before you say anything.lets all remember that before the twitting and the facebooking,myspace was the O.G. of the social networks.myspace used to run the streets!what happened?well....i nah give up!im keepin my myspace pimpin and keepin all of you posted on wah gwaan wit CHR.i still write bulletins.so look out for them!and keep your ears locked to anything CRIMSON HEART REPLICA cuz big tings a gwaan!EP due in spring 2010!bless up uself.and thanks for listening!

Getting close to Katherine
Stephanie Lyew,Youthlink writer

Genre: Alternative/rock/soul
Instrument: Bass guitar
Musical Style: Crazy/edgy/ emotional/funky/irrefutable
Musical Influences: Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Sade, Stevie Wonder, The Distillers, Coldplay, Garnett Silk and Billie Holiday

Twenty-two-year-old Katherine Joanna Aisha Williams introduces herself by stating, "Music comes so naturally to me."

Being the daughter of former Kotch bass guitarist, David Williams, definitely played a significant role with her inclination to rock music, while mother, Karen Williams, acted as an exclusive motivator, constantly reminding her of the imminent goal.

Katherine's music career began at the tender age of nine, when she performed an original, Morning Blues, at one of the numerous shows she participated in while attending St. Hugh's Preparatory School.

She is also a past student of St. Andrew High, Immaculate Conception High, The Pre-University School, Broward Community College, The University of Technology, Jamaica, and the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Before completing her studies in computer science, she decided whether to follow her heart or follow the crowd.

Her journey towards stardom continued and she completed her studies in music at Edna Manley before gradually creating a name for herself. Since then, Katherine has performed at Tony's Bar (Chelsea Hotel), Tuesday Night Live at the Village Café, Red Bones, The Blues Café, Calabash Literary Arts Festival, The Flashpoint Film Festival, and Churchill's in the United States.

Following an audition for Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival earlier this year, Katherine added Destination Mexico to her list of memorable performances.

The rising star has also collaborated with artistes such as Diana King (her idol) and Cezar. She also recently played a cameo role in the video for Black Books by Tessanne Chin.

In future, the go-getter would like to work with Sizzla, Downstairs and hip hop violinist, Miri Ben-Ari among others.

Katherine shares her successes with her band, Crimson Heart Replica (CHR). She is complemented by musicians such as Craig 'Phlea' Lee on drums, John Fenton and Wayne McGregor on bass and lead guitar respectively.

Crimson Heart Replica defines their music as 'an illustration of immense emotion bleeding out from passionate hearts and souls'.

Her inspiration to write stems from past experiences of love, heartbreak and typical struggles individuals face, at some point in their lives.

Currently in a transitional phase, the band anticipates the release of their album 'Sad is the New Beautiful'. Katherine expresses the concept saying, "some people are afraid to embrace their sadness, instead of growing out of it. Make beauty from your sadness."

The album will comprise of approximately 11 tracks, such as Beautiful Mistake, Close and Hey. These tracks are featured on www.myspace.com/crimsonheartreplica.

Myspace remains the band's chief tool for promoting themselves, in addition to travelling to the United States to record.

Katherine is presently doing a production with Vyce City Project (formerly known as South Soul) but is not signed to any labels. In closing, Katherine states, "Time waits for no one. So instead of waiting for a big break, I am actually working towards it. I have realised that I am in control of my path and my destiny."

send pictures of yourself with CHR and your photos will be featured in my blog.

Inside the mind of Crimson Heart Replica
By Darren Khan Sunday Observer writer
Sunday, October 07, 2007

Katherine is not your average. anything. Tattooed, pierced and coloured, she believes in being true to herself, her beliefs and her feelings. Now performing under the name 'Crimson Heart Replica', she has spent the past few months in the United States of America - Florida to be precise - performing at various places.
Crimson Heart Replica. every song is a moment

After headlining a show at the Village Café in Liguanea recently, Crimson Heart Replica was back in the island for a show at Redbones the Blues Café on Braemar Avenue in Kingston, on Friday, August 5, and sat down for an interview about life, music and the name change, among other subjects.

Katherine has a music pedigree, since her father, David, who was a bass player with the band Kotch, bought her first guitar. Her music can be described as a mix of acoustic soul, reggae, rock n' roll and alternative rock. Both her sense of style and her musical leanings, she says, come from the music she listens to.

Born in Kingston, she attended St Hugh's Preparatory School, St Andrew High School for Girls and Immaculate Conception High School.
She was the island's Under-13 table tennis national champion for two years in a row, the Under-17 champ, and made the national team at the tender age of 12. After high school came pre-university, a very short stint at the University of Technology and a preliminary year at the School of Music at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. She got voice lessons with gospel singer Dionne Fowler and practised in her bedroom, where her father would hear her and eventually encourage her along the path she has taken.

So, why the name Crimson Heart Replica?
"When I first started out pursuing music, everyone would ask 'What's your stage name?' I had different monikers and nicknames people would call me, but none that truly expressed who I was as an artiste. Crimson Heart Replica defines me. The feelings that bleed from my heart and also feelings that people can relate to. Hence the word 'replica'. It also allows me to keep things a bit more personal in terms of being Katherine every day and CHR onstage. Now I sound schizo."

What was it like growing up a 'rock chick' in Jamaica, as per your new song Kingston Town?
"I was always different. I only started listening to rock in my late teens. I was always exposed to eclectic and alternative music growing up. Living in Jamaica where the culture is dancehall and reggae, segregates me from my country in a way that on the bright side allows me to branch off and gain exposure abroad where my style (of music and dress) is more popular and widely accepted. There's a lot of kids just like me in Kingston and all over Jamaica. The colony grows more every day, but being a rock chick in Jamaica creates its own obstacles. You are automatically called 'goth' or a 'freak' because you have 11 tattoos and a lip ring. It's crazy, but understandable. I'm really not as crazy as I look. OK, maybe a little."

What has it been like living in Florida and performing for the past few months?
"Lots of growth, learning, adjusting. Realising that while you may have covered lots of ground at home, there's still the rest of the world that really (does not) have to give a s**t about a rock singer from a reggae-driven country. (I) also did a couple shows in New York City. It opened my eyes to exactly how much it takes to make it. This industry is very competitive, but I think my music speaks for itself. Where I really want to be is Europe. Hell, yeah."

How do you go about finding band members, venues and gigs?
"Everything just happened. came together in this unplanned way. That was how I wanted things to work out. naturally. I started singing at open mike venues like Tony's Bar and promoters would be in the crowd and I would get invitations to open for other bands and eventually headline my own shows. Tuesday Nite Live has played a huge part in my career. The exposure and opportunities I've gained from performing there have given me the recognition I need to make the next steps. I would meet other musicians at gigs and we would end up casually jamming at my house or at my jam parties and a friendship/bond would develop - and it helps to share the same interest in music."

We have discussed the need for local musicians who play live to be paid fairly, which is not exactly the case at the moment. How can this be addressed?

"I think it is up to the promoters to be fair and logical. You want to entertain a crowd. We are the entertainment. Do the math. It's also up to the musicians who are being discredited to step up and say something in a diplomatic fashion. Most of us do this for the love and because we believe our talent and our passion to be something worthy of the necessary compensation. There has to be some common ground and a proper business relationship and understanding between the artiste and the promoters. It's mainly the 'underground' and even more specifically the rock/alternative artistes who are being 'jipped', but being underground forever can get kinda lame. for your pockets! Allow us to prove ourselves and give us the respect we deserve."

How easy is it to get gigs in America?
"It's not easy, but I booked all my gigs abroad by sending the promoters CDs and they followed up with arranging an appearance or two at small venues, but the point was made. Crimson Heart Replica must be heard!"

Is all you do play music in Florida? What is your support system?
"I have a sweatshop where I force seven-year-olds to make knock-off Converse that say Crimson Heart Replica. coming out next summer."

When are you planning on coming back to Jamaica for good?
"I'm here now. I love Jamaica. Jamaica is my home, but I got to do what I have to do, and if that means being away from home for a while in order to get my recordings done and to get more exposure and experience, so be it. But I'm here."

What are your album plans?
"There is more than an album's worth of songs, but I'm still an indie artiste. Putting out an album entails much more than just having the material, (because) I have more than enough material, but it's who is behind me. Who is the power behind this musical movement. Any marketable artiste needs a marketing team .distributors, record deal, etc (hint hint). When I do put out my album it will be called Sad Is The New Beautiful."

All your songs are originals - all from the inside. So how do they work their way out?
"My writing process varies, but most of the time it's my subconscious or that heart on my sleeve that allows me to emit the lyrical power that I do. I write and read my writing afterwards and say 'Damn, where did that come from?' Other times I don't even write them down. Every song is a moment, and rather than hide these feelings and allowing them to fester, I've found a means of letting it all out in very descriptive fashion. I like the vulnerability of my lyrics."

How do you describe yourself - physically, mentally, emotionally?
"Physically, I look crazier than I actually am. Eleven tats, one lip ring. (I) change the colour and style of my hair more than I feed my cat (sorry, Fluffy). So many clichés been thrown at me and I think I fight them without putting up a fight. When you are truly yourself then people can say what they want. (At the) end of the day you know who you are.

Mentally, I'm as strong as I am impulsive. I am as humble as I am into my looks. I don't see things for just what's in front of me. I look into it, past it, around it, through it. every angle till I almost consume myself with analysing, but it's feel or die, I always say. Emotionally I am a lover. I think I was around during the 1940s or something because I have a very old soul when it comes to love and I'm a big, hopeless romantic. Hence why most of my songs are helpless and devoted to the feelings love brings us."

Where have your best performances been, at home or abroad?
"Definitely home. My heart is here. I laid my foundation here. Still laying my foundation. When I perform in Jamaica, there's familiarity. That's my crowd. My people. I feel connected to each individual for those brief minutes on stage. In America, I'm just another pursuing what five gazillion other people are doing. My dream is one of many, but the music stands out. The energy I bring on stage sets me aside."

Introduce us to and explain your personal sense of style.
"I'm a tattooed nonconformist. This is not a fashion statement, it's a death wish. (You would) usually see me with a Mohawk, oversized shades, skinny jeans and my chucks (Converse). Oh, and I never leave home without smudged black eyeliner. Sometimes I even wear it when I'm just chilling at home. I have 'dress-up-itis'. I love putting outfits together. Makes me feel like a super hero. or villain when I go all out and put together an outfit that just reeks of my personality.

A Crimson Heart at the Village

She wore black angel wings, which were a hot pink underneath. A large pair of dark glasses hid her eyes below her unruly black hair and numerous lip, ear and nose piercings. Tattoos on sun-darkened brown skin stood out, including the imprint of a kiss on her neck, just visible past the long black and gray scarf and sleeveless T-shirt which adorned her upper torso. A pseudo Mohawk pointed at the sky at various angles.



The very vision of a punk rocker, a rebel, a Jamaican anomaly, she was Crimson Heart Replica and she was at the Village Café to rock.

It was the latest 'Rock Night' edition of Mystic Urchin and the Village Café's Tuesday Nite Live at the Barbican, St. Andrew venue, which saw Michelle 'MeMe' Laidlaw, Wayne McGregor, Petrus, GasMoney, The Storm Band and Crimson Heart Replica all take the stage in their unique ways, with actress, model and singer Maylynne Walton providing guest DJ services.

Meme, as is her wont, came to stage front after taking up vocals duties from backstage, her voice blending with the band's instruments as she walked. The attenuated Meme, backed by Donna Williams on vocals, Wayne McGregor on guitar, Andrew 'Preggs' Thompson on drums, Adrian Henry on bass and Demar Gayle on the keyboard and with her long hair flowing as she rang out the words of an original song reminiscent of a rock-and-roller from Grease.

"I'm a little bit under the weather," she declared before tackling Natasha Bedingfield's Soulmate. "Thank you, I'm trying not to pass out," she said before her next number and after the applause.

Prior to this, Miss Laidlaw sounded pretty much the way she said she felt – slightly ill, tired or a combination of the two. The songs sounded average which is nowhere near her capabilities, once she finds out exactly what they are. Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats served as a clue. Prior to this, MeMe and her back-up lacked harmony, two rough edges rubbing against each other on occasion instead of in silken-smooth accord. Here, Ms. Williams definitely knew what to do and had the pipes to do it. A cover of Flyleaf's All Around Me was not such a good idea (since Lacey Mosley's journeys between rage and depression in the space of a single lyric can be difficult to emulate) but all was forgiven with a stellar, soaring rendition of Skunk Anansie's Weak Ms. Laidlaw doing more than justice to the clit-rock classic.

Wayne McGregor followed, with Omar Francis playing bass and Richie Cunningham on the skins. Opening with the original reggae/rock Just Can't Get Over You, New Direction followed and was introduced with an incredible riff courtesy of McGregor and when Cunningham switched place with Preggs, with the opening notes of Puddle of Mudd's Blurry from Wayne's throat there were screams galore. They covered Trinidadian band Orange Sky's Real Love (In This Life) next, Preggs becoming a dynamo, Omar's fingers dancing as he kept his eyes closed before McGregor led the band to an thrilling crescendo to end the song. An encore was asked for and received – Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child. The crowd wanted more – but there were others acts to come.

Petrus Chang, sans his band, just a man and his guitar, did a spaced-out cover of Sophie B. Hawkins' As I Lay Me Down, dedicating it to someone special before another Maylynne-dominated DJ break.

The GasMoney quartet of Fabian Pinkney (vocals), Vernon DaCosta (guitar), Akiri Cooper (drums) and Andre Dennis on drums was up next with a quartet of originals – Inner Voice, Drift Away, Weed Song and Wooden Doll With No Balls. They played excellently, but even more to the point, again demonstrated they may be among the best songwriters in the island, regardless of age or genre.

Cusser and The Storm Band glittered in the light of the strobe during Designer Sword before Cusser, a.k.a. Bobby Barnes and the closest thing (with the possible exception of Downstairs' Brian Jones) Jamaica has to a prototypical rock star, asked "Who loves ya baby?!" The hard punk-rocking band then pumped their way through Infra Red and Hot Belt, the latter about an incredible drug cocktail including ketamine that, according to Cusser, "... you stick in your ass, then you go out and race – you can't even feel your legs."

Then it time for Crimson Heart Replica...

After quite some time away in the United States, Katherine returned with a different name and a less gentle attitude. She wanted to be taken seriously before, now she was serious – and how. Stage get-up aside, there was a passion smouldering inside her, more than a desire to go out and perform. She wanted to go out, perform, be appreciated and get paid.

Not that Crimson Heart Replica said so much on-stage of course...

I Wanted More, she started off, guitar around her neck, and she was not kidding. That Was Yesterday followed, Wayne McGregor on lead guitar, John Fenton on bass and her faithful drummer, Craig 'Phlea' Lee producing the music over which she poured out her heart and soul. After a break for some forgotten water she went into a harder than usual Visible Scars before removing her guitar, holding on to the microphone and singing Pins and Needles.

Call her emo if you must, but the young lady can sing, drowning listeners in her lyrics and in her fierce, raw honesty. Feel the Burn and Pain Won't Go Away followed, Crimson Heart Replica and McGregor wringing out words and music respectively from a place most of us never get to visit, never mind feel. "You guys having a good time?" she asked. "You can tell by the beads of sweat that I am as well."

There was some reverb before the band got behind her on the haunting and hypnotic Beautiful Mistake which stated It's alright/If you can't sleep at night/'Cos I'm the same and I'm No Good over McGregor's riffs was introduced as "... one of my favourites." Don't Tell Me should have been her last but the crowd, in thrall, refused and she closed with a wonderfully apt number. Another original – as were all the songs on the night – she declaimed her place in life, declaring that Dem sey dem neva know sey mi come from Kingston Town because of her tattoos, her brown skin tone and her rock music. Jus' pass the spliff my way she declared before introducing her band, declaring her love for music, promising more to come and then soaring off into the dark night sky.