Kristen Ford

Kristen Ford is a woman who keeps busy. No sooner has she released her new album, “Rend & Render,” then she’s already announced a side project, the Blue Janes — a collaboration with rapper Genesis Blu — and unveiled its first music video, the anti-violence anthem, “America (Pulse).” It’s a little dizzying. Moreover, “Rend & Render” is an eight-song album that has seven bonus tracks of previously released songs.

If you’ve been a fan of Ford — who will be performing at 7 p.m. July 25 at Nick’s Bar and Restaurant in Worcester — for a long time, this is a pretty good moment to take stock of her career. If you’re discovering her for the first time, this is a good chance to gather some of her career highlights — particularly songs such as “El Camino” and “Radio” — in one gulp. After all, technology has made independent music easier to record and distribute than ever before, but sometimes it’s still a giant scavenger hunt, and there are good odds these songs will be new to someone.


But concentrating on the primary section of “Rend & Render,” it’s clear there’s been a bit of a flip in Ford’s songwriting. She’s always been a very personal songwriter, and even her political overtones seemed to radiate out from that perspective. Here, she’s taking the political and making it personal, expanding the canvass with which she’s working. It’s a dangerous game for most artists: More than a few lose themselves in that transition, their voice drowned in a sea of rhetoric. Thankfully, Ford deftly avoids that pitfall, and the result is an album that resonates on a number of levels.

“Woke up on the other side of history this morning,” she sings, on the post-apocalyptic portrait, “Flames.” Instead of painting a broad picture of the nuclear holocaust, she instead homes in on the smallness of her persona’s world — having to fight for the last scraps of groceries in a store, having to shoot a stranger dead. We don’t know exactly why this is happening, but we don’t really need to, do we? Our pop culture is already saturated in Armageddon. Ford instead focuses on making it real.

Conversely, she takes a wry, satirical bent with “Hide,” wherein she satirizes the paranoia of homophobes: “Hide your daughters,” she sings, “hide your sons.” The mockery is delivered with a smirk, but the point is a serious one, and the tension between the first two songs flows into the third, “Hi-Tops,” which is basically a vampire tale.

It’s a strangely catchy song, with a nice groove to it that belies its innate sense of paranoia, but lurking in the imagery of being trapped and in mortal peril, there’s a very concrete image that gives the listener something to clasp onto: “Lace up your Hi-Tops and survive.”

And herein lies the album’s underlying theme: Survival. Whether it’s real -ife homophobia or nuclear destruction, the desire to survive remains the album’s focus. With that in mind, the album makes a turn, first with the brief, beautiful “To the Stars,” and then the strangely upbeat “Mission to Mars,” where the urge to try to save the world meets the stark realization: “It’s impossible.” And yet, there’s a joy in leaving the planet behind, one fueled by an underlying sexual metaphor.

Ford’s careful about how she structures an album, and the brief moment of explicit attraction eluded to in the previous song informs the next, “Let Me In,” for which she released a music video earlier this year. Here, the object of her affection has retreated into a heterosexual marriage, much to the dismay of the song’s persona. Here, the imagery from throughout the album lands like bombs: “This world is changing,” she sings, “and it’s tearing us apart.” She says she’ll haunt her like a ghost. She says that when the bombs drop and the aliens come she’ll see what she’s lost. A world is ending, and it’s painful. But the watchword here is “survival.” The album winds down with the brooding “Athena” and the handful of night sounds that comprise “Noche.” “Noche” acts as both a coda and a buffer between the album and the bonus tracks, or between the present and the past, if you — and Ford — are extending the metaphor.

“America (Pulse)” feels like it should be considered separate from “Rend & Render,” but although it’s starkly different than her solo work, it’s easy to see how it extends from Ford’s recent trajectory. - Worcester Telegram

Ramblin’ Woman

In May 2014, Greenfield native Kristen Ford packed up her stuff, sold whatever wouldn’t fit in her van, parked her fiancée in the seat next to her, and set off on what she refers to as “the never-ending tour.” After two years on the road, playing more than 300 shows in 45 states and four countries, Ford, now 29, eventually settled in Nashville.
At this point, she has seen a lot of this beautiful home we call Earth, so the creative fruits of all those hours spent daydreaming on the interstate might seem surprising. Her newest EP, Rend & Render, is a concept album that imagines the end of the world.
Through the eight songs on Rend & Render, Ford’s lyrics play out a story of the fall of technology, the rise of violence without consequence, and the individual’s need to survive and protect loved ones with few places to hide. In an increasingly xenophobic era, marked by crucial but troubled discussion of terrorism, immigration, and police brutality, this narrative seems a lot less Walking Dead than it used to, and a lot more CNN.
The idea, Ford explains, grew out of a conversation with a friend who expressed some anxiety about his son and daughter growing up in a world where they may not have the same rights, or make the same money, as their parents. So Ford wrote new songs and re-worked some old ones to fit a storyline that plays out mid-apocalypse. “It’s about the world as we know it falling away,” she says, “and what could take its place.
“I was going for a sense of creativity and imagination,” she adds, “I didn’t want to come off as an angry lesbian with a guitar. I thought: who are the protagonists? There’s a story here.”
That comes through, starting in the opening minutes of the first song, “Flames,” in which the narrator “woke up on the other side of history this morning/ Our cities slashed and faded in a giant plume of smoke.” The social fallout is immediate: our hero(ine) is jumped by a stranger, and by the time we’re four minutes into Rend & Render, they “waited for a rescuer but my hero never came,” so “I killed a man — I just wish that I knew his name.”
It gets more intense from there, but it’s a testament to Ford’s storytelling that I feel tempted to stop short of dishing out spoilers. Suffice it to say: in a world where the grocery aisles are stripped naked, the lights are out, everyone has a gun, and there’s no one there to hold your hand, we get as much of a window into Ford’s solo troubadour psyche as we do into her newest album’s characters.
That Ford continues to play her appealing blend of folk, blues, country and rock as a one-woman band is even more impressive. Thanks to her electronic foot pedal — which snags, captures, and layers looping vocals and guitar riffs — her live shows sounds bigger, brasher, and more impressive than many would expect from a solo performer.
“I think that any bands that are going to last in a meaningful way are touring bands,” she says. “You can spend a lot of time rehearsing, and it’s not half as brutal as when you fall on your face in front of a crowd the first few times. Keeping in the moment, and connecting with people, is a bit of an addiction for me.”
Kristen Ford plays McNeill’s Brewery in downtown Brattleboro Saturday, July 23 at 9 p.m. Rend & Render and other releases are available through Spotify, the iTunes Store, Soundcloud, and more via kristenfordmusic.com. - The Valley Advocate

Sometimes in life a disappointment can lead you in a direction where things click instead of fall short. Growing up Kristen Ford wanted to be an actress and was able to attend a small charter school in Massachusetts that specialized in performance arts. But an early dose in rejection caused her to change her course.

“Getting passed up for lead roles and seeing others who were naturally better than me really helped steer me toward music,” said Ford who is currently on an international tour that will bring her to McNeill's Brewery in Brattleboro Saturday and The Pizza Stone in Chester on Sunday.

“Slowly I let go of acting and fell deeply in love with performing with a guitar in my hand.”

In addition to guitar, the 29-year-old plays a number of other instruments, taking advantage of today's technology, which allows for live recording and playback of musical tracks that can be layered upon each other.

This layering is referred to as looping and is achieved through the use of a foot pedal. While a “looper” is a piece of electronic gear, Ford sees it as more than that. She sees looping as another instrument she has added to her arsenal.

“I don't think of it as an effect so much as a completely different way to approach making music … It was born of necessity but has grown into a passion of its own.”

Using the pedal has allowed her to have a more engaging solo show and to earn enough money on the road — something that's hard to do when you are supporting the costs of a whole band.

Ford's setup is minimal, with an amp, kick drum, high hat and place for her guitar and pedals. But the sound she's able to create with this small footprint is expansive.

With all the bells and whistles of using the looping pedal, many musicians end up with lyrics as of secondary importance, almost a break between loops. Not the case with Kristen. Her lyrics are as catchy as her guitar licks and often have as much force as the kick drum.

To Ford, her songs about sexuality, race, or even the corporate music business are less about standing on a soap box and more about being herself.

“I realize after touring all over the country and playing for all kinds of people, old and young, men and women, from liberal to incredibly conservative, (that) folks will hear what they want in your music,” she said.

“If you come from a place of truth within yourself and your own experience, it's relatable … The more I have been willing to share, the more it seems fans can reach onto, or find a friend in a situation, family or community where they previously felt all alone. That feels very powerful and rewarding, just as one human on Earth trying to make things a little better.”

Ford, who had been living in Boston until recently, has relocated to Nashville. The cost of living is much lower in Nashville and it allowed her to connect with a whole other group of musicians.

For the record, she doesn't feel moving to Nashville is cliché.

“I don't think it's cliché to move anywhere chasing your dream. Nashville is a great choice for me right now, I can hear amazing artists playing every night, and be surrounded by a vibrant community of musicians and industry folks.”

At the same time, in what could be a song lyric in itself, she describes Nashville as a place where pawnshops are littered with broken dreams and abandoned guitars. Still she knows it can be a ticket to a wider audience and chance to move her career forward.

And she feels confident enough to put herself in that arena.

“I don't worry about getting swallowed here by the competition. I feel I am already vetted by my time on the road and developing my own sound over the past eight years.”

Truth be told — and another non-cliché — is the fact that the road has become her home.
"I stay at a combo of friends houses, hotels and 'ladyvan' a modified Ford Econoline with a bed," she said. "Superstar alert, I have spent many a night at Walmart (parking lot)."
Her current tour will take her to Ireland, Germany and Norway this fall as well as all over the eastern part of the United States. She'll do a few shows in Nashville, but for the most part she heads from town-to-town.

This Sunday she will be in Chester at the popular spot, The Pizza Stone, playing mainly for the opportunity to perform for some local friends and family, as well as great pizza and Vermont beer … and a couple bucks for gas to get her to the next show.



Pizza Stone

Singer-songwriter Kristen Ford will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 23, at McNeill's, 90 Elliot St., Brattleboro. There's a $5 cover for this show. Ford is also playing Sunday, July 24, at 6 p.m., at the Pizza Stone, Route 11 in Chester. For more information, call McNeill's at 802-254-2553, The Pizza Stone at 802-875-2121. For more information about Kristen Ford and other tour dates, visit www.kristenfordmusic.com. - Rutland Herald

“In the best possible way a genre train wreck, mixing the styles of reggae, indie, folk and disco into a frenetic musical fold. Pretend that Ani Difranco and Bob Marley had a child that goes bar hopping with Isaac Brock and you’ll have a pretty good idea of Ford’s sonic journeys”- City Paper Rochester - City Paper Rochester NY

“In the best possible way a genre train wreck, mixing the styles of reggae, indie, folk and disco into a frenetic musical fold. Pretend that Ani Difranco and Bob Marley had a child that goes bar hopping with Isaac Brock and you’ll have a pretty good idea of Ford’s sonic journeys”- City Paper Rochester - City Paper Rochester NY

To speak to Kristen Ford is like talking to a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

In the course of a 15-minute interview, Ford touched on everything from patriotism and Good Friday to yodeling and her debut release, "Filthy Nasty."

And that randomness seeps into her music. - Hunstville Times

Kristen Ford's set ispeppered with beatboxing and percussive guitar playing. - Isthmus Paper Madison

There's a little something you'll find in each of Kristen Ford's songs that could be described as delightfully off-kilter.

Halfway through the intimate "Pretty Little Mind,' listeners are treated to an unexpected beatbox breakdown. In "Bag of Bones,' she lets out an excited squeal " trying to break through the boredom of her pothead narrator's monotonous day. Sometimes, it's simply the way she says a word that makes it stick.

The Boston singer/songwriter is anything but normal and predictable. And that's why people love her. - St Joseph News Press

Kristen Ford, a singer-songwriter from Boston, Mass. with a high energy live show, blends rock, reggae, indie and folk for her spontaneous, soulful songs. Although Ford’s style has been described as “pure rock n’ roll screaming with childish joy” or “like talking to a child with ADHD,” one thing is certain – she’s a master of all the genres she manages to play at once.

With a recent win from the Iguana Music Fund under her belt, a 26-date national tour this month and an upcoming appearance at the National Women’s Music Festival, 2013 will be a big, big year for the songstress.
- See more at: http://www.daytoncitypaper.com/r-n-r-with-adhd/#sthash.GORJ2u92.dpuf - Dayton City Paper

“Filthy Nasty” is easily one of the most promising debut albums I have heard in a long time. This Kristen Ford is a real rocker…There is no easy was to categorize the music of Kristen Ford. All of this musical diversity is what makes Filthy Nasty so appealing. Add to that striking melodies, the strong musicianship and her honest direct lyrics, and you’ve got the real deal.” - The Greenfield Recorder February 2009


- The Greenfield Recorder

“Filthy Nasty” is easily one of the most promising debut albums I have heard in a long time. This Kristen Ford is a real rocker…There is no easy was to categorize the music of Kristen Ford. All of this musical diversity is what makes Filthy Nasty so appealing. Add to that striking melodies, the strong musicianship and her honest direct lyrics, and you’ve got the real deal.” - The Greenfield Recorder February 2009


- The Greenfield Recorder

“When Chi-town Musical cuisinart Kristen Ford decided to adopt Boston as her new stomping grounds, we were pumped to have her, and all 17 genres she manages to play at once…delight in her take on acoustic disco”


- The Weekly Dig

You know what song I really, really hate? That song about “Ladies’ Night.” I mean, I loathe it. Don’t ever send me your cover of that to review because I will burn it and you will owe me a new computer. One thing I do like though - let’s keep it positive - is a good record release show by a fantastic performer. And that will happen Friday night at The Lizard Lounge, where I swear I saw Roy Orbison a few weeks back. Never mind him, though, instead place Kristen Ford in your mind, as she will be releasing her CD that evening. It’s sort of “Ladies’ Night,” because the three bands are all female-fronted: Audrey Ryan, The Abbie Barrett Band, and the aforementioned Kristen Ford. The Lounge Lizard fills up quick, so you may want to buy tickets in advance.

Kristen Ford - “Walking On A Wire”
[Download it!]

Despite the precarious implications of its title, Kristen Ford’s “Walking On A Wire” is an easy, cozy, “why-don’t-you-have-a-seat-in-my-living-room” comfort of a song that rolls along just quick enough to stay interesting, but just easy-going enough to invite anyone to jump on board. The sound of this song is deceptively deep - its structure and arrangement seem simple enough, but there are many, many things to hear in this mix.

While the mix is full-sounding, it is also transparent; probably owing to each instrument’s willingness to stay out of the way of the other sounds in the song. The shaker keeps the 4/4 time with naught but four shakes and no residual jiggle. Next time you hold a shaker, try to do that. As a keyboardist (read: part-time auxiliary percussionist), I will tell you this is no easy feat. Speaking of keyboards, the piano has a refreshingly active yet not-overbearing presence in “Walking On A Wire,” providing a bed of nice intervals whereupon the melody may settle and occasionally see its own reflection.

Kristen Ford’s vocals add yet another dimension to the track. Her inflection is admirable, adding a level of emotional dynamics to a track that so many lesser vocalists might simply sing through. Her singing style is almost conversational, and the level of her voice rises and falls as it might in an excellent, engaging conversation. That is also how the listener leaves the song; thinking to one’s self, “My, that was interesting.” Lucky for us, another conversation with Kristen Ford is just a recording away, and for that, we must thank her. - Boston Band Crush

Kristen Ford is a storyteller. A few parts Kimya Dawson mixed with Tracy Chapman, Ford’s poetic lyrics take the listener on a ride like sonic pages of an epic biography. An Ohio native, Ford has traveled around the country making herself at home in six different states, and through her travels she has gathered suitcases full of personal stories and experiences to translate into songs.

Her latest EP, “Air Pl4ne,” highlights these themes of a jet-set lifestyle with folksy musicality and sweet, sometimes somber and sincerely imperfect vocals. Ford’s acoustic guitar playing is skilled, and it highlights her get-up-and-go musical philosophy. As she grabs her guitar and strums away a heartfelt song, she grabs every heart within reach and keeps a firm grasp even as the song and story end.

Though some tracks on the release are gut wrenching, others are aggressive but so soulfully honest that they are more than just pleasant to digest. “Two Days Sober Gingerale” is a standout track with its ability to turn everyday thoughts and memories into something powerful and poignant. These are songs that have got to be heard, and Ford dishes up important tunes with a sincerity that is rare and needed. Ford and her Boston-based band have served up a rich and velvety disc full of quality production and perfectly sparse instrumentation.

With songs that are this truthful and vocals this vulnerable, one might think Ford lacks a playfulness necessary for a digestible folk record, but this is not the case. Ford offers mixtapes full of activity books with crayons to color along with her already vibrant tunes. Ford’s “Air Pl4ne” is a record for traveling and reflecting, and it grips the everyday American in us all. This isn’t just a woman singing of typical heartaches and injustice. This is a person writing about lifestyles that are entirely relatable and honestly humble in just five solid tracks.

Ford and her band are known for their extensive touring, and the gang can be seen and heard straight off the train from New York at Buzzbin Art and Music Shop Oct. 19. - Buzzbin Magazine

The Kristen Ford Band -- The Grindstone

The Kristen Ford Band's The Grindstone, is an ambitious, complex, and incredibly musically diverse record. Kristen Ford has only lived in Chicago and Boston, but she appears as a world traveler on The Grindstone. Every song on the album has a distinct flair, and pizzazz. Like an old muse, Ford uses, combines, and bends genres to her will. At times she appears bluesy, and soulful, belting out her lyrics carefully with every verse. Other times, she is pure rock and roll screaming with childish joy. There is a refreshing lightness. The reggae opener “Loved You Madly” and the Hawaiian country ensemble “Bag of Bones” are testament to the special flavor of Ford’s.

It is virtually impossible to pin Ford down to one genre as she has obtained the ability to match her playing style and vocals to whatever genre she pleases. “Shadow” has Ford putting the brakes on the rock momentum. Everything slows down and her beautiful voice creeps in. The very next song on the album, the hard rocking “Machine Bird,” switches the momentum again. “Machine Bird” begins with the slow drawl of “Shadow,” but it erupts. The song is fun, fast, loud, and right in your face. This ability to change so utterly is the cornerstone of the album. Ford brings a welcome sincerity to the Indie scene with The Grindstone, an album clearly worth smiling over.--Casey Lowrey

- The Deli- New England

The Kristen Ford Band -- The Grindstone

The Kristen Ford Band's The Grindstone, is an ambitious, complex, and incredibly musically diverse record. Kristen Ford has only lived in Chicago and Boston, but she appears as a world traveler on The Grindstone. Every song on the album has a distinct flair, and pizzazz. Like an old muse, Ford uses, combines, and bends genres to her will. At times she appears bluesy, and soulful, belting out her lyrics carefully with every verse. Other times, she is pure rock and roll screaming with childish joy. There is a refreshing lightness. The reggae opener “Loved You Madly” and the Hawaiian country ensemble “Bag of Bones” are testament to the special flavor of Ford’s.

It is virtually impossible to pin Ford down to one genre as she has obtained the ability to match her playing style and vocals to whatever genre she pleases. “Shadow” has Ford putting the brakes on the rock momentum. Everything slows down and her beautiful voice creeps in. The very next song on the album, the hard rocking “Machine Bird,” switches the momentum again. “Machine Bird” begins with the slow drawl of “Shadow,” but it erupts. The song is fun, fast, loud, and right in your face. This ability to change so utterly is the cornerstone of the album. Ford brings a welcome sincerity to the Indie scene with The Grindstone, an album clearly worth smiling over.--Casey Lowrey

- The Deli- New England

We love a lot of music. A lot.

But then there’s twenty-three year-old Kristen Ford.

And the word “love” just doesn’t cut it. She’s celebrating the release of her second album “Alone, Together” at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge with Audrey Ryan (who produced Kristen’s new album) and Abbie Barrett on Friday, September 24th.

The bottom line: you cannot miss this show.

It’s easy to get jaded about music. There are so many mainstream artists who become huge and successful and can barely sing a song or are so contrived that whatever soul there music may have had left a long time ago. Kristen Ford is authentic, crazy talented and a lot of fun. We caught her recently playing an acoustic solo show at the Middle East Corner. Much to our surprise, she later told us one of our favorites from that night was entirely improvised. What?!?

Do your ears a favor and join us at Kristen Ford Band’s cd release party at the Lizard Lounge. You need to see her in a small venue now while you can. Note about tickets: they’re not on the Brown Paper Tickets site yet; but hopefully Lizard Lounge will add them soon. You can also buy tickets at the door for $10. Say you’ll be there on Facebook.

Speaking of bigger venues, we’re happy to announce the Kristen Ford Band will be the opening band at Soozapalooza 2 at the Middle East Downstairs on Saturday, January 22, 2010. More information and ticket details about that show we’re working on … soon! - Exploit Boston