Krista Polvere

Amongst a sea of Renaissance snaps silhouetting the
chunkily padded walls, the classy Toff Of The Town was
the perfect place to house.Krista Polvere's album release.
Returning after spending time in the US honing her skills
and contacts,Krista has emerged with Ryan Adam's
support -ons Here Be Dragons, and an increased selfconfidence
and stage presence. The show begins with the
decadent, wrinkled, red curtains unfolding to an abrupt
(although possibly nervy) "Hi". Like the twin of Karen
Carpenter, Krista's looks; carefully chiseled cheekbones,
piercing eyes and sensuous stage demeanor automatically
zooms eyes to her with not a single peeper blinking upon
her astonishingly introverted compatriots; The Blacklist.
Rattling through Let's Go, Krista relaxed into the set with
the rhythm section's slippery, sliding skills coming at you
like true meditative musical bliss. Complimented by a very
classy Would I Want You, with it's anthem like sensibilities
and trickling gospel vocals, the vocal intensity portrayed
all of the world's problems falling on Krista's head at
once. Another vehemently rocky Oh, John was also an
impressive effort.
However, what was truly memorable, was Krista's sensuous
knee-drop dancing in Trust In Met which ultimately turned
her French maid dress into her worst nightmare; breaking
at the back and gradually slipping down. Trying to hold
the dress straps up, Krista splayed her arms out whilst
playing the guitar; quite a comical moment in an otherwise
intensely serious track With a confident referral, "My
dress is broken. It's all that diaphragm breathing!" Krista
expediently won the crowd back without loosing face.
The five-piece then hurriedly powered through several
other tracks (The Sinking Sea, Crying Out Loud, Trust In
He, In the Dark). The quick finish could have been due to
a short set kind of ethos, time constraints or Krista's dress
issues?Nevertheless, those decadent red curtains moved
again, as the show finished with a decipherable upbeat
crowd reaction, as all that awaited next was the reality of
Melbourne !s frosty streets outs - Beat Magazine, Furst Media

KRISTA POLVERE TOFF IN TOWN
It's a lovely little venue, the Toff, and just ripe for an acoustic
songstress to weave some melodies on a chilly Wednesday
eve. This is the occasion of Krista Polvere's album launch
and, ably supported by energetic four-piece Rushcutter,
the gathered customers and scribes alike are treated to a
delightful showcase of local talent. The album in question,
Here Be Dragons, is already garnering some decent press
on the back of Polvere's enchanting singing and well-placed
connections (including compositional collaborations with the
likes of Ryan Adams, Monique Brumby and Mark Lizotte).
Here, Polvere fleshes out the studio versions of her material
with ramped up assistance from her backing band, The
Blacklist. Indeed, with some tight percussion, exquisite (and
beautifully measured) lead guitar accompaniment, warm bass
and melting keys, there was a joy, colour and spontaneity that
perhaps wasn't so easily captured on the released album.
To boot, non-album material was aired, such as the epic and
sweeping Dear John, exemplifying the power this vocalist
can achieve in the live setting. Impressive other renditions
included the Adams' co-write Let's Go- with its lilting chorus
and affecting lead breaks - and Polvere's ode to New York,
The Sinking Sea. The room hushed late in the set for the
intro to In The Dark, with its simple piano and vocal opening
verses, and they did likewise for the genuine folk ballad
Crying Out Loud, as her assembled troops briefly departed
for Polvere to strum it alone. The set finished all too soon for
most and definitely heralded impressive beginnings for this
gifted singer/songwriter.
- EJ Cartledge - Inpress Magazine

The soft focus, sepia-toned cover shot of
KRISTA POLVERE's debut album 'Here Be Dragons' Suggests some doomed folkie From a bygone era - a female Nick Drake perhaps
Musically speaking, that's not too far
the truth, as the New York-based Polvere exposes her aching heart and Crafts melodies that are sometimes so gentle a light breeze
could easily blow them away. Despite some
turgid lapses, this is a must hear for anyone seduced by the urban twang of Cowboy Junkie Margot Timmins or Hope Sandoval's languorous laments.
- Vogue Magazine Australia

Queen of New York
Adelaide-born-and-bred singersongwriter
Krista Polvere moved to
Melbourne six years ago to explore
the possibility of a career in music.
Although it took some time to find
her feet in a new city, Wally Keinpton
and Ash Naylor from Even took
her under their wings and introduced
her to the Melbourne scene.
"Those guys helped ine out with
some demos and got inc on the
right path," she says. "It was from
there I started doing some acoustic
gigs around town."
However, it was not until she
visited New York last year that her
music career really kicked into gear.
Living in youth hostels and picking
up odd jobs, Polvere spent several
months building contacts.
Before long, she was playing
acoustic nights and nabbing shoulders
with the likes of Ryan Adams,
who co-wrote a track with her for her
newly released debut album Here Be
Dragons.
"He has a million thoughts going
on at once and works really quickly,"
she says of Adams.
"I was intimidated by hire at the
start, his energy is so intense. He
ended up being a big help."
The creative partnership resulted
in Polvere playing support on
Adams' last Australian tour.
Polvere launches the album next
Wednesday at the Toff in Town.
PATRICK DONOVAN
ANDREW MURFETT
pdo novan@theage.co mau
and amurfett@theage.comau - The Age Newspaper Melbourne

Krista Polvere Turns Heads
by lkatulka on September 1st, 2007
Expect big things from Adelaide singer/songwriter Krista
Polvere. Who, I hear you ask?
If you were lucky enough to catch their recent tour, you may
have seen Krista supporting Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
around the country. But you might not know this local lass
has spent the last eight months impressing industry bigwigs
in New York City.
The backdrop of this thriving city gave Krista the inspiration
to write and independently record her debut album, Here Be
Dragons. Obviously Ryan Adams is a big fan of Krista’s
work. He co-wrote many of the album’s tracks, and played
on several.
The album’s star connections don’t stop there. The album was produced by Grammy Award winner Malcolm
Burn, who’s worked with Emmylou Harris, Rachel Yamagata, and Bob Dylan to name a few.
Here Be Dragons will be released in Australia early in 2008. Krista’s currently negotiating with labels in the
US and UK for a release there. - Oz Music Scene

KRISTA Polvere loves the bright lights of New York but Adelaide is the place this emerging artist calls home.
Krista says her plans for her career will always include spending time in Adelaide.
"Even though I love New York and the fast-paced craziness of it all, there's a part of me that just really loves that simple, relaxed
lifestyle as well," the singer/songwriter says. "I need that break."
Krista spent most of last year living in the Big Apple to work on her debut album, Here Be Dragons, that she hopes to have out by
Christmas.
Encouraged to head to New York by her now manager, Krista ended up meeting prolific U.S. artist Ryan Adams, a connection
that has proven invaluable.
Krista is supporting Adams on his Australian tour and last night, when the tour stopped off in Adelaide, Krista was able to perform
to friends and family at Her Majesty's Theatre.
"He's so talented and creative," Krista says of her musical mentor.
"He's really guided me and been a really good friend." - The Advertiser Adelaide

Krista Polvere
Reservoir Drive (Sony/ATV)
3½ stars
She isn't shy about using her persuasive female charms as a creative force. Track one has the subject losing her country maidenhead early. Which is one thing. Then there is the provocative sleeve shot setting the scene for some hormone-related man/woman swooning.
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With Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford on axe and production (with Anthony Arvizu) dishing up some tidy guitar work, musically Polvere strikes at the heart of good alt country rock/folk. Based in Melbourne, she has a wonderfully understated, apple-martini voice and plies it on winsome tracks that seem sung from a place where you travel long distances to get anywhere. On Jack and Me, grungy, graceful tones flood in from the bass and slide guitar. For The Widow's Daughter and The Golden Meadow, teasing melodies put you in any folk festival tent around the world, suffering a little at the beauty.
Next, Looking for Love, with the help of Ryan Adams, is stand-up, sex-driven, female alt-country-rock. Moving through, the brilliance is less pronounced, with her trump cards, save The Ruse and Beat Motel, up front. - Sydney Morning Herald

Krista’s second record ‘Reservoir Drive’ mines rich alt-country Americana territory, combining both the femme fatale archetype pioneered by Bobbie Gentry and the gritty female troubadour of Lucinda Williams.

With Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford on axe and production (with Anthony Arvizu) dishing up some tidy guitar work, musically Polvere strikes at the heart of good alt country rock/folk. She has a wonderfully understated, apple-martini voice and plies it on winsome tracks that seem sung from a place where you travel long distances to get anywhere.

Reservoir Drive, continues her love for storytelling over the same rootsy, americana sound that captured Ryan Adams’ attention during her New York sojourn and subsequent recording of her first album, Here Be Dragons. He appears again on Reservoir Drive, adding guitar throughout and vocals on the rollocking ‘Looking For Love”.

For the uninitiated, a debut record ‘Here Be Dragons’ garnered her new fans in Australia and beyond. With Malcolm Burn producing (Bob Dylan, Emmy Lou Harris). Here be Dragons received critical acclaim and attracted invitations to tour with the likes of: Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, Ron Sexsmith and Aqualung.

Polvere currently resides in the USA where she plays shows and is recording her third record.

Ryan Adams on Krista Polvere -
“She is going to be the next big thing, I just recorded some music with her for her new record in California...she’s always impressed me as a songwriter. But the songs I’ve heard this time, I can honestly say I had no idea that she was capable of what I heard...I was shocked at how intricate it was...such a powerful record. It’s going to be a real game-changer.” - Hey Event

It was a sparse crowd that greeted Krista Polvere as she filled the difficult but often career-changing guest spot at The Thornbury Theatre last Saturday night, in support of Darren Middleton and Guy Pearce. Polvere is an engaging singer and performer, and her conversational style banter between songs was as entertaining almost as her well-crafted, enthusiastic songs. With three albums under her belt Polvere isn't quite a novice to Melbourne's music scene, but she still had a naive warmth and charm to her that was endearing. With a great voice and a cheeky, persuasive stage presence, Polvere is sure to find a nice market for her musical odes to Melbourne and beyond... - Cargo Art Magazine