FEATURED INTERVIEWS                          

Kirsten Price

One talented artist with awesome pipes coming right up! Meet Kirsten Price.
By: Gian Erguiza - - July 29th, 2008 - 9:22 am PST



Once you hear Kirsten Price's soulful yet powerful vocals on 'Magic Tree' off her latest release, "Guts & Garbage," you will be entranced and floored. This promising artist is going to be sticking around for a while instead of dissapearing in the midst of all the 'wannabees.' That sexy voice complemented by the funky soul rhythms are quite infectious. Wanting to get into the head of Kirsten Price, I churned up some burning questions for the star and she definitely rocked the interview just as she rocks every stage she graces.

Ms. Price! Can you please do me a huge favor and give our awesome readers a quick history lesson on how you got started and how it all began?

Hmm.. Well I grew up in central London, England and sung in a lot of choirs. Learned how to play a couple instruments and found it hard to take anything else very seriously. I moved to NYC in 2001 and started piecing together a recording studio, writing, producing, e.t.c. This debut album is the end result of many years of collaborations that did not see the light of day and a great deal of hard grind.

So, aside from your album being released about a few days ago, what else is new in the world of Kirsten Price? In other words, what are you up to and what's cookin'?

Right now I am on tour through September. We kicked off on July 11th at the Highline Ballroom in New York City and are rolling through Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Los Angeles, e.t.c It’s great to be on the road in the Summer. Some of these places we are visiting for the first time.

Awesome! Your latest offering, ‘Guts + Garbage,’ absolutely sounds nothing short of amazing! What went into making this album as far as recording, production and sound?

I worked with 3 producers. Frederick Sargolini and I worked on 6 of the tracks at his railroad apartment in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. He did a lot of programming work and is an evil bass player. I produced 2 with Raphael Saadiq in North Hollywood. Working with Ray was great fun because I had done all of the writing and pre-production before going in so we just re-cut everything with live instruments. The last 2 tracks I worked on with Danny Saber up at his house in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. Danny had already recorded an incredible part for “Possibilities” with a live string orchestra so we didn’t have to do much except tweak the top line, beef up the bass and re-cut the vocals.

"I like that I never know what is going to happen when I get up there. I really enjoy it when I get to let loose and get crazy on stage. It’s a good outlet. No two shows are ever the same."

Speaking of the making of your album, where do you derive inspiration from when song writing or what is the usual process of you writing songs?

Any way that the clustered, messy music packed into my brain bursts out in a coherent way is a blessing and a relief. There are 4 main approaches. The first is just sitting down at the piano, guitar or bass and singing along with myself. The second is building a groove and working from drum and bass out. The third is when the bulk of a song just sneaks into my conscious while I am doing something unrelated like walking down the street daydreaming. The fourth is the process of jamming on different ideas with a band, but I haven’t got much of a taste of that yet.

Speaking of your lovely album, how excited are you to spread the love and message of your music to the masses now that your album has seen the light of day?

It’s been such a long time coming so I am still in denial that it is actually out and available. It is always so gratifying to experience the pleasant surprise hitting people on their first listen. Also, since this is my virgin voyage, I am really exited about doing it again.

Nice. Which song off your latest release speaks to you the most or which song highlights what Kirsten Price is all about?

I think you are asking me which song I “feel” the most, which is a very hard question to answer. My personal favorites are “All Right” and “Fall”. People really need to come to my live shows to find out what I’m all about. It’s an energy thing.

Exit stage left here. Global warming is supposedly upon us and is becoming a real threat to be reckoned with. Hell, even the Pope is now encouraging people to ‘wake up their consciences’ about global warming. Are you going green anytime soon or do you already practice ‘Being Green?’ Go Green?

Having grown up in Europe, we have long been little more aware of the parasitical nature of mankind in relation to our host planet. Phrases like “carbon, emissions”, “greenhouse gases”, “acid rain” and “hole in the ozone” were part of my every day life growing up. In the early 90’s as soon as the marketing machine caught on in the UK, all of our cleaning products were biodegradable. I even remember having a rebellious pre-pubescent fit by refusing to go anywhere in my mothers car unless she switched to unleaded petrol.

That is most interesting! Guess we're backwards ass here in the U.S. Anyhow, Do you ever pay attention to the charts or what’s happening on the radio?

No and no. When I listen to music, it’s more active, analytical listening than for enjoyment. If I feel the need to break something down, I just buy it and study it.

Kirsten Price loves____________________.

~ music.

What is the most satisfying thing about getting onstage and playing your songs to fans and new fans alike?

I like that I never know what is going to happen when I get up there. I really enjoy it when I get to let loose and get crazy on stage. It’s a good outlet. No two shows are ever the same.

Every artist/band have these bad nights. It could be anything from a faulty P.A. system, unruly crowd, or playing to an empty venue due to the weather. What does Kirsten Price consider to be a bad night, if any, and how do you handle these bad nights?

Mid-level touring is a little like doing battle out in the field. Honestly no night is a really bad night when you are doing what you love to do. I just had an amazing experience in Detroit. I almost wanted to bail on the gig because when I arrived at the venue I was scared the locals were going to kill me. It endeded up being this cutting edge underground place where the Foo Fighters and The White Stripes got started. I had one of my best solo shows ever that night.

When not songwriting or making music, what’s a typical day in the life of Kirsten Price?

Well this debut offering is self-released on my own label KPI, so there is in fact no time for making music or songwriting. There is only time for marketing, promotion, accounts, e.t.c. It’s no fun at all. I can’t wait to find the right person to take it off my hands. It would be easier if I was a little less selective. Finding the right producer to work with took 7 years, so with that in mind I might be multi tasking for quite some time.

What makes Kirsten Price happy and what makes Kirsten Price tick?

Solitude makes me happy. People make me tick.

Excellent answer! What else can we expect from Kirsten Price for the rest of 2008?

A little bird told me that a cool animated viral video for “All Right” might be popping up in the Fall. Towards the end of the year we are moving the label into a big new loft space in Brooklyn and going into overdrive on some new material.

Any additional comments or shout-outs?

Hi Mom, I love you!

Thanks Kirsten! Good luck on the road and we'll see you soon!



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Kirsten Price's Myspace

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