K.C. Clifford

Local country/folk-pop chanteuse KC Clifford?s latest CD, ?Teeth-marks On My Tongue,? was dedicated to the memory of her grandmothers ? particularly fitting given the fact Clifford draws a lot of inspiration from her family.

Indeed, the singer/songwriter (and favorite of you, the voting public) KC Clifford?s influences aren?t merely wide-ranging ? you could make the case that they?re practically genetic.

?My earliest influence was actually my dad,? Clifford said recently. ?He was a bluegrass musician in the Sixties and founded a group called Mountain Smoke. I?ve been a lover of music for a long time.?

Clifford, who?s also inspired by the likes of Shawn Colvin, Paul Simon, Edie Brickell, Patty Griffin and more, released her excellent album, ?Teeth-marks On My Tongue,? in 2004. In online voting, Clifford won 15 percent of your carefully cast ballots ? securing a sizable margin over the next-closest performer.

Aside from her April 30 show at Galileo?s, the rest of 2005 finds Clifford with plans to continue supporting her latest record and patiently await the outcome of, shall we say, some outside interests.

?I?d like to continue honing and exploring and learning as a songwriter,? Clifford said. ?Songwriting is a big part of my artistry.?
- Oklahoma Gazette

"When you hear the songs on this singer-songwriter's CD, it is hard not to imagine every female singer currently promoted by Nashville begging to record them... K.C.'s lyrical approach is direct and personal, and her melodies are instantly memorable, never falling into pattern or formula. It certainly doesn't hurt that she has an extraordinary voice, but the songs themselves steal the show. As one of her best songs attests, she is 'worth more than a glance.'"
- George Lang, Daily Oklahoman music writer

"..her songs give hope when hope seems lost, give humor when the seriousness of life gets too heavy, and give words to feelings many of us hold deep inside and can't seem to express. K.C. is from Oklahoma City, but she is far from just a local artist." - Greg Johnson, owner of the Blue Door

When K.C. Clifford toured Australia in 2001 with that country's band Bluehouse, the trio of women musicians told her she would absolutely never see a kangaroo. That didn't make sense to Clifford.

"Aren't we driving around?" she asked them. "Won't we see animals? Isn't it native wildlife like a squirrel in America, or something?"

They told her, "No, K.C., you won't see one. Except maybe a dead one on the roadside."

Call it K.C.'s charm, or beginner's luck, but on their first day driving from Sydney to Canberra they spotted kangas, "totally alive," she said.

"From then on, we scanned the horizons and saw a koala, whales and all these native animals. It was the joke of the trip. They were just dying- 'We never see our native wildlife and she comes to this country and they're everywhere.'"

Clifford's optimism seems to fuel serendipity. The opera-trained vocalist is a "working" musician, so her day job is assistant manager at an upscale metro burger shack. Recently, between shifts, she got a call from her LA promotion company that MTV optioned two of her songs for undisclosed future use- "Writer of Love Songs" and "Elizabeth Thomas' World."

"Of all my songs that's just wild to me," she said. "They're not like clear winners in terms of where I think MTV would say, 'I want that song!' I mean, 'Writer of Love Songs' is about my parents. How odd. But who knows? It's a good day when MTV calls."

The OKC Edgemere resident's new pop CD, "Teeth-marks on My Tongue," showcases Clifford's expressive voice and songwriting talent. Her accolades include being one of 32 finalists in May among 800 aspirants at the international Kerrville (Texas) Folk Festival.

The native-born Oklahoman previously honed her skills and performed in Nashville and Austin. She said people sometimes ask her why she returned to Oklahoma. (Her marriage to musician David Broyles of the band Dr. Pants had a lot to do with it.)

"I laugh because more has happened for my career positively since I moved back to Oklahoma than ever happened in Nashville or Austin," she said.

Listen to Clifford's latest on her website www.kcclifford.com, or check her out at the Blue Door on Aug. 19.
- Downtown Monthly

Sitting in a packed house for the K.C. Clifford concert at the Blue Door last Saturday, one thing became abundantly clear: Not many of Clifford?s songs are happy songs. It is a fact that she readily admits. But, if K.C.?s songs tend to veer more towards the sad and lonely, her show is anything but.

The Blue Door show Saturday was Clifford?s sixth time to take the stage at the renowned venue, and it is a telling sign that K.C. has come a long way from playing the local open-mike nights around Oklahoma City. It was at one of those open-mike nights that she met her husband of three-and-a-half years, David Broyles. Since then, Broyles has become more than just a husband to K.C.; he is a band member, a co-writer and sometimes even the inspiration to the songs she writes.

Clifford has released two albums independently. In 2000, while living in Nashville, she wrote and recorded ?Times Like These.? The album is indicative of her surroundings at the time with a very bluegrass, early country feel to it. The mandolin and cello on ?Times? would leave very little indication of what would come next for K.C. when she released the very pop oriented ?Teeth-marks on My Tongue? in 2004.

With a full band in tow, ?Teeth-marks? dealt with topics close to home for Clifford. Newfound love, self-identity exploration and loss were themes that ran throughout the record. ?I had to overcome these pre-conceived notions about what girls on album covers looked like,? said Clifford. ?I had to overcome what the industry accepts.?

Background: K.C. comes from a musical family. Her father is a founding member of the bluegrass band Mountain Smoke. Mountain Smoke was country music star Vince Gill?s first band. K.C.?s mother and father are both from Oklahoma, as is she.

Besides her family and husband, who has his own solo career and is part of the Oklahoma City band Dr. Pants, K.C. has listed Simon and Garfunkel and Patty Griffin as the musicians who have most influenced her career.

Two years ago she had the opportunity to see Simon and Garfunkel live in Dallas on their most recent reunion tour. ?I would have to say that ?The Boxer? influenced me more than any other song, and when they played that song, I just wept,? said Clifford.

Education: She attended Heritage Hall Schools all of her life and then went to study opera at Indiana University. Midway through her studies, though, K.C. switched schools and decided to study commercial music at Belmont University in Nashville.

?All I ever wanted to do was write songs,? K.C. stated. ?I wasn?t always sure what shape it was going to take. I had to break through all these barriers for myself, and when I moved to Nashville I did, and I was able to finish my degree in commercial music.?

K.C.?s first show at the Blue Door opening for folk-pop artist Lucy Kaplansky helped introduce her to a loyal fan base that spans beyond Oklahoma. Following a 2001 tour of Australia with the Bluehouse, K.C. began selling albums on CDBaby.com.

?I tend to think of my fans as friends more than fans now,? Clifford said. ?I wouldn?t be where I am without their encouragement and support.?
- MidCity Advocate

"'Teeth-marks on my Tongue' feels like home on every track. From the laid-back warmth of 'Find My Way Home' to the Sheryl Crow-esque 'Falling for You,' Clifford's latest disc is a winner any way you look at it." - Preston Jones, Oklahoma Gazette

"'Teeth-marks on my Tongue' feels like home on every track. From the laid-back warmth of 'Find My Way Home' to the Sheryl Crow-esque 'Falling for You,' Clifford's latest disc is a winner any way you look at it." - Preston Jones, Oklahoma Gazette