Kristin Andreassen is an award-winning songwriter < multi-instrumentalist hailing from Portland, Oregon. Best known as a member of the “all g’Earl” stringband Uncle Earl, Kristin’s diverse career ranges from warp-speed clogging routines (with Annapolis-based Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble) to lava lamp singalongs (with her band Sometymes Why, a “folk noir” vocal trio that features vocals with quiet ukulele < glockenspiel accompaniment).
As a songwriter, she draws inspiration from old-time a cappella singing styles for songs like “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes” < “Easy in the Early” (John Lennon Song Contest 2007 Grand Prize for children’s music < Finalist for gospel). Also included on her independent solo release Kiss Me Hello are a collection of colorfully orchestrated acoustic pop tunes – with a dash of musical theater thrown in for smiles.
Kristin’s mentors include heroes of the acoustic scene (Nickel Creek bassist Mark Schatz produced her solo album), as well as the rock < pop world (Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones produced the current Uncle Earl release). She’s equally at home at Clifftop (a West Virginia fiddlers convention with one tiny stage < a lot of camping tents) and at Bonnaroo (the country’s largest rock festival, where she played in ’07 < ’08 with Uncle Earl < then with Sometymes Why).