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Kristin Chambers lights up Barboza at album release party for ‘Kissing Ghosts’

October 24, 2019: Barboza

Dan Ray November 1, 2019
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Kristin Chambers lights up Barboza at album release party for ‘Kissing Ghosts’ November 1, 2019

Raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Detroit, Dan discovered an early passion for singing, songwriting, and the arts as a whole. She got her BA in English and music at the University of Michigan, where she reported for the school’s paper, The Michigan Daily. She worked as a Senior News Reporter on the government beat, transitioned to arts writing, and eventually became the managing editor of the social media department. She moved to Seattle in 2017. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and discouraged about the lack of press surrounding Seattle’s music scene, Dan made the decision to turn Dan’s Tunes, a fully fledged music journalism website focused on showcasing the Seattle area’s musicians, into its own startup. There’s so much music happening in the city that spawned Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix — among others — and Dan’s Tunes is determined to find and expose those outstanding acts. The goal is to have satellites in every major US city, uplifting diverse and compelling voices and helping music communities thrive. In 2020, Dan was featured in the Seattle Times’s year-end music critic poll. Other than her musical endeavors (singing, playing ukulele, and auditioning for American Idol four times before the age of 24) Ray is passionate about food and education around the American food system, and she’s also a large proponent of eliminating the stigma around mental health. Ray loves cats, especially her own, who is named Macaulay Culkin (but she’s a lady).

Kristin Chambers headlines Barboza at her album release party for Kissing Ghosts. // Photo by Zen Wolfang

When Kristin Chambers walked on stage at Barboza wearing a form-fitting, black jumpsuit with pockets, I immediately knew I liked this woman. Looking sleek and powerful (but also practical with those pockets, come on), the piano-pop singer-songwriter started her set with the opening track of her new LP, “Oxygen Of Love.”

This show served as the release party for Chambers’s latest drop, Kissing Ghosts, and, with Chambers sitting confidently behind her keyboard, just as “Oxygen Of Love” provides an unparalleled opening to her record, so did it instill a phenomenal opening vibe to her live set. From the moment she opened her mouth, I felt her voice literally pulling at something inside me, drawing happiness and bubbles to the top of my chest until it emanated throughout my entire body, perfectly in time with the music.

With light in her eyes and infectious gaiety cascading from her smile, Chambers had command over her audience from the second she set foot on stage. She brought life to her tracks, transitioning between keyboards and a mic at the front of the stage. She also made jokes along the way, bringing us into her world, like when she threw out that her album is only available on Napster and MySpace. Backed by an incredible band — Roger Lloyd on guitar; Kimo Muraki on guitar, lap steel, and backup vocals; Andrew Seller on drums; Camilo Estrada on bass; and Asta Wylie on backup vocals — these musicians came together to create an indelible moment in time that spoke volumes about Chambers’s astounding musicality.

Particularly juicy moments were the three-part harmonies from Chambers, Muraki, and Wylie on final Kissing Ghosts track “Come To Me” and Chambers’s powerful rendition of “Let Me Let You Let Me Go,” in which her voice soared above the crowd, and I legitimately got chills and felt my eyes tear up during several stimulating belts from Chambers, as her band swayed behind her.

With the live rhythms locked in and ear-worm pop melodies infusing the venue, the crowd danced throughout Chambers’s entire set — something rarely seen in the Seattle scene.

Before Chambers, two members of her band — Kimo Muraki and Roger Lloyd — prepped the audience for their headlining set with their own projects. Muraki opened the show on his own with only a guitar, a banjo, and his voice, and Lloyd, who also produced Kissing Ghosts, took the stage with his rock duo, Deep Cologne.

While Muraki’s voice was sweet as sugar and his falsetto hit frequencies I didn’t know existed, the most pertinent part of his set was how he let his personality shine through. As he began his set, there were a handful of people at the front of the stage but even more milling about in the back, talking amongst themselves, rising above the din of Muraki’s soft-spoken words. He jokingly called to those in the “nosebleed seats,” announcing his set was beginning.

As he flowed throughout his set, drawing the crowd in with his creamy vocals and rhythmic guitar, the people in those nosebleeds payed no mind. When an audience member asked if we should ask them to quiet down, without missing a beat, Muraki said to let them be because after he finished playing in Chambers’s set, he would just “get tanked” and go fight them. A simple joke, it was a thread throughout the entire set, and it showed both Muraki’s professionalism and grit layered on stop of his smooth songwriting.

Rock duo Deep Cologne filled out the second set with Lloyd and drummer Michael Tipton. Looking like Sting and Bono had a baby, Lloyd made for a wonderful (if not stereotypical) frontman. His presence was solidly stolid during tracks and light and fun between tunes, introducing the tracks by their danceability. He and Tipton filled out the stage well on top of their tracks — or, as they refer to them, “the robot.”

With syncopated rhythms and tracks that ranged from pop sensibilities to grunge, Deep Cologne’s set sent me into a psychedelic trance, bopping my head side to side as the beats flew by. Their grooves were slinky, and their robot imbued shiny plinks onto their live and dark but bouncy rhythm section.

With Lloyd and Muraki bleeding into Chambers’s set, the whole night felt like a swirl of honey dripping off a spoon, starting at the top of the night, moving through the sets, and landing in a silky pool of piano pop at the end of the evening. Filled with sweetness and hale, the album release for Kissing Ghosts left me staring at the spoon, just waiting for it to be dipped back into the honey jar, drooling for more.

Singer-songwriter Kimo Muraki starts off the night's festivities. // Photo story by Zen Wolfang
A staple of the local music scene, Muraki has also played on studio recordings with national acts Vance Joy, The Strumbellas, and Phillip Phillips, as well as on the soundtrack for "Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever."
Muraki croons with a polished style.
Trading his guitar for a banjo, Muraki kicks up the energy a notch.
Muraki focuses on honing his sound.
Switching back to guitar, Muraki keeps the energy ramped.
Departing the stage, Muraki assures the crowd they're in for a great night.
Filling out the second spot is rock duo Deep Cologne.
Singer and bassist Roger Lloyd gazes meaningfully into the growing crowd.
Deep Cologne is among few rock outfits that play live without a guitarist.
Drummer Michael Tipton gets into the groove.
Deep Cologne's crowd gets deeper.
Throughout the set, Lloyd maintains a cheekiness with the audience.
Tipton keeps a steady rhythm, accompanying Lloyd's bass.
With a swig of liquid gold, Deep Cologne signs off, leaving the stage for the night's headliner, Kristin Chambers.
This show is in celebration of Kissing Ghosts, the latest LP from Seattle's Kristin Chambers.
Chambers is joined onstage by an ensemble with a couple familiar faces, though Lloyd (right) is on guitar this time around. On bass is Camilo Estrada.
Chambers is known for her heart-felt songwriting.
Chambers's piano-pop songs will definitely leave you humming their melodies.
Chambers shines with her backing band.
With a bold performance style, Chambers held her audience captive.
Throughout the set, Chambers alternates between working the crowd and taking a seat at the keys.
On Kissing Ghosts track "You're The Song," Chambers refers to her "tiny hands."
Chambers takes a break from keys and brings a friend, Mack Grout, to fill the spot.
Chambers finishes her set with a flourish, leaving the crowd wanting more. // Photo story by Zen Wolfang

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Raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Detroit, Dan discovered an early passion for singing, songwriting, and the arts as a whole. She got her BA in English and music at the University of Michigan, where she reported for the school’s paper, The Michigan Daily. She worked as a Senior News Reporter on the government beat, transitioned to arts writing, and eventually became the managing editor of the social media department. She moved to Seattle in 2017. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and discouraged about the lack of press surrounding Seattle’s music scene, Dan made the decision to turn Dan’s Tunes, a fully fledged music journalism website focused on showcasing the Seattle area’s musicians, into its own startup. There’s so much music happening in the city that spawned Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix — among others — and Dan’s Tunes is determined to find and expose those outstanding acts. The goal is to have satellites in every major US city, uplifting diverse and compelling voices and helping music communities thrive. In 2020, Dan was featured in the Seattle Times’s year-end music critic poll. Other than her musical endeavors (singing, playing ukulele, and auditioning for American Idol four times before the age of 24) Ray is passionate about food and education around the American food system, and she’s also a large proponent of eliminating the stigma around mental health. Ray loves cats, especially her own, who is named Macaulay Culkin (but she’s a lady).