Band of the Day: Krista D

We get loads of acts asking to be our Band of the Day and we do try our best to cover them all. Some we seek out, some we happen to ask, some just drop in our laps. The lovely Krista D falls into that last category. Let her tell you about herself…

Simple things first – where are you guys from?

I’m originally from a village called Nash Creek which is located in New Brunswick. It has about 300 people, around 20 cows and I miss it dearly. I currently live in Edmonton, Alberta.

How did you meet?

I’m basically a solo act, but I was able to start recording again because of a musician named Scott McKinley. I met him while jamming with some Edmonton musicians in order to form a band that I could perform live with. Unfortunately the rest of the guys didn’t work out but he continued helping me by providing me with pre-production and some amazing guitar and bass files. You can hear his work on “Land Mine” and “Simple Social Tragedy”.

How long have you been playing as a band?

I’ve been recording music on and off since I was about 15, but I took a break from about 2009 to 2016 and focused mainly on a career as a visual artist.

Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?

I’m never sick of being asked anything, I’m still in the phase where I’m happy anyone cares enough to ask!

I was young when I chose it, so it was just based off my name; Krista Doucet. I was also recording music for the Christian market in my early days, so when I decided to keep using ‘Krista D’ I visually re-branded myself in order to allude to the character Sandra Dee from the film Grease. I thought it might have been a subtle way to express that I was no longer a part of that lifestyle. The EP title, the band logo and the accordion part I play at the very end of “You and Me” are all references to the film. I’ve also hidden some of the movie audio on the EP.

What are your influences?

Lyrically, it’s just life that influences me. The stories that people share, an upsetting event; anything that provokes a strong emotion. Sound-wise I think a lot of my genre elements for this project originate from listening to a program called Finkleman’s 45s.

Describe your music. What makes you unique?

I’m not sure I’d consider myself very unique, but I do like playing with genre elements that don’t usually go together. Such as trying to incorporate punk elements and 50’s style “bop-bops”. Overall this project is just a blend of punk rock, ska ,50s-styled 3-part harmonies and doo-wop. I’m essentially trying for a mix of sugar and sass.

Do you have any particular lyrical themes?

There’s a theme of women’s issues, I’d say, but it wasn’t planned. I had just connected with some women who shared their stories with me and my emotional response was a catalyst for songwriting. One song is mainly about me but overall my songwriting for this project is about other people.

What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?

My upcoming show will be a weird one. I’ve been unable to connect with live session musicians in my area in time for a March show, so I will be singing karaoke style with mannequins set up as my band.

As for how many shows, throughout my life I’ve probably sang in front of people around 200 times.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?

Well, I’m not very wild myself, but the wildest thing I usually see, or hear about, are performances where a musician friend named PJ Dunphy is involved. No other shows, that I know of, carry such a high risk of nudity or urine.

What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?

I have an Eastwood replica of a 1960’s Wandre Doris, but I rarely play live. I haven’t put enough time into playing to be good enough to be in my own band; I favour being backed by actual professionals who took the time to master their instruments.

What are your plans for 2018?

I’m kind of going with the flow right now; mainly juggling some art show commitments and fitting music in where I can. I have some plans to tour out east, in the Maritimes, later this summer, but nothing concrete yet.

When I released this EP I didn’t expect anyone to really care. I was mainly tying up creative loose ends by dividing my songwriting, old and new, into 3 separate band projects and recording the last of my unreleased material. I figured I’d release it all and then close that chapter of my life, mostly because it’s just so expensive to record.

Then, out of the blue, I received a streaming report in December stating that “Land Mine” was streamed over 719,000 times in a month on Pandora radio. It was a really nice surprise. Now music is demanding a little bit more attention so my new 2018 plans are to figure out how to efficiently juggle both art and music.

If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be >supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug >someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!

These questions always catch me off guard! I think where I’m such a recluse I rarely fantasize about myself on stage opening for anybody.

Right now I’m listening to Romeo Voids’s A Girl in Trouble on my computer so I’m going to pick her because I think she’s cool. Although they’re no longer active as a band, I think Debora is still singing. So, I think it would be really fun to get to support her in a show and then, keeping with the theme of visual artists who are also singer songwriters, I’d invite a young singer-songwriter from a visual arts college to be an opening act.

Krista D: facebook

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