2010 Santa Barbara Band Guide: "Christina Grimm - Powerful and smooth vocals in tandem with shrewd narrative lyrics convey Grimm's perfect blend of blues-infused guitar and folk structures."
2009 Santa Barbara Band Guide: ''Christina Grimm - A champion for singer/songwriters everywhere, this Jill of All Trades blends blues, folk, and cleverly quirky lyrics."
Christina Grimm Brings Songwriting Front and Center at SOhO
Thursday, September 17, 2009
By Aly Comingore (Contact)
FOLKIES WHO PLAY TOGETHER, STAY TOGETHER: Santa Barbara’s resident cheerleader for singer-songwriters has outdone herself yet again. This Tuesday, September 22, Christina Grimm brings—and plays along with—a host of folk musicians from around the county for a special all-ages night of music at SOhO (1221 State St.). On board for the night are Erland & The Family, featuring singer-songwriter Erland Wanberg on lead vocals and guitars, Khas Modissette on backup vocals, Nathan Modissette on bass, and Erich Riedl on drums, Goleta songwriter Rich Phillips, Grammy-award nominated songwriter and pop powerhouse Alissa Moreno, and Grimm herself. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Call 962-7776 or visit sohosb.com for tickets and show info.
For the sake of the song — SoCal's sixth annual Durango Songwriters Expo kicks off in Buellton this weekend
By Josef Woodard, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
February 27, 2010 11:48 AM
For six years, the Durango Songwriters Expo has maintained an annual presence in Santa Barbara County, drawing industry professionals, amateur performers and aspiring songwriters alike, all looking to find their way into the musical limelight.
Over the past few days, countless songs have been sung, sized-up and critiqued, many planting seeds for future success in Buellton. Today's final day includes panel discussions and a climactic concert featuring established songwriter-performers Chuck Cannon ("I Love the Way You Love Me," "How Do You Like Me Now"), Al Anderson (former guitar wizard in NRBQ and now a hit-making country songwriter) and, for alternative song culture cred, Jill Sobule, creator of the "first" "I Kissed a Girl."
While the actual Expo transpires in Buellton, it all seemed to begin on Wednesday night at SOhO with a special kickoff event organized by local singer-songwriter and song culture supporter Christina Grimm. As Susan Reeves, one of the event coordinators, told the SOhO crowd, the Expo is "a way for you to bring any song you've written and recorded for industry professionals to critique."
But the aura of this nightclub soiree, well populated with artists from Santa Barbara County and beyond, was more an open-minded, critique-free appreciation of the song as expressive vehicle.
Expo founder and director Jim Attebery, having just driven from his snow-packed hometown of Durango, Colo., came onstage to offer kind words. He was joined by an accomplice, who told a couple of edgy, misogynistic jokes that seemed totally out of character with the otherwise generous spirit of the evening. Maybe he thought this was a comedy expo by mistake.
For the most part, Wednesday's song festival served as a primer in the great varieties of styles and voices (literal and writer-wise) among any healthy sampling of singer-songwriters willing to put themselves in the spotlight. Some are involved for the business connections and industry savvy factors, but others just have that basic need to create music and have their songs heard.
Opening the evening's festivities, Ms. Reeves was part of the trio known as the Honeysuckle Possums, with Rebecca Troon and Nicola Gordon on banjo and ukulele, respectively. Their sweet little waltz "I Like You a Lot" started things off on a gentle (and gently loony) note. Ms. Reeves returned, playing the strumstick on her country-fied tune "Young Heart," backed by mandolin and fiddle.
Next up on the bill — switching genre and generational gears — was Ms. Reeves's teenaged daughter Sierra, whose song "No Home" settles itself more in the emo pop genre. The wheel of style kept turning all night, from the rugged folk-rock grit of songs on open-tuned guitars by Mark Okrusko and low-toned crooner Robert Postel to the harmonized country-pop duet of the young Camarillo-based siblings Travis and Amanda Marsh.
Other duets at SOhO — at least in the first two hours of the epic event — included local favorite Lois Mahalia, who lent her soulful stylizations to songs by the guitar-wielding Peter Claydon. Gib Foss and Patty Castillo from Santa Ynez helped each other out on their respective song features, her tender ballad "Paper Tears" and his gruffer stuff on "It's Time We Called This Game." From Denver, we heard two impressive guitarist-singers — the effectively emotive Jason Vigil and Rob Drabkin — mixing physical guitar-playing and a Counting Crows-like song vibe.
Further demonstrating the built-in diversity of perspectives between the numerous performers this evening, Ms. Grimm herself — involved lately in the microtonal "sound healing" movement — sang an original song tuned down to the "key of ra" in which A is at 424, versus the standard 440. She also threw in some of the mystical "overtone singing" technique (heard in Tuvan music and elsewhere in the world) into the mix of an otherwise fairly conventional song.
Who knows? Maybe it could even be "commercial," whatever that means in the current, changing musical scene. While we can't expect a panel discussion on the commercial merits of microtonality in Buellton, many other song-related aspects on are on the table, and stage.
“Christina Grimm’s name is deceptive because her music is anything but. With a sweet but powerful voice, this part-time vocal coach plays a collection of folk-infused blues that are more than just mere songs – they’re short stories set to music.”
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Christina Grimm
No Time to Be Blue
To launch a music career as a mature female songwriter is no easy feat. And it’s this fact that makes S.B. singer/songwriter Christina Grimm’s debut full-length release a bold and uncompromising statement. Ranging from soft ’70s-sounding love songs to blues and folk influenced tunes, No Time to Be Blue sums up Grimm’s energy and spirit as a performer and songwriter. Grimm is determined not to allow the tragedies of life bring her down, as evidenced on “The Crossroads Come,” and her sense of humor shines especially bright on songs like “The Vegetable Man.” However, the humor and sultry vibe tend to undermine the poignancy of Blue’s more serious moments, which deal with issues of loss and spiritual questioning. With plenty of passion, sex appeal, and unstoppable spirit, we surely will be hearing Grimm’s name for quite some time.
October 9,2008 – Montecito Journal, ON SONG by Steven Libowitz
No Time to Be Blue
If it’s true there are no accidents in life, no wonder Christina Grimm was riffling through the organic greens in Lazy Acres’ vegetable department after a chance meeting with fellow local singer-songwriter Peter Gallway when I reached her earlier this week.
“Vegetable Man” is one of the songs on her brand new CD, her debut solo effort since she came to town back in 2000 to get her son into a good public school. Grimm, who created and produces the Santa Barbara Songwriter Showcase at Jensens Guitar Mainstage, has put a dozen of her favorite compositions on “No Time to Be Blue,” her mostly upbeat album that shows offer warm, strong vocals on a variety of styles.
After 18 months of presenting a bevy of local talent on stage as producer, Grimm – who had a career as a country-rock singer in Germany in the 1990s – headlines at Jensens for the first time at 7 pm next Thursday, Oct. 16. Tickets are $10 general, $5 for those under 21 and free for 12 and under.
Q. You started the Songwriter Showcase in 2007. What led to that?
A. I’d already organized song circles and concert series in the past. When I moved here, I got involved with SummerSongs and hooked up even more with local singer-songwriters. All those connections gave me the idea of doing a monthly series, especially after I did a single benefit concert two years ago. The idea was to do something like McCabe’s in Santa Monica. It worked out great, but it’s a lot of work. So now it’s down to once a month and I’m still looking for a co-producer to help out.
We have a very vibrant songwriting community. We get together and give each other feedback, encouragement and support, which makes it easier to carry through and record the CDs. I have people over to my house once a month for dinner, and we share food and then play our new songs.
Why now for your debut solo CD?
It’s more like now or never. I had all these songs I’ve been working on all these years and a burning desire to have it all in one place on a CD. Also, I want to start performing more, and maybe do some more tours. You need to have a CD to do that, plus it gives fans something to take home with them.
It’s called “No Time to Be Blue.” What was your chief inspiration?
That life is short, and we all go through troubles and challenges. But you can’t get mired down. You just have to let go and get through it and enjoy life anyway. That’s my basic life philosophy. I’ve been through it myself. I was the unwanted child of two 17 year olds who didn’t speak the same language. He was an American GI in Germany who got a local girl pregnant. He came back to America and became rock ‘n’ roller Ray Smith. By the time I found him, he was already dead. He’d committed suicide at 44, so I have had those challenges too…There is a lot of suffering and terrible things happen in this world, but I don’t subscribe to letting little things get you down. Don’t hang on to the pain. Look for a solution to get out of it.
The CD has a local flavor, particularly in “Veggie Man.”
I love Santa Barbara and local institutions like the Farmers’ Market. It’s a great place to go to flirt and enjoy life. That song is based on a real character, but it’s just fun. Some of my songs are very serious, like “Beautiful Soul,” which is about what happened to a little girl I knew who was so badly abused. She’s the daughter in the Lynette Harms case, and I taught her at Kindermusik. Her body was broken but there was still a beautiful soul inside. So I need some levity, like “Dog and Cat Blues,” to balance out the dark side.
Why did you move to Montecito earlier this year”?
I’ve loved it here since my son and I went hiking on Cold Springs Trail nine years ago when we still lived in Ventura. I found a perfect house and I absolutely love it. I ride my back all the time up Mountain Drive to the trail. It’s like it’s all come full circle from 1999.
Your latest CD “No Time to Be Blue” is a totally entertaining experience with refreshing lyrics and delightfully woven sound. You’ve created a multi-faceted and often hilarious listening experience. Such a treat – Thank You!
Christina Grimm is a classic singer/songwriter in the 1970's style of Carole King and Joni Mitchell. Imbued with passion, personal appeal, humor and life, Grimm is a highly entertaining figure both on stage and on CD. Her latest release, No Time To Be Blue, encompasses the performance spirit and wit of the golden age of singer/songwriters; using pop, folk, rock and blues as backdrops for her intricate and subtle story songs.
Christina Grimm steps right off a 1970's AM radio dial with a singer/songwriter flair that's part Carly Simon, part Christine Lavin and just a little bit of Bonnie Raitt. No Time To Be Blue opens with White Magic which, while well-written, is overly reminiscent of the most syrupy songs of that era. Grimm sets to some sizzle on the title track in blues slow-burner that grabs you by the shirt and shouts, "Listen!” Vegetable Man is something of a love song full of innuendo and wit. It borders a tad on the silly side but is a fun listen. Grimm sets course due Southwest on Come Back To Santa Fe, a mellow country/rocker about life moving on and what is sometimes left in the wake...
When Grimm lets her hair down, like on the Blues tunes, she really seems to just let everything flow. Even the final song, Your Love Is So Divine seems to meld lyric and song quite nicely.
Vocally, Christina Grimm is a joy to listen to. She has a strong alto voice with great tone and enough personality and energy to hold onto listeners.
“Christina Grimm’s voice sweetly lays within a beautiful tone that ranges from the wonderful sound of Feist to the loungey soulfulness of Madeleine Peyroux, yet with her own fantastic depth and style.”