karyn whittemore

In the mountains of Southern Utah against the back drop of "Big Love" where gun wielding survivalists dwell in the red rock desert and new prophets are found on the dusty back roads, singer songwriter Karyn Whittemore has emerged from the desert mountains with a different view. With influences from artists like Kate Bush, Liz Phair, Lou Reed and Sarah McLachlan, Karyn's songs are passionate and sometimes a little quirky with occasional spiritual to mystical overtones. Karyn contrasts her soothing picking style on the acoustic guitar by paying homage to her classical roots on the baby grand. Karyn recounts her story this way, "I think I've always been a performer at heart. As a little girl of age six or seven, I took my clothes off for a group of boys as they stood and watched. I'm standing there. They're standing there looking at me. None of us saying a word, yet a rewarding experience for all involved. All the essential ingredients were present: performer, audience and theatre (dirty garage)." As time passed, Karyn's marketing strategy became more sophisticated as she put her clothes on, picked up the violin, took piano lessons and received a music scholarship (violin) to SUU. She learned to play the acoustic guitar as she became interested in performing live and developed an affinity for producing her own music as she assembled her recording studio and started to record. After her well received debut album "Slippery Road," Karyn has now produced and released, "Everything's changed." Between gigs over the last couple of years Karyn has been busily producing and mixing her second album, arranging and performing on piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass and keyboards while fleshing out her musical vision in her studio. Drummer Carylee Zwang provides a driving beat for the project along with Ruth Tibbitts on the orchestral bass, Tyler Braun on congas, Art Kaufman on guitar, and Ryan Dumlao also on drums. Without their talents, the album wouldn't be what it is. On her debut Album "Slippery Road" Karyn sings with angelic passion against stark, beautiful arrangements and lush harmonies. It has been nominated for "best contemporary album and Song of the year " by Just Plain Folks as well as for "best new upcoming female artist" by New Artist Radio. Producing "Everything's Changed" and "Slippery Road" has been a very exciting process comprised of a very talented group of musicians and friends working towards producing a unique sound. The most rewarding thing for them about making these albums is getting together with friends and just having a good time making some fun music and sharing it with others.
"Great voice, super songwriting and soothing guitar too. If this were food, you'd want to supersize your order!" Lonny Brooks writer for Wood & Steel -Taylor Guitars "When Whittemore starts trilling her notes, cats will purr and birds will want to help her with household chores. Magically pretty folk." Listen.com Many thanks - wonderful!! - it's releases like yours why I do all I do .. that keep me going! Lord Litter Lord Litter Radio Show "She's Cedar City's own Jewel-with a little Sarah Mclachlan and Morrisette thrown in for good measure" Where It's @ "She seems to have an innate empathy for the human condition and a gift for poetically expressing it." The Independent - Kevin Jones "Karyn's music is alive; a breathing beating creature that has sprung mightily from a deep well of human emotion." The Journal - Larry Baker "A gifted songwriter and singer. If you haven't heard her sing, this is a must. This lady has a gorgeous, passionate voice. " The Spectrum - Ed Kociela Sonic Tapestry, June 7, 2005 Karyn Whittemore's 2001 "Slippery Road" is an excellent singer-songwriter disc. Her piano-based melodies are beautiful and call to mind the classic female singer-songwriters such as Carole King & Laura Nyro as well as newer artists like Tori Amos and Suzanne Vega. "I Don't Own You" is a beautiful midtempo melody with Karyn's higher-pitched alto being quite expressive, "Can't take the answers from the grave, Can't know everything, Can't know how we are saved, Can't know it all 'cause I have no control at all." "Catatonic" is a great toe tapper with some tasty electric lead guitar by Tom Chandler. Her lyrics are at times extremely upbeat as on "Let the Healing Begin," "Once I feared that I was drowning, Once I thought the only way up was out, departure was so inviting, but now I've come to learn that there's more that life is about." "Shadenfreude" is apparently a German word about which Whittemore bases an intricate & moving song about embarrassment & revenge, "God forgive me right now, I know these thoughts I should learn to control, Strange the way that life can take you down while others smile from the sidelines." The set concludes with a stunning almost a cappella song with Karyn's melody & countermelody weaving an intricate sonic tapestry. There are no weak tracks on this excellent independent release that is sure to fly below the radar screens of many. See & you shall find! Enjoy! Lee Armstrong - Amazon.com

Cedar City's Spring Concert Series April 9, 2008 comments There's a concert coming up April 27th at 6:30pm in Cedar City's Main Street Park (across from Lin's market) I hope to see you all there. My amazing band will be there with me as well. Also don't forget to pick up your first issue of Singer/Songwriter Girl at your local news stand. :-) Concert at The Grind March 15,2008 comment We performed at the grind last night, and I had such a great time! There was an excellent turn out despite the unexpected blustery weather. This was the first time I've performed with Chuck (bass) and Shawn (drums). They're great players and were a lot of fun. We performed songs off my Slippery Road and Everything's Changed cds as well as played cover songs from some of my favorite artists like Liz Phair, Meredith Brooks, and Anna Nalick. We also added some new material to this show which seemed to go over really well. The crowd was awesome! There was so much energy thanks in part to the girls in the front row who weren't afraid to shout out, sing along, and get up and dance. Thanks to Dennis and Ryan who do the lights and cool effects at The Grind as well as handling the sound. Thanks to all who came out and shared the night with me. Hope we can do it again sometime real soon. Piano Gallery March 9, 2008 random notes I played at the Piano Gallery in St George yesterday. It's a pretty cool piano venue. They have a grand piano and a stage that's perfect for any singer songwriter that plays the piano. Thanks to everybody that showed up. It was great to see everybody there. I'll be playing with my band this week at The Grind in Cedar City. It should be a fun show, so come on by and get a cup of coffee and say hi. I've definitely got some of the best musicians in Utah so don't miss it. Please check the calendar for the exact day and time. Concert with Karyn and Steve December 16, 2007 random notes This turned out to be a really fun event hosted by Tim and Lisa at Groovacious. I really enjoyed playing with Steve Swift. This was kind of a concert potluck social with people bringing a dish and enjoying the music. We need to do more of these. Music and food should never be far apart.