Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Vane.
Cristina, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born in Italy and raised between Italy, England, and France. I was singing in the crib, always obsessed with music it seems and went on to sing in choirs, play the piano and the flute, and pick up guitar around 13. At 18, I came to the United States to attend university, and it wasn’t until age 20 that I discovered slide guitar while playing my first set of shows while home in London for the summer. I instantly fell in love with the biting sound of the slide, so I went and bought my own and began teaching myself with a few pointers from the internet.
After graduating, I moved to Venice Beach, and it was in my first few months there that I discovered Skip James and Blind Willie Johnson, who led me down a deep rabbit hole of delta blues and turn of the century music. I have since come to love other American folk music genres, like Appalachian mountain music (I also taught myself how to play clawhammer banjo a few years ago). Having an American parent but never having lived here, it has brought me full circle to an important part of my identity and a given me a larger understanding of the history of this wildly complex country. The energy of Venice was intoxicating, and it is unlike any other place I have ever lived.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a musician. I write and perform original music inspired by old-time blues, country, and folk music. The intent is to always be genuine, to connect with the meaning I intended when I wrote the piece, and to effectively communicate that emotion or that sentiment to the audience. I figure there is no one who can do you as well as yourself, right? Everything else has been done, if not better. So my goal is to showcase me and hope that other people can resonate with what I have to say (sing).
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
Patience. I was so impatient (and still am, when I go unchecked). But all the dreams we have as artists come in due time, and there really is no replacement for hard work. Sometimes you might get an opportunity that seems amazing, but if you’re not ready for it, you’ll look back and wish it had come along a little later. Patience!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My Instagram is very active (@cristinavanemusic), but to listen and support my EP while I record my first full length (set for release in May), you can find “Troubled Sleep” under “Cristina Vane” on Bandcamp or iTunes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cristinavane.com
- Email: cristinavanemusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: @cristinavanemusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cristinavanemusic/
Image Credit:
Aleksandra Zagozda // Bailey Lewis // Venice Paparazzi
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