10-19-11 | New Tunes on Bandcamp
Not only does Kin to Stars have a show in Tacoma this Friday (6:30pm @ the Harmon Brewery Tap Room. woot woot!), we have two new songs on Bandcamp. You should definitely give them a listen, share them with your friends, and download them to your playlist.7-18-11 | Kin to Stars
Oh how time flies and new songs sparkle. Scott and I started a low pressure write-athon about a year and a half ago just to see what our musical minds could create. Well, I’m pleased to say that we are finally ready to debut a bunch of new tunes as Kin to Stars. For these early months, we’ll be rockin' out as an urban folk duo, and as a teaser, Scott put together the trailer below. You can find the event on facebook or just put a pencil to paper and mark your calendars old school style for our first show on August 6th at Egan’s in Ballard.
7-8-11 | Playing w/ Five For Fighting & Jon McLaughlin This Sunday!
Boy oh boy! I just found out I’ll be performing on Sunday at the GreenNote Concert series in Seattle. What’s better? I’m opening for Jon McLaughlin and John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting! Yippee!! What a great July surprise. Here are the details:
Sunday, July 12 @ 6:00pm | $22 adv, $25 at gates
GreenNote Concert Series
Mural Amphitheatre at Seattle Center
$22 adv, $25 at gate - Buy Tickets
Hope to see you there!
5-31-11 | Jazz-ified
My grandma had a subscription to Sheet Music Magazine and could perform just about any popular jazz tune on the piano. Before I knew names like Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, or Ella Fitzgerald, I had sing-alongs to the tunes they made famous. I’m pretty sure my grandma’s musical influence was the reason I was so obsessed with jazz music growing up and jazz choir in high school. Now days, I often think of new songs by scatting out made up words and sounds until the syllables fall together to form the right phrases. There’s just something about jazz that is pure, sweet and makes me completely alright with the world.
All that being said, you can imagine how fantastic it was to hear that one of my songs was jazz-ified and brought back to its slow and saucy roots. Thanks to Shayla for letting me post this great youtube video of her performance of “Something Right.”
5-25-11 | Folklife’s 40th Festival
Folklife approaches and I’m more excited than a bluegrass player with a banjo. I’ve been involved with the festival in some capacity since 2004 and love everything about this 4-day melting pot of music, dance, and culture. There are so many communities and traditions that are alive in the Northwest, and this coming weekend is a celebration of our region’s spectacular diversity. It’s an event that literally embraces everyone; musicians, dancers, street performers, scarf twirlers, “free hugs” solicitors, and food and craft vendors.
I play on Saturday, May 28 at 5:10pm on the Alki Court Stage. You can map out your festival route this year using a sweet online tool called SCHED, and you can visit the hip new festival website for even more info.
Congrats on the 40th Festival, Northwest Folklife. I’ll see you there!
4-26-11 | Schmorg-a-rific!
Balagan Theatre, you are incredible. You are the wind beneath my strings. The peanut butter to my jelly. Quite possibly the Billy Blanks to my Tae Bo. How did you know I needed the human race to prove how awesome and generous it can be? Life is glorious, especially when you can round up a couple hundred people to raise $10,000 for a friend in need. Lou, I heart you!
Last night, at the Schmorgasborg reunion, I may have dressed as Harry Potter and may have performed a totally absurd song about my Harry Potter fan club. I may have even referred to a P-P-P-Potter Face and Potterazzi (thank you Lady Gaga and Urban Dictionary for the inspiration). But the night was magical, regardless of the possible video footage that may or may not incriminate me as a Potter lover.
Support, love, friends, and laughter. We need more of these things in the world because with them, even the smallest of communities is able to accomplish great things.
11-28-2010 | The Angel Band Project CD Release Party
The year is quickly coming to an end, and my last performance of 2010 will be with Sintonia at the Tractor Tavern. This Sunday, we will be opening for The Angel Band CD Release Party and singing a delightful set of originals and covers. I’ve asked the members of Sintonia to learn “Copy Me,” and we’ll be rockin’ the vocal insanity accompanied by a super sweet electric bass. More details are below, and I would love to see you at the show!
with Sintonía & special guests
Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 7:00pm
Tractor Tavern (Seattle, WA) | $20 buy tickets
Please join us at the Tractor Tavern to celebrate the release of Take You With Me - a benefit CD dedicated to the memory of Teresa Butz. Enjoy a multi-media presentation of recording sessions from New York and Chicago, along with live performances from the Angel Band Seattle, vocal collective Sintonía, and special surprise guests.
CDs and tshirts will be available for sale at the event. Get your tickets now! All proceeds go to the non-profit organization The Voices & Faces Project in their fight against sexual violence.
10-08-2010 | If You Can’t Hit the Road, Hit the Air
Here, there, everywhere! I’m doing a little bit of traveling this month to play shows in Ontario, OR and Minneapolis, MN. Though I thought about taking a fall road trip, I’m actually thrilled to be flying. Time to read, time to write, time to enjoy tiny packets of peanuts. I’m definitely ready for a couple of mini adventures.
Mini Adventure #1 – Treasure Valley Community College (Ontario, OR)
The students at this college are fabulous. The Director of Student Life, Justin, is fabulous squared. My favorite random thing about the college? Their mascot! The fearsome Chukar. The picture posted below is enough to terrify even the bravest of souls.
Mini Adventure #2 – Fred Argir’s CD Release (Minneapolis, MN)
I met Fred and his wife Gerri Ann while on tour last year, and little did I know I’d be visiting Minneapolis again a year later to be a part of Fred’s “Lost Souls” CD Release Party! I can’t wait for this night of incredible music.
08-09-2010 | Pop Oracle Q & A
When my friend Angie invited me to be the guest artist on the Radio8Ball show, I had no idea it would be so entertaining. Though I encourage people to find meaning in my music, never before have my songs been directly paired with questions such as, “What did the totem pole stand for in my dream last night?” or “Why do women always say one thing and do another?”
In a nutshell, the whole idea of Radio8Ball is live music divination. The audience writes down questions to ask the Pop Oracle, and these questions are then collected and drawn at random during the show. The lucky audience members that have their questions chosen are invited onstage where a song is picked (at random), via a Radio8Card or spinning The Wheel of Eight, and the lyrics of the song played are used to answer the question.
From a performer standpoint, it’s about as intimate of a listening crowd as you could ask for. Whether or not the Pop Oracle directly answers a question, it’s pretty interesting to discover that the inquiry, “Should I continue my inappropriate online dating relationship?” is answered by the lyrics of a song about geeks. Even more, the show creator and host, Andras Jones, knows how to keep the show flowing no matter how serious or silly the situation.
High fives to all of the fabulous folks I met last night. It was definitely a synchronistic experience to remember.
08-05-2010 | Like A Tiger
Unless you are a tiger, I don’t think you should exhale like one. In yoga earlier this week, I was instructed to open my mouth wide, stick out my tongue, and make a loud HEEEEEHHH as I released my tiger’s breath. Three things were concerning about this:
1) I had eaten a late lunch of sushi
2) I didn’t pop in a breath mint before class
3) I completely lost focus due to the horrifying sounds and facial expressions of my classmates
Seriously, find your favorite mirror and release a tiger’s breath as described above. Then imagine doing that several times over the course of a 90 minute class and trying not to think about or look at the people around you. Good luHEEEEEHHHck.
07-03-2010 | Red, White, & Dead + The Statue of Liberty’s Head
My apartment is located between two well-known Seattle neighborhoods, Fremont and Wallingford, and Fremontingford always surprises me. After hearing from a credible source that a gigantic Statue of Liberty head was being inflated at Gasworks Park, I decided to take a little walk and see how the July 4th pre-festivities were shaping up.
Oddly enough, as I walked through the heart of Fremont, I couldn’t help but notice everyone was dressed like a zombie. White face paint, fake blood everywhere. Some folks were even carrying plastic props that looked like severed hands and feet. Most gals were in striped stockings and ripped t-shirts. Lot of guys were wearing boxers and bathrobes. Heck, there were even a bunch of undead kids running around. To top it off, this was the sign posted on the door of Portage Bay Goods
I soon discovered that Dawn of the Dead is the Fremont Outdoor Movie this evening. In addition, some zombies on the street informed me that Seattle is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most zombies in a city zombie walk (goal = 5,000 registered and walking zombies). Talk about an entertaining Saturday stroll. To top it off, the rumor was true. Lady Liberty’s noggin was inflated at Gasworks surrounded by several flags saluting her greatness. Why just the Statue of Liberty’s head? I’ll never know. But I’ll leave you with a couple pictures that make me entertained to be an American.
06-22-2010 | Sintonia Collective and “Charade” Video
Sometimes when you do something as fancy pants as play at the Paramount Theatre, you don’t want to switch back to regular pants. In fact, you want to forget you ever owned regular pants at all. Thanks to the Imogen Heap show, Sintonia has decided to stay together and form the Sintonia Collective. Our mission? Play good music, form a network that supports independent songwriters, and, of course, get as many facebook fans as possible (click here to become our fan!).
Back in 2007 and 2008, I hosted a series of singer/songwriter gatherings with my friend Laurie Katherine Carlsson (also in Sintonia Collective), and we were successful at bringing together numerous local artists interested in sharing ideas about booking, touring, recording, social networking, etc. Though the SC is a little different, it definitely has support, collaborate, and create written all over it.
In other news, guess what? My Paramount performance of “Charade” accompanied by Kristin Harback was recorded! The video is posted below (note: I sing a couple of bad words! I suggest you have the kids leave the room or be prepared to cover their delicate ears.).
06-15-2010 | Imogen Heap Concert Video
It’s hard to express how unbelievable the show was last night. Imogen and her tour crew were incredible. Encouraging, delightful, talented, funny, and extremely functional. The audience at the Paramount Theatre was beyond fabulous. Quick to smile, quick to cheer, and quick to break into thunderous (and I do mean thunderous!) applause. Above all, the six people I entered the contest with are some of the most positive and gifted people in Seattle. Big thanks to one and all for this unforgettable experience.
Check out the “Earth” video:
(singers, from left to right: Daniel Stonington, Kristin Harbak, Karen Lindenberg, Imogen Heap, Dana Pleasant, Jennifer Hopper, Jerin Falkner, Laurie Katherine Carlsson)
06-09-2010 | Imogen Heap Contest Winners!
Big News! I won a contest with six of my talented friends. We’ll be performing “Earth” onstage with Imogen Heap this Monday night (6/14) at the Paramount. As an added bonus, we’ll get to open the show with some of our original tunes. Check out our audition video posted below!
03-20-2010 | “Let Down” Music Video
My friends are all such talented folks, and I’m happy to announce the debut of another music video. Director Mandolin Hooper of Bark All Day Films recently completed a delightfully splendid video of “Let Down” from my most recent album Pyro Aesthetic. Though most folks know I’m pretty ridiculous, this video captures it. Big thanks to Mandolin for all of his hard work, and I hope everyone enjoys the video as much as I do.
03-19-2010 | Make It Scmappy!
Out of all the random and delightful surprises! The tenth edition of Austin’s Schmap included one of my photos from the tour last fall. I posted a bunch of pictures to Flickr, one of which was a photo of the Allens Boots sign. Though my picture is a bit buried on the actual Schmap website, you can see it right away if you visit the Schmap for iPhone and iTouch sample screen website for Allens Boots.
02-03-2010 | Lovefest MMX - GreenStage & Ham
I’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day a little early by performing in GreenStage’s annual Shakespeare Lovefest at Hattie’s Hat in Ballard on 2/11! $15 gets you in the door, and Hattie's will donate a portion of all food and drink sales for the night - so eat, drink and be merry as you enjoy songs, sonnets, raffle prizes, clowning around, and some Shakespeare Karaoke. There may even be a kissing booth! Proceeds from the evening go to support GreenStage's 22nd season of free theater. Must be 21+ to join in on the fun! Visit my shows page for ticket info and time.
01-26-2010 | Innocent Words Magazine Review
So much is going on and I have so little time to report! The most exciting news of the week is that Troy Michael’s review of Pyro Aesthetic has been published in the February Issue of Innocent Words Magazine. I am so thrilled, especially by the concluding paragraph!
“Jerin Falkner may have built her fan base with lyrics and an acoustic guitar, but Pyro Aesthetic finds this young lady blossoming to detail how truly artistic she is. The acoustic singer/songwriter material was good, but with these songs, it truly gives Falkner’s music a much needed kick in the pants to separate her from the horde of other females with a guitar.”
To read the whole review, click here.
01-03-2010 | Innocent Words Magazine Video of the Week
Happy post-New Year to me! Innocent Words Magazine named “Count of Three” their YouTube music video of the week. To watch the video, click here.12-27-2009 | Ooo Baby, It’s a Wildy’s World
"Seattle's Jerin Falkner brings a quirky Pop sensibility to her latest album, Pyro Aesthetic. Falkner stands out among her peers as a singular talent, and she just keeps getting better and better." -- Wildy's World Album ReviewMerry post-Christmas to me! I’m thrilled to report that Pyro Aesthetic received a 5 out of 5 star review from Wildy’s World and was ranked #22 in Wildy’s top 40 albums of 2009. Click here to read the full review.