Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimi Recor.
Kimi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started playing music when I was 17. I wanted to be a poet, but my friend convinced me that more people would listen to my lyrics than my poetry. Once I started playing music, I was hooked.
Draemings started off as my first real solo project. I played all the instruments and wrote all the songs myself. Over time it has grown into a full band. My friends, Tom Thorson and Chris Vick and I write all the songs together. We’re like family, so it’s super fun for us.
I started Play Like A Girl (now called PLAG Presents) because I wanted to connect with other women and non-binary artists. There were a lot of festivals popping up, which showcased female artists, but I really wanted to find a consistent community of female + non-binary artists. I wanted to help create space for artists to perform, learn and express themselves, and to connect to one another.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t know if there is such a thing as a smooth road. Being an artist always feels like a struggle. You’re trying to balance survival with creating while living in a world of social media, where it seems like everyone around you has a shiny, perfect happy life. It can really get you down. The trick is to keep creating no matter what happens – circumstances always change, but you will always have your art.
PLAG has also had its ups and downs. It’s a lot of work, and we are a volunteer-run, non-profit. Balancing being an artist with running a non-profit business is something I’m still working on. I’m lucky to have a wonderful team of women who support me + keep PLAG moving forward, but there are definitely days where I’m juggling ten things at once, and hoping I don’t drop the ball.
PLAG has scaled up super fast. We went from throwing one show a month to throwing 4-5 monthly shows, running a record label, starting an educational workshop series and a blog. Everyone who works with PLAG has other full-time jobs- we’re all learning how to balance as we go.
Please tell us about PLAG Presents + DRAEMINGS.
We are really focused on building a community and nurturing bands that are just starting out.
I love seeing bands no one knows for the first time and getting that feeling in my stomach that I’m looking at a future rockstar. It’s been so rewarding to see our baby bands selling out The Echoplex a year after playing a PLAG show for the first time – our community is ripe with talent.
This year, we are also really focusing on our PLAG workshops. We bring in female and nonbinary panelists to talk about everything music related, whether it be gear, business, well-being, etc…
We want to help educate artists across the board so that they can be set-up to have a long, successful career.
I think any organization or festival that promotes the voices of womxn is important- and we’re glad to count ourselves among some really great ones.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I wouldn’t doubt myself so much. This goes across the board, from music to business.
In my early music career, I was so afraid of failing, that I didn’t try so many things. I wouldn’t be afraid of failing anymore – I know now that failure only makes me stronger and more determined. If you want to do something, just do it. Don’t worry about what other people will think.
Contact Info:
- Website: plagpresents.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: plagpresents
- Facebook: facebook.com/plagpresents
- Twitter: plagpresents
Image Credit:
Vianne Robitaille, Emery Becker, Ammo Bankoff
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