"When Kirsten Paludan moved from Lawrence to Kansas City in 1999, she had a sizeable goal.

“Basically, I just knew that I wanted to sing and to write and to play as much music as I could,” Paludan says.

Paludan can check becoming an accomplished musician off her list of
things to do. These days she lends her striking, vaporous vocals to
ambient electro-folk band Olympic Size. She’s been working on her own
new material since releasing her first album, Princess in the Tower, in 2006.

Ink caught up with Paludan over the holidays.

Ink: Are you working on any new music right now?

Paludan: Yes. I have been working on new music
for my next CD … I’ve had a lot of family struggles within the last two
years that have been a great breeding ground for new material.
Songwriting is like therapy for me. Emotional turmoil can be amazing
inspiration.

So how are the new songs different?

Some of my first songs were written on acoustic guitar, but I’ve been
writing more of my songs on the piano as of late. At the end of October
I moved back to my family home in Lawrence and have been blessed to be
able to play my late grandmother’s baby grand piano. New instruments
and musical gear are always wonderful for creating new song ideas.

My friends and bandmates Billy Smith (of Roman Numerals and Olympic
Size), Wade Williamson (Olympic Size, The Stella Link), Chris Tolle
(The Belles, Olympic Size) John Bersuch (Bacon Shoe, Olympic Size) and
Dave Gaume (The Stella Link, The Sex Police, The Caves) are also a
great source of inspiration.

Having the opportunity to work with such incredibly creative and
hard-working musicians is an amazing education for me. When you
surround yourself with talented people it makes you want to work harder
so you can compete and contribute good ideas of your own.

You contributed vocals to the Republic Tigers song “Cast On, Cast Off.” What’s the story behind that?

My collaboration with the Republic Tigers happened late in 2007 after I
had met Kenn Jankowski (of the Tigers) for the first time at an Olympic
Size show. He asked me to contribute vocals to a song about a breakup.

The song really resonated with me because I had recently ended a
long-term relationship. The timing was perfect, and when I went to his
apartment to record the vocals I quickly came up with the breathy “ahh,
ahh” background vocal part at the end of the song, which happily he
loved and decided to keep on the recording.

You moved to Kansas City from Lawrence in ’99. Why’d you decide to make the move?

I hate to say this, but the initial reason I moved was because of a
guy. But, as that faded, I became more and more certain that I was in
the right place. I had also just started working as a wedding singer,
and since most of my gigs were in Kansas City, that also helped me make
my decision.

What’s it like living in Lawrence now, after all this time?

I miss the ability to be so close to all the amazing artistic action.
That’s not to say I don’t think Lawrence is a lovely place and has just
as many talented musicians as Kansas City, but I do consider Kansas
City my musical hometown and the place where I came into my own as a
songwriter and musician.

What sparked your interest in music?

I became involved with music at a very early age. My mom and my dad
always believed that a musical education was very important. Bedtime at
our house included listening to some kind of music, whether it was
classical — Mozart or Bach — or contemporary — Joni Mitchell, The
Beatles. And though it sounds cheesy, my family always sang together on
road trips. Usually songs from musicals that my dad and mom loved.

How’d you evolve into a writer?

I actually wrote some of my first songs when I was 7 or 8 using the
titles of the books on my dad’s bookshelves for inspiration. I was
first a singer who sang other people’s songs, then taught myself to
play piano when I realized I had something I wanted to say in my own
words, and then moved to guitar at the age of 28 because, of course, it
was an infinitely more portable way for me to accompany myself.

Do you have a day job?

My day job is my work as a wedding singer and cover-band diva. I don’t
currently have a “real” day job but have had many crazy jobs over the
years, including working as a professional organizer, as a house
cleaner for several of the Kansas City Chiefs and as a technical writer
for a marketing firm that assisted inventors.

What’s next?

I plan to release a second album this year. … In January I’ll be going
into the studio to record a single that has already had some licensing
interest and will also be shooting a video for that song.

I’ll continue to keep playing out as much as I can as a solo artist and
hope to do some touring in the spring. Olympic Size will be releasing You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone
on a larger scale (online with national distribution) and is planning
to head to South by Southwest in March. We’ll also be working on new
music and are hoping to release an EP this year.

I’ve also been asked to collaborate with Brandon Phillips of the
Architects, writing together to create music for licensing and more
commercial pursuits. So, basically, my future plans are to play as much
music as I possibly can.

Kirsten Paludan live
Lately, Paludan’s been branching out solo at shows around town."

Her next gig: 9 p.m. Jan. 15

Where: Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club, 3402 Main St.

Tickets: $6

By Sarah Benson for INK Magazine