45: Jenn Cristy

Jenn Cristy and I chat about what she learned from touring and recording with John Mellencamp, building a successful music career in the Midwest, and starting 1Pulse Entertainment. Now on her fifth album, Jenn began her career with John Mellencamp, meeting the Hoosier rocker in Bloomington, Indiana, where she was in the midst of an all-American swimming career at Indiana University. During her stint with Mellencamp’s band she proved her versatility, playing flute, piano, percussion, organ, and violin in addition to singing. When she embarked on her solo career in 2003, she wanted to create a sound that both honored all of her varied influences – from Ben Folds to Pink and Bruce Hornsby to Queen – while creating something decidedly original. It is clear that her music has found a hungry audience. Cristy has played around the country, sharing the stage with a veritable who's-who of artists – Shawn Mullins, John Eddie, Antigone Rising, Indigenous, Bree Sharp, Jeffery Gaines, Danielia Cotton and Michael Gabliki (Rusted Root) –or dominating it herself. Her songs have earned praise everywhere from blogs and small-town newspapers to The New York Times. The piano-driven rock is a platform for lyrics that encompass everything from matters of the heart to politics to straight-ahead fun…or murder. In Cristy’s world, every story has a melody.

The Brassy Broadcasting Company

• jenncristy.com

Listen to the Spotify Episode Mixtape with artists mentioned during the show.

• The Brassy Broad on Facebook
• @brassybroadjen on twitter

• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via Stitcher
• Subscribe via RSS