/or tour with?__Kirsten Price: Prince Rogers Nelson__BrooklynRocks: How often to you play out in the NYC area and what’s up with the European dates in April?__Kirsten Price: At the moment when I am in town I play New York City on average about once a month. I am doing a little mini tour in April starting off in my hometown in the UK then visiting Milan and Rome. These will be small one off exclusive intimate acoustic gatherings that I will be playing with one of my favorite friends and artists, Z Star. You can find her by visiting my My Space page: www.myspace.com/kirstenpricemusic__BrooklynRocks: What do you do when you are not touring? (Do you have a day job?)__Kirsten Price: Krishna! Allah! Buddha! A day job? That’s a trick question right? In the 21st century it’s hard enough wearing all of the hats an artist has to put on, I hardly have time to pee, let alone make music! As well as various other projects, I am currently working on my second release, scoring a T.V. show and writing a musical for the stage. I guess it would be better to describe it as a “24 hours a day job”. __NYC Scene_BrooklynRocks: Are you a fan of the NYC music scene? Do you go see bands play around town? Is there anyone within the current scene that you are expecting to break out?__Kirsten Price: I am a hermit and get very bored at live shows unless an act really grabs me by the (metaphorical) balls. I have been going to see The London Souls a lot. I am expecting them to break out any second if they haven’t already.__BrooklynRocks: Any favorite places to play?__Kirsten Price: I sold out Joe’s Pub in November. The sound there was incredible. It was a real treat. I think I am scheduled back there sometime in February 2008. I can’t wait.__Social Media_BrooklynRocks: What do you think of the whole MySpace phenomena? Do you interact with many fans through MySpace? __Kirsten Price: I am on MySpace every day interacting with my fans and doing business. I used to think the whole MySpace thing was garbage until I was bullied into setting up a page and the work just came flooding in.__Final Words_BrooklynRocks: What advice would you give someone trying to break into the music scene?__Kirsten Price: Trust your gut.__BrooklynRocks: What advice would you give someone moving to Brooklyn?__Kirsten Price: Well that depends on why they are moving to Brooklyn and which part (it’s a very large, diverse place). One piece of advice I would give to any current Brooklyn resident is this… When you encounter someone who looks down their nose at the borough of Brooklyn please pretend that they are right. Please do not tell them indignantly what a special magical place it is because then they will all want to move here and that would not be a good thing._-----------------------------------------------------_Kirsten's next show is opening for Sly & the Family Stone's shows at BB King's on December 7th.
- Brooklyn Rocks

For this week’s Tune In, we tapped Brooklyn based UK soul singer Kirsten Price for a few questions. With her music recently featured on Showtime’s The L Word and CBS’ CSI series, we were quite curious to see what it was like to have your song play on the tele. After the jump, we discuss the differences between the music scenes across the pond.
BKR: What made you leave London for Brooklyn?
I had passed through on my way back to London from California in the late 90’s and just fell in love with Brooklyn. It felt right. I have a tendancy to act straight from my gut feelings without the standard human reasoning process.
What do you notice to be the biggest difference in the music scenes?
The Brits are a little less self limiting in terms of genre. They have very different social hang ups than we do here in the States, and that tends to manifest in their attitude to music. Also, they are a lot less driven by the cult of the personality or media programming and are therefore a little less self concious when it comes to personal taste. This leads to a less homogenous and more random creative atmosphere which fosters the kind of talent that might not fit in with the American music scene but often becomes wildly popular over here.

Do you have a favorite spot to perform in Brooklyn? Why?
Not yet, but if anyone knows of an elegant mid size venue with fantastic sound and someone who actualy knows how to run the board…HOLLA!
(Ed. Note: Music Hall of Williamsburg is pretty good.)
Favorite place to hang out? Why?
At home in my studio making music. Because that’s what makes me happy.
Eat?
As long as I have good company and good wine, I’ll eat anywhere, but I prefer homes to restaurants.
A real home body. OK. You recently had two of your songs picked up for television shows, CSI and The L Word. How did that come about?
The producer that worked with me on the bulk of this record has an enormous licensing catalogue from his work with MING & FS. He owns a lot of great hip-hop material and just sumbitted it with the rest of his work through a third party. That’s how the CSI thing came about. The L-Word placement was through an independent label that had been drawn to my project last year.
Do you think the exposure of your songs on television have a greater impact than being on the radio?
Well, we have just started submitting the material to radio, gearing up for a January release and had a great response, so I have yet to weigh the two against each other.

There’s certainly tones of political injustice in a few of your songs. Do you feel it’s part of an entertainer’s job to convey political messages in their songs? Some people find it heavy handed and brings the music down. Some people don’t want a rally at their rock concert.
An entertainer definitely has to entertain and that can be done in many ways. I think, that as artists, we tend to reflect the obsessions of our time, so it is nice to change it up a little and not constantly sing about sex and romantic relationships, which is the main subject of 99.99% of all contemporary song. I only have one song “Freedom” that can be interpreted as being “political” and that is just one interpretation. Drawing from examples such as John Lennon and Bob Dylan, some of the most influential music of the 20th century has been anabashedly political. Sometimes the very existence of certain artists like Madonna’s legendary presence during in the 80s is a profoundly political statement. It’s that same old, Does art imitate life or does life imitate art argument.
While your influences are 60s folk and soul, the songs have a very modern sheen of electronic drum samples and layers of sound. Do you write on a guitar and go into the studio with something raw? Or do you work on a synthesizer and construct a song from there? What’s your approach for writing songs?
I write songs in many different ways. Sometimes great ideas come to me out of thin air all of a sudden walking down the street. I wake up a lot with a rythm section just doing it’s own thing inside my head. I started out writing songs at the piano as a kid. Everything all at once, words, melody, etc. Now I often work from a riff or a beat or a baseline. Sometimes it’s just a vocal melody with gobeldigook lyrics that have yet to be formulated even though the song is already there. I find that colaborating with producers has forced me to aproach writing in a different way. I still get to a point where I just sit down with a guitar or a piano and a song just comes flooding out..completed in as much time as it takes to actualy sing it, but this is a rare occurence and usually a cathartic response to extreme stress or trauma.
Do you find now that you’ve had some songs on shows that you’d like to write more for television? Or do you find that too impersonal?
I love writing assignments, any excuse to squeeze out music is a good excuse.
Before we let you go: Is there anything that you’ve been listening to lately that gets your panties all wet? What songs have been playing on the tour bus? (Besides all the Brooklyn Radio shows, of course.)
I am supporting Sly & The Family Stone at B. B. Kings Blues Club on December 7th, so I have been refreshing my memory by studying a lot his work. It’s wildly addictive.
Indeed.
- Brooklyn Radio