Kristin Andreassen of Sometimes Why
Kristin Andreassen is popular with Washington audiences for her clogging and stepping with the Annapolis-based Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble and for her performances with the old-time band Uncle Earl. Footworks celebrated its 25th anniversary this past May with a performance at the Strathmore Music Center, and Uncle Earl sold out both of its local shows this past fall and summer. With Uncle Earl, Kristin plays guitar and fiddle, dances and contributes her exceptional talent for writing and arranging hauntingly beautiful ballads, including the song that provided the title of their new CD, and rollicking songs of death and fashion tragedy.
Since 1999, Kristin has toured internationally with Footworks and in collaborations with artists like Tim O'Brien, Lunasa & The Duhks. For the past several years she has been performing with Uncle Earl as they've become a wildly popular main stage act at bluegrass, old-time and folk music festivals across the country, often stealing the audience away for CD signing while the next act performs. This winter Kristin will release an album of original songs produced by Nickel Creek & Footworks bass player Mark Schatz. And she loves her arty side projects with Sometimes Why and The Jolly Bankers (a collaboration with Laura Cortese, who appeared at the Lyceum last month with the Four Fabulous Fiddlers, and Pierce Woodword, who has played bass with the Mammals).
But...seven years ago Kristin never in her wildest dreams thought she would be a professional performer. Her grandma taught piano and Norwegian folk dance, so there was always some music there. But dancing was something you did in rock clubs and music came in plastic squares – until she moved (after college) from her home state of Oregon to Cape Breton Island to pursue a career in Community Economic Development. She encountered a thriving culture of traditional music in Cape Breton that helped her believe that music and art can sometimes strengthen communities as much as economic growth.
"I wouldn't even try to play fiddle like they do up there, but I found that dancing was a way to 'jump into the music'. I think that everyone who has a week off and some dollars in the bank should go to Cape Breton immediately. It's a magical place where there's music, square dancing, a warm ocean, moose & a whole lot else that's very real and beautiful."
Kristin quit the day job, went to Cape Breton square dances all summer, and then trucked off to West Virginia to dig back into her own American music. In addition to her accomplishments in traditional music and dance, Kristin has also become a skilled web site designer, building and maintaining sites for many of her musical colleagues.
Visit Kristin's web site at www.yellowcarmusic.com. To see Kristin performing with Uncle Earl at the Kennedy Center, go to their page on the Millennium Stage web site.
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