Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"An up-and-coming rocker on the national scene." - Jim Musser
"Stremel has a power in her voice like a car gunning it up a steep hill and being undeterred by gravity. Stremel's sophmore effort shows this girl from Kansas City has moxie to burn." - Tony Peyser
"One of the best singers that the Kansas City area has to offer...Stremel takes a stripped down approach, displaying a strong, very personal sensibility and a rich but soft voice that clearly conveys the emotion of the songs." - Kent Wolgamott
"Kristie Stremel is one of Female Musician Magazine's 'Top 10 Artists To Watch in 2002' for a good reason!" - bellaonline.com
"Stremel is a rising star from America's heartland." - Houston Voice
"Aggessive and provocative, the singer/guitarist leans into her material with the passion of a true believer." - Harp Magazine
"She's seasoned and confident...in the pop singer/songwriter field, she's one of the most talented to come out of Kansas City." - Roger Naber
"Kristie Stremel's second solo CD, "Here Comes The Light", is an instant roots-rock classic that will resonate with fans of fellow Midwesterner Melissa Etheridge. Lou Whitney's production shows why one critic called Kristie the love child of Tom Petty and Joan Jett." - AllIndies.com
"Kristie throws punch, passion, power and depth as a songwriter and performer. She churns out catchy rock that is completely organic and makes you feel like just being in the moment. She is definitely a talent to listen to and look out for." - music critic
"I was 16 and riding in the backseat of a friend's car in Flint, Michigan when I heard Tom Petty's 'I Need To Know' on the AM radio. I've never heard it on any radio station since but it defined everything I hoped Midwestern big-rock would be--urgent, dissatisfied and connected to the pop that had gone before it without being bound to it like Springsteen. Petty has since gone bald, heavy and stopped sounding like that a long time ago, so I'd pretty much given up on hearing that sound again but 'Shaky Hands' and the first half of 'All I Really Want' by Kristie Stremel buzzed me the way 'I Need To Know' did." - Off Beat Magazine
Discography
KRISTIE STREMEL~2003~HERE COMES THE LIGHT
In her most inspirational work to date, "Here Comes The Light" showcases both the power and depth of the multi-talented Stremel as a songwriter, performer and producer. Guest performers include Austin's Patrice Pike on background vocals; Wayne Sutton of Patrice Pike and BBR; guitarist Donnie Thompson of the Morells; guitarist Steve Newman of the Domino Kings; drummers Mike Meyers of Pendergast and Lloyd Hicks of the Skeletons; and piano/organ player Joe Terry of the Skeletons.
KRISTIE STREMEL~2001~ALL I REALLY WANT
Kristie's first release on Slewfoot Records, "All I Really Want" is a dose of what rock-n-roll should be...good guitars, real drums and a raw voice. Kristie combines radio-friendly rock with heart-felt songs. Called one of Kansas City's "rising stars" by the Kansas City Star. Kristie Stremel: guitar/vocals; Chris Meck: guitar; Lou Whitney: bass; Ron Gemp: drums; Kelly Brown: Hammond B3 and Wurlitzer.
KRISTIE STREMEL~2000~THE DETOUR EP
This 6-song offering was recorded on a shoestring budget. Since the FrogPond and Exit 159 records, four years in smoky bars and loud, distorted guitars...this was the first time Kristie put down the electric guitar and traded it for a Taylor acoustic. This was a limited pressing of 1,000 copies.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Kristie Stremel grew up in Hays, Kansas, a small town in Kansas' western flatlands. As a child, she played and sang along with her guitar playing father, whose favorite artists were Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. At 12, she got her first electric guitar and began playing songs off the radio and from her family's record collection. One of five children, she was always performing for her family. At 16, she saw Joan Jett at the Ellis County fair and was inspired to from her first garage band, performing hit songs at the skating rink and school dances. At 19, she started performing acoustic songs at the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri and the Big Bang Buffet in Kansas City. By this time, her performance was comprised of half cover songs and half originals. She was constantly writing, as she does today, keeping her guitar by her bed in case she dreamed a song during the night.
At 21, she joined Missouri band FrogPond, playing rhythm guitar and singing backing vocals. In 1996, the band went on to record their album, "Count To Ten", produced by Everclear's Art Alexakis. With a few minor alternative radio hits, FrogPond toured all over the country and Stremel came to be known for her charismatic enthusiasm and interaction with the crowd.
In the spring of 1997, she left FrogPond and formed her own three-piece band, Exit 159, releasing a remarkable 7-song EP, "Lost On Earth". This offering yielded one regional radio hit. With an outlet for her prolific songwriting, Stremel worked fast. In early 1998, Exit released a 12-song LP, "A Song For Every Mood", an album with radio-friendly songs, two of which received a great deal of play on area alternative stations. The band won the Kansas City/Lawrence area regional music award, the Klammie, two years in a row, first for "Best New Band" and, the second year, for "Band of the Year". Exit 159 continuously built on a strong following, packing the toughest Kansas City houses and toruing the West Coast twice. In the fall of '99, the now 4- piece band, featuring three songwriters with individual ambitions folded, and Kristie went straight back into the studio to record as a solo artist.
Kristie Stremel's solo material was a logical step forward from the work she did with Exit 159, emphasizing the growing sophistication of her songwriting and delving more deeply into her personal struggles. Her first demo is a 6-song acoustic set "The Detour EP".
In 2001, Kristie signed on with Slewfoot Records. For the next three years she would tour with her band, tour solo acoustic and put out two full length records. A 2001 release, "All I Really Want" and a 2003 release, "Here Comes The Light". During this time, Stremel won "Best Female Vocalist" in Kansas City awarded by The Pitch Weekly.
Nearing the end of 2003, it did not take long for Stremel to get back in the studio and start recording her fourth solo album. To be released in the spring of 2004, Stremel plans to hit the road with her newest offering and play shows nationwide. The control exhibited in this new music is a sign of the maturity of an exceptionally-talented artist, and it offers listeners a glimpse of the versatility and sublety of Stremel's voice, which draws from both her country roots and her rock backround to offer an unusually soulful and personal sound.
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