Guts and glory
Kirsten Price’s debut album arrives on her own terms
By Brett Leigh Dicks 08/21/2008
Given that Kirsten Price has only just released her debut album, she has certainly squeezed a lot of musical living into a relatively short career. Originally slated for release on a major label, when a corporate shake-up put Guts and Garbage on a barely smoldering back-burner, Price reclaimed the recording and decided to put it out herself. With the album’s release but a month old, she has already had songs featured on television programs such as The L Word and CSI, as well as having supported the likes of Wyclef Jean and Sly Stone. None of which is really surprising, given that the reason Price left the UK for America in the first instance was because this is where her musical heart lay and where it now seems to be truly blossoming.
VCR: I believe your album, Guts and Garbage was originally destined for Sony Records, but you wrestled back the control and have released it yourself.
Kirsten Price: The album was mostly completed by myself and a producer friend of mine and we ended up going with Sony because we could keep most of the creative control. But then the people we were working with at Sony got dropped. Rick Rubin had taken over and there was a freeze and, instead of waiting for him to listen to it, I made a lot of noise about wanting my album back. There were so many artists that had to wait while Rick sat in his little cabin in the woods and got around to listening to their albums. And they were very happy to wait and were excited to be on a major label. But I was very unhappy about how things were going and very excited about getting my album back.
Prior to the album’s release, you have had songs featured in various television programs. How effective is television as a marketing tool for music?
I think it is pretty standard now for artists to get songs on television before they get an album out. If music is marketable, people are going to be attracted to it, and the major medium for that is television. In an industry where everything else is broken, television works really well.
Is it not a little bizarre to have a song removed from its original intent and used in a different emotional servitude?
It’s not bizarre at all. We’re in a time where there isn’t a fine line between art and commerce. During the time I have been living in New York, I have done a lot of vocal and writing work with various commercial music houses and I am very much used to hearing music as a tool to sell things. It doesn’t really change the music itself — it just changes what the music is being used for, and I’m very comfortable with that. I don’t see it as this precious thing that is being misused.
Does Europe still figure prominently in your schedule, or are the Brits a little touchy about artists packing their musical kit and heading for other shores?
Not at all. There has been a cultural exchange between the Brits and the Americans for such a long time that this just seems like part of an ongoing process. But I think I will release the next album — which is coming out early next year — in Europe first. Territories are something I have to unfortunately consider, when I would just prefer to consider music.
I believe you opened for Sly Stone. What was that experience like?
It was a very bizarre experience and a deeply moving one. He’s old and still absolutely phenomenal when he opens his mouth. He has that sense of deep spirituality around him in the same way that Stevie Wonder does. It doesn’t matter what he does, as long as he is emoting musically it is extremely touching. He had a whole lot of problems and disappeared from the music scene for about a decade, so to be in his presence and to share a stage was a really, really moving experience and a lot of fun.
As a performer, how different are the dynamics of a show like that compared to one where you are headlining your own undertaking?
This is so much like the Wild West. You never know where you are going to play or who you’re going to open for or when you are headlining your own show or how many people are going to show up. Sometimes it’s packed. Sometimes it’s a small, intimate venue. And sometimes you’re opening for other people. But it’s really just all about the music. And it’s something that I’m very privilege to be doing and very grateful for.
Kirsten Price
Aug. 23, 7 p.m.at Zoey’s Café, 451 E. Main St., Ventura, 652-1137, www.kirstenprice.com
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