Kristen Short Home Page

Kristen Short / Journal

This is a feature I started putting together to give you a historical perspective of my singing/songwriting endeavors. It's still under construction, but I hope you enjoy it. Best wishes!

–Kristen Short

Update from Kristen on 05/21/2010:

Greetings! I've been back to recording at Baked Beans Recording Studio recently, recording two of my original songs I use in my elementary school classes. The enthusiastic, young chorus really enjoyed their first recording studio experience, and as always, they are fun to work with! In the months ahead I'm writing, remixing tunes in the studio, and getting back to performing more regularly. Stay tuned for more performance dates that will be posted below.

Thanks for your interest, and best wishes!

Update from Kristen on 02/04/2010:

It’s hard to believe that it’s mid-winter already! For me 2009 was filled with songwriting, elementary school music teaching, and a light performance schedule that afforded me time to enjoy my young family and our busy schedules. In 2010 I’ll be back to performing more frequently (details to come), in addition to my continuing to teach elementary school music. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of my “Dove in a Hurricane” CD release. Many wonderful things have happened musically for me since “Blossom in the Dust” was released in 1998, and I am so very grateful to all who have supported my musical endeavors. I look forward to sharing more new music with you all in the near future!

Thanks for your interest, and best wishes!

Update From Kristen on 7/3/2009:

It's been a very rainy spring/early summer here in Maine, and although I do love the rain and it often inspires me to write, I'm certainly hoping for sunny weather and that we'll be spending more time outdoors without getting soaked! (And, no, don't blame the rain on me because of my "Wish for Rain" song!)

Although with a young family I've been tending to stay close to the home front physically, spiritually and musically with an intentionally light performance schedule, I've still been very active musically. In addition to my ongoing songwriting endeavors, I've been teaching music at a small elementary school since 2005, teaching a wide assortment of music activities like music theory, choral singing, songwriting, introductions to playing instruments, bell chorus, recorders, drum circles, musical improvisation, and this spring even co-produced a comprehensive school musical. Inspiring children musically to me is a truly wonderful feeling, and I can't help but smile when I see and hear the curious and enthusiastic budding musicians, singers and musical enthusiasts, both at school and in my own young family (don't be too surprised if a few years down the road the five members of the Short family are out performing music together...).

Check back here for performance information, or sign up for my mailing list and I'll keep you posted about my music endeavors and upcoming performances. (You can also follow me on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and ReverbNation - see links on the Press Kit page. In the meantime, I'm working on some new songs, music projects and developing a solo performing repertoire of my original music that I hope to unveil soon.

Thanks much for your interest, and best wishes!

Update From Kristen on 12/05/2008: Happy Holidays! I hope this note finds you all well and staying warm...

Although I've taken a little time off from performing in recent months, I've been busy writing new songs, preparing to do some recording and remixing, and readying to get out and about more with my acoustic guitar. In addition the kids have inherited the music bug and are excitedly taking piano lessons, singing and dabbling in guitar and percussion. I think about all the performances and recording sessions that the three kids attended while they were still in my belly...I guess they got hooked on music early! I'm enjoying our family music activities and look forward to sharing some of our family's music with you in the future...

I thank you much for your interest in and support of my music. It's hard to believe that I released my debut "Blossom in the Dust" CD ten years ago this year!

I've been busy networking, too. I'm an active member of the Nashville Songwriters Association and Taxi Independent Artist & Repertoire Company. My music and I can be found on a number of other sites:

And, of course, my medical documentation business (aka "the day job"), which has helped me fund my music endeavors over the years: www.scriptexcellence.com. Many thanks to the doctors who utilize my service and to the great team of transcriptionists who work with me!

If you're thinking about giving the gift of music for the holidays, please see the "recordings" page of this site.

I wish you all a happy, healthy holiday season!

Update From Kristen on 08/09/2008: Over the years I’ve come to notice a deep connection between the weather and my stretches of creativity…I love to write when it’s raining! Needless to say, with the incredible amounts of rain we’ve had this summer, my writing has been fruitful, and I’ll be back in the recording studio in the fall and winter. In the months ahead I’ll be making solo appearances with my acoustic guitar and will look forward to joining up with my fellow musician friends for performances as schedules allow. Check back here for the latest details…

“Finally Home,” a song from my “Blossom in the Dust” CD has been chosen as the backdrop music for “The Road to Eden’s Ridge” novel website, being released in paperback by Turner Publishing Company. In 2002 I had the pleasure of performing music for novel co-author Myra McClary’s book reading events, accompanied by musicians Heather Pierson and Alan Bean. At these events we performed music from the novel, as well as my originals “Finally Home” and “On Her Way,” the latter song which is also in consideration for the film score. Amy Grant says of the novel, “Eden’s Ridge provided the biggest unexpected cry in years – Amazing emotional turns. A must read.” Willie Nelson comments, “The Road to Eden’s Ridge has the heart and soul of a good country song. Ben McBride is a soul mate to all of us who have traveled that road.” I myself thoroughly enjoyed the novel and recommend it. See the web site at www.edensridge.com for more information.

Update from Kristen on 10/04/2007:  As the leaves are changing to a lovely hue here in New England, I’m taking a little “winding down time” from what’s been a wonderful and busy year thus far! In August Heather, Rusty and I and special guest guitarist Eric Brewer had an enjoyable performance in my hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. The audience was wonderful – thanks to all who joined us and for the invitation to come back for more shows (I promise it won’t be another ten years this time!). After the performance, we were really lucky to enjoy an incredible fireworks display on Lake Erie that was right behind the H.O. Hirt venue. That was a really nice end to the performance – I’m certainly glad I didn’t have to buy it, though!

In September Heather, Rusty & I performed an outdoor concert at the Norway Memorial Library in Norway, Maine. We were blessed with super weather and an equally great audience! We didn’t exactly have fireworks after this show, but just after we got the equipment packed up a huge downpour came, followed by an impressive “thunder boomer” as they say here in Maine!

Our good friend and fellow musician Rusty Wiltjer is off sailing south for the winter months (see his web page at www.wiltjerpottery.com for his sailing adventure tales). We wish him a safe journey and look forward to doing music with him again in the spring. In the months ahead I’m writing new music, pursuing song placements with Taxi and Sonicbids, polishing my guitar skills, and performing here and there….Check back here to keep posted about upcoming performances and events, or join the mailing list at the link below. Thanks for your interest!

06/24/2007: Whew! I can’t believe it is June already – it’s been a wonderful whirlwind year thus far with still lots in store. Thanks to everyone for your enthusiastic support of “The Loan.” The response is really wonderful, and I love hearing from folks what their favorite tunes are! (Feel free to drop me a line at kshort@kshort.com and let me know which are your favorites.) In addition to releasing “The Loan” in January 2007, I was in the recording studio January through April recording a new age/ambient CD with Kathy Gracenin and Rusty Wiltjer titled “Water Lily Waits – Music for Movement and Meditation.” And, yes, I was still recording and performing in my third trimester, as I did with my two other little ones. Needless to say our new little boy arrived April 26 and loves Mommy’s voice and the sound of Rusty’s drums! I’m honored to have my supportive little audience (you can hear big brother and sister giggle on the CD on “I’m A Mom” and sing on a surprise track). “Water Lily Waits” is a two CD set of original music for movement and meditation featuring Haiku lyrics, ethereal vocals and rich percussion.  Volume #1 are full percussion versions of the songs for listening and for movement (i.e., to utilize with Kathy Gracenin's Energy Choreography, dance, yoga, Taijiquan, etc.). Volume #2 are meditative versions with interludes of silence (i.e., for meditation, contemplative prayer, etc.). The CD is available on the Recordings page and at CD Baby (visit their site to hear sound clips from the CD).

I’ll be performing in my hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, at the H.O. Hirt Auditorium in Erie, Pennsylvania, with Heather Pierson and Rusty Wiljter on Saturday, August 11 at 7:00 PM. Joining us will be special guest guitarist and cousin Eric Brewer (see his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/ericbrewerandfriends), and singer/songwriter Jay Hitt may be joining us, too, which we’ll confirm soon (see his web page at www.jayhitt.com). Tickets are available for secure purchase on this site (see below) or at the door - $10/adults, $6.00/students. This is a beautiful venue with fabulous acoustics – I hope that you can join us for what I promise will be an enjoyable and memorable concert!

Also, on Saturday, September 8, Heather & I will have a concert at the Norway Memorial Library in Norway, Maine, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Weather permitting this will be an outdoor concert (and will be indoors at the library if inclement weather). Rusty will likely be sailing south for the winter September 1, and if he does, we wish him well and look forward to joining back up with him in the spring! (Check out Rusty's sailing adventures and his beautiful handcrafted drums on his web site at www.wiltjerpottery.com).

03/21/2007: The recent CD release performances were met with pleased audiences and some excellent press. Heather, Rusty and I have a great time generating our musical energy on stage. If you haven’t caught a performance yet, I hope you’ll come and see us! Lake Region Television filmed our January concert at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Auditorium and is broadcasting it on Maine cable. “The Loan” is also hitting the airwaves with songs being featured regularly on country station WOXO of Norway, Maine, WJZF of Standish, Maine, and others. I was honored to be the first featured artist on WJZF debut “Homegrown in Maine” program in February. To see the growing list of stations that have my music, please visit the “Links” page. You can listen to most of these stations on-line and make on-line song requests – your help in spreading the word to get the songs of “The Loan” heard is much appreciated! I’d also love to hear which songs are your favorites from “The Loan” CD – please drop me an email at kshort@kshort.com and let me know! I’m taking some time off performing in April and early May for the arrival of Short Baby #3, and then I’ll be back to performing late May, baby in tow! (See calendar on the Gigs/News page for details about upcoming performances.) I’m also pleased to announce that I’ll be performing August 11 in my hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, at the lovely H.O. Hirt Auditorium accompanied by Heather Pierson and Rusty Wiltjer, as well as special guest Jay Hitt. Tickets are available on the Gigs/News page and also will be available at the door.

01/16/2007: It’s finally here!  CD #3, “The Loan,” is released, and already it is receiving a heartening welcome! Thanks so much to all the musicians who contributed to this CD and to all those who have listened to and supported my music over the years. In December 2006 I was honored to be the featured cover artist in Good Times Magazine. (See the article on the Reviews page.) I’ll also be featured in additional press and radio play in the weeks to come. This summer and beyond I’ll be performing more within New England and will also be extending my performances outside of New England. Details to come to the website soon. If you’d like to listen to sample tracks from “The Loan” and/or purchase a copy of it or of any of my other CDs, please see the links on the Recordings page. Again, thanks for your interest!

12/23/2006: Well, I’m happy to say I have a number of updates. “The Loan,” is in the final printing process and should be in our hands by January 4th. The intricate booklet design I mapped out for the CD delayed the process a bit, but I do feel it will be worth the wait! Over the years I’ve had many people tell me they appreciate having the lyrics printed in the booklet, and this is something that I like to do. Many thanks to Cory Courtois of Pages Plus, who did the graphics arts for Klarity Multimedia on this project and worked with me closely in the design and editing process. Thanks also to Bob Delaney of Delaney Design, for helping get my web site ready for the new release. When you visit this web site, you’ll find some new features. If you visit the Recordings page, you’ll find the new CD cover with six audio samples to listen to, and also my shopping cart for all three CDs powered by the secure PayPal system if you’d like to purchase the CD directly from my site. Pre-orders for “The Loan” are being taken, and they’ll ship out as soon as they arrive on the 4th. All three CDs are also available at CD Baby these folks are purveyors of lots of great indie music, and their customer service is top-notch), and all three CDs will be available soon for download at digital music sites like iTunes, Rhapsody and others. You can also use the “order CDs by mail” option on the Recordings page. Just open the printable order form from the site and print it. The form features information about quantity discounts available for purchasing copies of “The Loan,” so if you’re interested in purchasing five or more copies, this route is the way to go. (And if you’re entrepreneurial, you can sell the copies you buy on quantity discount at the retail price and make some money off of the deal, and at the same time spread some heartfelt original music around…) Check out the CD release performances I have scheduled on the Gigs/News page – more are in the works in February and March, and I’ll be taking a little time off performing in April and May for the anticipated arrival of another little boy Short due April 26…The performance schedule will start back up in June and thereafter with the Short family in tow! Date and venue details to come. Another new feature of the web site is a Links page. I’m pleased to say I’ll be featured on a number of radio stations with the new CD. Many thanks to Maine country station WRFR for playing some early mixes from the new CD for the past year – they’ll be adding the new CD to their playlist. You’ll also find me on Maine Country Station 99.9 The Wolf starting in January, and as the radio list grows, you’ll find links to many stations that you can request my music on. On the press kit page, there’s a link to another new place you can find me (and link up with my site if you wish) – on Myspace Music. The link is www.myspace.com/kristenshortmusic. Lastly, on the Band page you’ll find some of the new musicians I worked with on this CD…check out the photos and descriptions for artists like Lissa Schneckenburger, Corey DiMario and Rusty Wiltjer…Thanks to these and all the other musicians and songwriters who made this CD possible.

11/11/2006:  It's been a whirlwind of activity finishing up my third original music CD, and it will be released on Sea Siren Records® the beginning of December 2006.  Music from the new CD will be featured in the soundtrack of a film currently in production that will be released at the independent film festivals. CD release performances are being scheduled with the accompaniment of Heather Pierson and Rusty Wiltjer -  confirmed dates will be posted on the site soon. I am currently also working on an intriguing and inspiring new musical project with Kathy Gracenin that will feature the percussion arrangements of Rusty Wiltjer. Kathy is a wellness consultant, dancer and choreographer....details to come. There are a few new additions to my site on the press kit page - a link to my artist page on MySpace, my electronic press kit with Sonicbids, and a few other places you can find me and my music. 

09/07/2006:  I spent a long and productive day with Adam Ayan, Grammy award winning mastering engineer of Gateway Mastering & DVD in Portland and protégé of Bob Ludwig. Musicians Heather Pierson and Neal Nutting joined me. We had the opportunity to meet the infamous Bob Ludwig, which was really enjoyable! The walls of the building are lined chock full of platinum albums that were mastered by Bob and Adam. Some of my favorites to see were Fleetwood Mac, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Lee Ann Rimes, Martina McBride, Montgomery Gentry, Keith Urban, the Rolling Stones (the last five were ones recently mastered by Adam). It was truly inspiring, to say the least. Adam is very pleasant and extremely knowledgeable in his field, and the finishing touches he put on "The Loan" CD really sweetened the sound.  Adam was also gracious enough to let me take a good look at his Grammy (and believe me, they are heavy!). After four years of producing this CD I feel I've finally crossed the bridge to its completion, and I can assure you that it is the best compilation of music I've produced to date. Thanks so much to all my supporting musicians, recording engineers, fellow songwriters, and my family for contributing to this CD.  There is much hard work to come with promoting the new CD and performing, and I'm up to the task and ready to roll!  I also thank all the listeners who have supported my performances over the years and my "Blossom in the Dust" and "Dove in a Hurricane" CDs, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts when the new CD, "The Loan,"  is released in November.  

 08/30/2006:  After much consideration, I have decided the title of my upcoming third CD is "The Loan" (named after track #11 written by Jeff Moxcey and Lou Sweigman). Last night we put the final touch on the final mix of the project with with engineer Alan Bean at Baked Beans Recording Studio in Harrison, Maine. Next week I head to Gateway Mastering in Portland, where Adam Ayan will work his mastering magic on the collection. 

08/11/2006:  I performed a very well-received outdoor concert for the Bridgton Library Music Series in Bridgton, Maine, accompanied by Heather Pierson (keyboard/guitar/vocals) and Rusty Wiltjer (percussion). I couldn't have asked for nicer conditions - sunshine, a nice cool breeze, an attentive and enthusiastic audience, and the supporting talents of Heather and Rusty...We performed an all-original set of songs from my first two CDs and also featured four songs from the new CD coming out in October. Lake Region Television recorded the performance, and it will be televised via Maine cable television beginning in September 2006. 

07/12/2006:   I was requested by and gave permission to the Second Chance League of Fairbanks, Alaska, to use my song "Second Chance" (from my "Dove in a Hurricane" CD) for a presentation for their organization. The Second Chance League is a non-profit organization that rescues sled dogs from Alaskan animal shelters and finds them homes. They have produced a slide show video featuring 100+ rescued dogs with "Second Chance" as the soundtrack, which is really touching to see.  Click to view Second Chance League slide show 

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