If there’s one thing that your daily playlist is missing, it’s a powerhouse who can give it all to you: from aggressive, emotional anthems to chil, soft-rock tunes to listen on your daily. Today, we’re featuring an artist who took her passions in art and made it into something emotional and relatable to anyone: Krista Acheson.
Krista Acheson is the mastermind behind the projects Krista D and Molly Grue, who truly defines what it means to have a potpourri sense of musical style. Krista D, which is partly named for the character Sandra Dee from Grease, boasts strong ska-funk vibes and is very reminiscent of another artist we featured here, Evan Petruzzi. Acheson describes the sound of Krista D perfectly, “a perky sound with a bit of fuck you”. Though her songs are written about her personal situations, I truly resonate with her experiences with toxic relationships and just shitty men in general. If you ever wondered what an artist version of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” would sound like, then definitely check out Krista D!
Based on the character from The Last Unicorn(one of my favorite all time films, by the way), Molly Grue is Acheson’s side project in which many of her soft rock songs are released under. The decision to pursue this project came after a hiatus with her music-making, where she had been contemplating pursuing it again considering the financial risks. Though Acheson still holds similar elements with this project and Krista D — from her edgy, melodic voice and the very personal lyrics — I absolutely love the heavier rock elements. While this is a more new project, with very few songs released, I wait with baited breath for the band’s upcoming release.
The After Hours Review had a chance to speak with Krista and her many side projects. Check it out below and be sure to keep her on your radar for upcoming releases!
What genre of music do you consider your work to be?
It kind of depends on which music project I’m working on. I’ve just released an alternative, light rock single, called ‘O Dymphna’, under a new side project called Molly Grue, but I’m currently arranging session musicians to record a punky ska track for my Krista D project.
When did you first take an interest in the music scene? What inspired you to make music?
I started recording in the studio when I was around 15, and it was because my father discovered my aptitude for singing and songwriting and wanted to encourage me along that path. I’m not sure I would have ever pursued it otherwise- especially where I wasn’t exposed to a lot of music growing up, due to an intensely religious environment, and where I’m generally fairly reclusive by nature.
Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organization?
No, I don’t have a label, I only have a vanity label webpage I’ve made just so that I could park all my projects in one location. I don’t have enough fan support to be of any interest to an actual label. I just register my music with SOCAN and Sound Exchange and distribute it through CD Baby.
How has your music evolved since you first began making music?
I honestly don’t think it’s changed very much, other than the fact that my first album was directed at the christian music market and I’ve long since left that lifestyle. I would say my songwriting habits are still the same: I bounce between 3 genres depending on the topic and mood of the song.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band/artist so far?
Initially the challenge was that my eclecticism created difficulties with marketing. It used to be that if I released a single it may have only been stylistically representative of a couple of songs on an album; it was like releasing a mixtape. When I recently began recording again I decided to divide all of my material into 3 projects, according to genre. So, now the biggest challenge is doing everything an indie solo artist does- only with 3 times the work and with 3 times the cost.
What can you tell me about any new material, writing and recording process, inspiration for the music, etc?
I’m actually right at the start of creating a track right now. I can describe the process of making it for you, but it will be a bit long-winded. For starters, the inspiration is just random; happens out of nowhere, but always stems from an event or a strong emotion. I can simply hear melody and words begin to form in my head. Musically, I’ll work it out on a keyboard, by ear, and write down the chords. Lyrically I jot down whatever has accompanied the melody, then I sing it through to see if it flows smoothly or if it should have it’s word count reduced because even in my head I tend to ramble… I just build it with more instruments from [the recording studio]. It’s slower when you don’t have an actual band to work with but at least this way I can try to have everything close to what’s in my mind without the compromise of letting others input what they’d prefer to play.
Do you have any main themes or topics you like to hit in your music?
There’s a general theme of distress that runs through everything, but that’s largely because I’m moved to write by sadness or anger. Rarely will I write if I’m happy, I think songwriting is just a therapeutic venting tool for when I’m in some sort of distress. The lyric topics are based on mental illness, abuse, assault; things that have been shared with me by others, or things that I’ve personally experienced. I pretty much only write what I know. I don’t like to set out to forcibly write a song, I prefer if songs happen organically.
What’s the ultimate direction you have for yourself?
My main direction, or goal, is to strike a good balance between my visual arts career and my studio recording but very generally the idea is to just keep creating and hope that at some point people will like, and support, what I’m putting out there.
Any upcoming release dates or shows?
The track I’m working on now will probably end up being called ‘Crazy Bitch’ and will be released under my Krista D project. The Molly Grue EP Is still two songs away from completion, so that’s in the works too. Lastly I have one track left to record for my harder rock project, Hooha and The Peter Guns, and then that will be the last EP from my divided song catalogue.