Kristen Cothron

Exclusively for MSSVision.com

MSSV: The part you like most of being a musician: writing music, performing, recording, touring, emotions before or after a show, or ______? And why?

Kristen: My favorite part of being a musician would be performing. For me, the writing, recording, etcare the process, which is important and fulfilling itself, but I think the performance is the culmination of all that.

MSSV: What are the three best things of being an independent artist and why?

Kristen: The best thing about that I guess would be control. Control over the art I create, and how and when I put it out to the world. I enjoy the business side of it almost as much as the artistic. I get a rush when I get a great review, book an interview, or get a gig I've really been pushing after. I think it's a little sweeter sometimes knowing it comes from my own efforts. However, there are certainly some walls you hit doing it all on your own. I love it, but I'm reaching a point now where I'm ready to get someone else on my team to really get where I want to be- whether that's management, booking, publicity or some combination of that.

MSSV: Your favorite artist and music style: as teenager and now.

Kristen: I've always had pretty eclectic taste in music.My list of influences is constantly expanding and evolving, but my favorites have always been a mainstay. Elvis Costello, Judy Garland, Sarah Vaughan, and Edie Brickell have always had a huge impact on me. Lately I've been getting into Amy Winehouse, Jenny Lewis and Cassandra Wilson.

MSSV: How would you describe the difference or similarity between art and product in music (thinking in the line of a set of songs on a CD being an artistic and commercial product?)

Kristen: I prefer to keep someconsistency between my recorded music and live sets, but I'm not terribly strict about it. Things can certainly come across differently, though, depending on the setting. I do a lot of acoustic gigs, and I love the freedom of that. You'll still get the basic feel of the songs as you hear them on the record, but I love getting to change up the melody and phrasing at my own pace. It's a similar thing with band shows. I don't want to feel tied to the exact arrangement we chose to record. I especially love getting a fresh take on tunes when I bring in new players. For me performing is just as much of a creative act as writing a brand new song.

MSSV: Plans for the future?

Kristen: I'm working on some new tunes and am so ready to get back in the studio. I'm also getting geared up about touring again. For the past two years I've stayed pretty booked consistently playing regionally, butI've taken a little time off to focus on writing and regrouping these past few months. So, I'm ready to hit the ground running in 2009!

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Kristen Cothron is a gifted singer/songwriter/musician. She combines innate smooth vocal styling and catchy pop writing to make music that is both innovative and intelligent. Her voice, like her songs, is full of irony and authentic emotion. By creating a genre that is original and entirely her own Kristen takes artistry to a whole new level.

"Love Letters from a Fool," her first full-length and fully produced release, takes the listener on an insightful jorney via clever songwriting and unique vocal delivery - from the spine-tingling intrigue of Dangerous, through the anticipation of Whenever You Come Around, ending with the bittersweet melancholy of Fall.

She has been influenced and inspired by Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline, Sarah Vaughan and Elvis Costello. Although young by measure of years, Kristen emits the soul of a veteran musician through her music, lyrics, and performance.

MSSVision.com for Kristen Cothron
March, 2009