Kristeen Young

Infobox musical artist
Name = Kristeen Young
Background = solo_singer


Img_capt = Kristeen Young performing live, 2008
Img_size =
Birth name = Kristeen Young
Born = Birth date and age|1975|0|0|df=yes
St. Louis, Missouri
Genre = Glam rock, Indie pop, Alternative rock
Years_active = 1992—present
Instrument = Vocals, keyboards
Associated_acts = Tony Visconti
David Bowie
Morrissey
Label = World Domination
Zona
Galileo
N_Records
Test Tube Baby
Attack/Sanctuary
URL = [http://www.kristeenyoung.com KRISTEENYOUNG.com]

Kristeen Young is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter and keyboardist from St. Louis, Missouri. Young, along with drummer "Baby" Jeff White, make up the indie rock band KRISTEENYOUNG. Young's stage persona is very dramatic, featuring elaborate make-up and costumes (many incorporating very high heels, exaggerated details and unorthodox materials, including plastic bubbles and, most famously, Wonder Bread bags). [ [http://www.entertainmenttoday.net/content/view/373/10009/ Elaborate stagewear] : accessed August 15 2007.] Her work is characterized by its open sexuality and abrupt, sarcastic humor.

Early life

Born near St. Louis in 1975, Kristeen Young was abandoned by her birth parents and placed up for adoption at the age of three. The half-Apache, half-German Young was adopted by a grocer and a hairdresser from the suburb of Affton. Young's adoptive parents were Christian fundamentalists, which often set them at odds with one another. While in her teens, Young discovered the piano. She found music to be a refuge from the rules and restrictions she had thrust upon her during her adolescent years. Piano and voice lessons led her to attend a high school for the performing arts. She would later graduate from Webster University with a degree in music theory and composition. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_9_34/ai_n6213135 Biographical detail] : accessed May 31 2007.]

Early career

Following graduation, Young found her niche in St. Louis' independent music community. After some early experimentation, Young formed the band Nov. 9th in 1992. The band subsequently released the album "Waiting Like Witch Doctors". However, Young's sound was evolving and she grew displeased by the trappings of a full band.

By 1994, Young had moved on from Nov. 9th and formed the band WaterWorks. WaterWorks was scaled back to one drummer and one guitarist giving them the raw sound that Young had been seeking. WaterWorks, like Nov. 9th, only yielded one album, their self-titled debut, before disbanding in 1995.

Without a band, Young supported herself by working as a waitress at a local restaurant. Eventually, she formed a new band with the dishwasher, drummer "Baby" Jeff White, and released her solo debut, "Meet Miss Young and Her All Boy Band". The record became a strong favorite on college radio playlists, its collection of songs frequently lurking in regions of unresolved personal trauma and emotional unease, although sometimes expressed within a deceptively upbeat musical context; inevitably, comparisons were drawn between Ms. Young and various other female vocalist/pianists, but all of these comparisons failed to account for this sinister intensity bristling at the heart of her music. Young and White have worked together throughout most of the past ten years, and now refer to themselves as a band called KRISTEENYOUNG rather than a solo performer with backup.

Meeting Visconti

After her self-released second album " Enemy" in 1999, Young and White relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where, joined by bassist Brian Ion, they continued their rigorous East Coast performance schedule. By 2001 she had made a move to the state of New York, managing to take up residence in Manhattan the following year. Using homemade costumes and props to deliver a wry commentary on American consumer culture (an approach displayed on her first album, the cover of which depicts her wearing a dress constructed out of plastic Wonder Bread bags) in combination with an intense delivery of her songs, Young slowly built a strong regional following, but the location of her music outside of corporate music trends and the incestuous nature of mainstream rock radio continued to hinder a wider-spread exposure.

Later the same year, Young sent a demo CD to renowned producer Tony Visconti after randomly picking his name out of a music-industry directory. Visconti, known for producing such acts as David Bowie, T. Rex, The Moody Blues, and Morrissey, would later claim he "was on the phone to her before the CD ended." [ [http://www.tonyvisconti.com/news/june03.htm Tony Visconti on Young] : accessed August 15 2007.] .]

During recording sessions, Kristeen contributed keyboard and vocal work for selected tracks on David Bowie's Visconti-produced album "Heathen" (2002). Returning the favor, Bowie performed a duet with Young entitled "Saviour" which would appear on "Breasticles" (2003). The album was released by N_Records in Portugal, who held a release party for Young in Lisbon at the Saint Louis Theater. Portuguese band Micro Audio Waves opened for her. She continued to promote "Breasticles" with appearances throughout Portugal, London, and New York City. Despite the strength of the material (and the added benefits of a stunning package realized by NYC designer Howard Forbes, the duet with Bowie, and the appearance on "Heathen"), the obscure Portugal-based release of the record and a lack of proper distribution prevented a national breakthrough. The album, however, yielded one single - "Touch Tongues".

Meeting Morrissey

In 2004, Young released an album called "X", about the Ten Commandments. The structure of the record is fairly loose, and allows for some songs written in character, as well as others that discuss a commandment directly. Though Young's official description of the album is that it is a series of arguments against the Ten Commandments, she has added in interviews that "X's" morality is more neutral, and intended to reflect a post-religious reality. The album's opening track "No Other God" features a duet with Placebo's Brian Molko.

2006 saw the release of "The Orphans", an album which represents a return to Young and White's original stripped-down sound, minus the guitars and effects present on "X" and "Breasticles"; [ [http://www.tonyvisconti.com/news/march06.htm The Orphans] : accessed August 15 2007.] the resulting album relies almost entirely on piano, synth, White's distinctive and aggressive drumming and Young's operatic vocal. The album marked Young's third with producer Tony Visconti. To Young and White's specifications, the album was mixed to sound like it was recording live giving it a more "raw and powerful" feel to it. [http://www.tonyvisconti.com/news/march06.htm accessed 8/16/07]

While Visconti was producing "Ringleader of the Tormentors" he introduced Morrissey to the music of Kristeen Young. Morrissey in turn signed her to his Attack label. "Kill The Father" and "London Cry" were subsequently released as singles in the UK. Young supported Morrissey on the "Tour of the Tormentors MMVI". [ [http://true-to-you.net/morrissey_news_060907_01 Morrissey post-tour notes] : accessed June 2 2007] Mid-tour, Young lent her vocals to the B-Side "Sweetie-Pie" on Morrissey's I Just Want To See The Boy Happy single. Later in 2007, after opening for Morrissey once again on his "Greatest Hits" tour, Young contributed the vocal intro on the Morrissey single "That's How People Grow Up", produced by Jerry Finn in Texas. The song was debuted on the David Letterman show on June 29th 2007.

Young was fired in October 2007 from the "Greatest Hits" tour after she made comments onstage about the former Smiths vocalist. As a retort to an audience member who called out for Morrissey during her set, she said, "Morrissey gives great head...I mean cunnilingus." Young has since issued a statement explaining that the statement was part of her performance and not meant as an insult. [ [http://www.morrissey-solo.com/article.pl?sid=07/10/26/1734207 Young leaves Morrissey tour] : accessed August 15 2007.] Despite the incident, Morrissey invited Young, amongst other performers, to support him at the 02 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London on July 4, 2007. KRISTEENYOUNG headlined the MTV stage at the event sharing billing with other notable headliners such as Siouxsie Sioux, The New York Dolls, and Beck. [ [http://www.o2wirelessfestival.co.uk/lineup/artist.aspx?aid=908e70ce-8c8c-4a39-b107-a0ca2cb74541 02 Wireless website] : accessed July 30 2008.]

Other

Young most recently completed a tour with Ted Leo & The Pharmacists in the latter half of 2007.

She was featured as "Playgirl Of The Month" in the April 2008 issue of Playgirl Magazine.

Young contributed backing vocals to Anti-Flag's 2008 release, "The Bright Lights of America" (featured mainly on the song "If You Wanna Steal (You Better Learn How To Lie)". [ [http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2008/04/01/punk_band_spouts_rhe.php Punk band spouts rhetoric, anger] : accessed April 5 2008.]

Discography

Albums

*With Nov. 9th: "Waiting Like Witch Doctors" (1992)
*With WaterWorks: "WaterWorks" (1994)

* "Meet Miss Young and Her All Boy Band" (1997)
* "Enemy" (1999)
* "Breasticles" (2003)
* "X" (2004)
* "The Orphans" (2006)
* "Music For Strippers, Hookers, and The Odd On-Looker" (2008)

ingles

* "Touch Tongues" (N-Records 2003, Portugal)
* "Kill The Father" (Sanctuary/Attack Records 2006, UK)
* "London Cry" (Sanctuary/Attack Records 2006, UK)

ongs On Other Albums

* "The Last Thing You Need To Hear", on album "What's The Word, Vol. 1" (1999)
* "Rotting On The Vine", on album "Music From The Succubus Club" (2000)
* "Mr Blue Sky" (with Tony Visconti and Richard Barone), on album "Lynne Me Your Ears" (2000)

References

External links

* [http://www.kristeenyoung.com/ KristeenYoung.com] Official website
* [http://www.myspace.com/kristeenyoung Kristeen Young myspace page]
* [http://privatethingsyouveconcealed.com Kristeen Young fansite]
* [http://www.nndb.com/people/283/000089016 Kristeen Young on NNDB.com]
* [http://www.kristeenyoung.de/ kristeenyoung.de - English/German Fansite]