10 Things To Know About Indie Band, The Broadcast.

Heather Jacks Interviews Caitlin Krisko
Apr 18, 2016
4 min read

"...Check out The Broadcast. Not Auto-tuned...not Beat-detected...not corporate..not kidding around. Caitlyn and Aaron front up a legit soulful rock band that comes right at you with great songs and powerful performances. Sweet hardworking people that have paved their own road and deserve all the credit... Love them!" - JIM SCOTT (Producer: Wilco, Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Grace Potter, etc) .

I love fierce females fronting rock & roll bands. It used to be something you never saw. Grace Slick made history as one of the first women to do it, blazing a path for ladies of rock to follow.

A few weeks ago, The Broadcast came across my cyber desk. The Broadcast hails from Asheville, North Carolina and is fronted by lady. I had just bought tickets to see Grace Slick in concert—(thank you, once again Red Devil, for bringing consistently cool live music to the Bay). I decided to give it a listen, because, let’s face it; females have a tougher time in rock, than their male counterparts.

It was love at first listen. I was blown away by female powerhouse Caitlin Krisko. This is a band that has seventies classic rock sensibilities, combining a guitar-driven rock sound with a wide range of themes and built on a foundation of solid group musicianship.

The Broadcast is a quintet:

Caitlin Krisko | VocalsAaron Austin | Guitar

E’Lon Jordan-Dunlap | Bass

Jaze Uries | Drums

Tyler Housholder | Percussion

Recently, I had an opportunity to check in with Caitlin and hear a little about her, as she waxed about marketing, reviews and busking.

A Conversation With Caitlin Krisko of The Broadcast

The Noise Beneath the Apple®: Have you ever busked? Performed on street corners in exchange for tips?

Caitlin Krisko: Truthfully, I've only ever busked once. I grew up in NYC watching subway buskers my entire life. I remember being 21 and REALLY wanting to go see The Roots at Roseland Ballroom. My friend and I were broke as a joke talking about it on the subway when a busker came onto the platform. A light-bulb went off in my head; We ran home, grabbed an acoustic guitar and a fiddle, set up show at 59th Street/Lexington Avenue and shockingly made $80 in less than an hour. We never did it again because you'd be surprised at how damaged your respiratory system can get sitting on a subway platform singing songs. TNBTA®: Can we begin by having you tell us how you got interested in music? C.K.: My music love affair began with a fascination for my father's vinyl record collection - specially Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles - as a kid I was VERY impressed that they were "able to get that many famous people in one picture all at once" (I later realized it was a collage). TNBTA®: How do you describe your music in a few words? C.K.: Soulful Americana with touches of rock and country TNBTA®: How did you get started? A little backstory. C.K.: When I was 13 my mom relocated me to NYC to attend The Professional Performing Arts School. Parents: if you want your kid to live a life as an artist- send them to a performing arts school - the conditioning is incredible. TNBTA®: What are you listening to right now? C.K.: Super stoked on the new Sturgill Simpson music rolling out. Also, Aaron (guitarist/co-writer) and I are pretty much completely obsessed with Tedeschi Trucks Band. We're also super into artists like The Eagles and Emily King. TNBTA®: What is a key learning for you on this journey? C.K.: Everything is a chance to learn something invaluable. One of the most important lessons I've learned over the last several years is your team has to be RIGHT. All the way from band members to your manager to your booking agent. Everyone involved has to completely believe in it, otherwise time is being wasted. TNBTA®: What is your least favorite part of the music process? Why? C.K.: The politics. There's a lot of incredible independent bands out there that unfortunately just aren't getting the opportunities they need to "break through the glass ceiling" - a lot of festivals year after year have the same lineups because they're dominated by buyers and booking agents. We're starting to transition from being one of those grassroots bands to one that is being represented properly and the difference is night and day in terms of the doors that are opening for us. We just try to remind ourselves that everyone's got their dues to pay and you just have to persevere through it TNBTA®: If you had a super power, what would it be? C.K.: Shape-shifter for the win. TNBTA®: Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad? C.K.: I do read the reviews, it's important to learn from them and to see how your work is being received by others. Always take it with a grain of salt, the bad AND the good. It goes both ways. TNBTA®: What is your best marketing tip? C.K.:Content is king.