NEWS:
Since Kristi released her second album The Other Side this last October, press has been praising both her songwriting and her voice. Indie Strong wrote: "There are prolific songwriters and there are great songwriters. Kristi Flagg is both. Her current release, "The Other Side" hit the Folk Alliance International radio play chart at #17 in December! Seeing that Robert Plant and Allison Krauss were number 1, I would say she is in good company"
BACKGROUND:
When Kristi was in her mid 20's she took a break from her life as a touring musician, opening for the likes of Odetta, John Gorka, and the Indigo Girls; a break that lasted the better part of 25 years. Then, in the summer of 2018, she found herself at an open mic. By the end of the night, she was singing again. Four months later, to her surprise, she was writing songs for the first time in a long while.
40 plus songs written in that following year include the 11 which make up the tracks on her October 2020 release, Brave New View. In the words and melodies of that album are the stories of her adult life: the passing of her mother, the dissolution of a 20 year marriage, her exploration of meditation, the joys and challenges of finding new love. Her lyrics thoughtfully explore the balance of life's hard learned lessons, and its profound joys.
Kristi started recording her second album, The Other Side, on the heels of Brave New View, and released it one year later in October 2021. It is a reflective answer to her first album, offering up a vulnerable, intimate collection of songs. Tracy Walton of On Deck Sound Studio produced both albums with Kristi. The two share a musical language of influences which supports the solid production on both.
On songwriting:
“Trying to make sense of life’s challenges is the well I return to again and again when I write. To learn from love, always: when we fall madly into it or tumble awkwardly out of it; reach for its ancient wisdom or find its lessons tucked down deep, in a long forgotten memory. Making sense of the struggle and celebrating understanding is where it’s at for me.
On playing live:
When I play live (even if it's via livestream) I enjoy diving back into the songs and remembering why I wrote them to begin with; offering the experience up along with the lyrics and melody. Sometimes exploring the songs with different tempos or inflections alloes me to expand my relationship to what I wrote. It's like having tea with an old friend. There's an exchange that can happen. I enjoy seeing where that "conversation" can go with a live audience.
We are all here to learn from one another as we share. Music is how I choose to share. I hope you benefit from hearing these records in one way or another. Thanks for listening.
"In liberating my own being, may I benefit others.” - Tibetan prayer
-Kristi