kelli eagan bio

My brief but detailed music history
I grew up in Buffalo, New York and began to play guitar at the age of fourteen after my brother gave me a Kramer acoustic for Christmas. Singing had always been an integral part of my life beginning with the elementary school choir and leading up to my classical vocal training in college. It wasn’t until my college years that I decided to form a band by placing an advertisement in local Buffalo newspaper "Art Voice." Desert Hum was formed with myself on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Scott Anderson (the first guitarist who responded to my advertisement), Jon Hendricks and Jayme Kelly (two friends from high school) adding bass and percussion to the equation. We released a few studio recordings including a cassette tape called "Bare" and a CD which we only copied for our family and friends called "Playgrounds and Amusement Parks." For a few years we performed at local Buffalo clubs and bars including Nietzsche’s and The Continental. We were soon added to the local music rotation at Buffalo State College radio station WBNY and had a song included on their local music CD, "WBNY Alive On The Air" We played a few live performances at WBNY during "The Local Show" hosted by Rich Wall.
My college years were the beginning of many other endeavors and pursuits that would keep me saturated in all things music and not limited to my own songwriting. I started as a disc jockey at Buffalo State College radio station, WBNY, in the fall of 1991 and remained a loyal weekly host of an eclectic music mix program until my departure in May 1996. Aside from hosting a radio show during regular music programming hours, I also started an electronic music show called "Industry" with a fellow dj at the station. It was short lived, but allowed me the opportunity to beat mix for the first time in my life live on the air, (and only the ONE time did I manage to pull it off). We played techno, electronic, and house music. I occasionally had the opportunity to fill in for the folk and roots music show "Rooting About" hosted by Al Riess. Searching through Al’s extensive world and folk music cabinets in preparation for these shows is what introduced me to world music and was the start of my musical tastes and interests broadening and expanding to a completely new level. I credit that experience for allowing me the opportunity to develop my appreciation for so many different genres of music today.
Towards the tail end of my time at WBNY, I was music director for one year and in 1995, I started working as an over night on-air disc jockey at the commercial modern rock station in Buffalo, 103.3 FM The Edge (WEDG). As if being a college student, hosting weekly radio shows at WBNY, music director responsibilities and working the overnight dj shifts at The Edge weren’t enough, I also started an internship at Ani Difranco’s record label Righteous Babe Records. Somewhere in the mix I also worked as a club disc jockey one night per week at a local Buffalo club. It was an awesome opportunity for me to extend my love of introducing new music in the club environment. I played the familiar with the abstract and everything from indie rock, pop, electronic, house, and reggae to trip/ hip-hop. My club dj moment was one evening when I was attempting a semi cool sounding house and electronic set when a girl came back to the dj booth and said, "girl…you are jammin’!." I knew then that girl dj’s must be the bomb!
College radio for me, was one of the ways in which I was able to learn and constantly be listening to the newest sounds and non-commercial music. There is an entire universe of music out there often unheard of by the mainstream……but that has changed drastically over the years. I had some unique opportunities to interview some great musicians and artists through college radio. Some of which included; Sarah McLachlan, Ian McCulloch, Live, Boo Radleys, Weezer, Matthew Sweet, Space Hog, Saturnine, 360’s, Teenage Fanclub, Sponge… to name a few.
I moved from Buffalo and took a huge leap by relocating to Los Angeles in May 1996. My music directorship led me to a job opportunity in the college radio department at Capitol Records in Hollywood. I worked at Capitol for about 2 years as part of a college promotion team and called college radio weekly all around the country including some stations in Canada and Alaska to promote new Capitol releases. This was a music lover’s dream come true…I am telling you! It was an unforgettable opportunity to get a close view of how the music industry works and to meet some of my favorite artists. It was meaningful to be playing a role in getting some of my favorite musicians and bands music on college radio and break in some incredible albums. Some of the record releases I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to help promote and hopefully to have made a strong contribution to their airplay are; Cocteau Twins "Milk & Kisses", Vic Chesnutt "About To Choke", Radiohead "OK Computer", Beastie Boys "Hello Nasty", Luscious Jackson "Fever In Fever Out", Liz Phair "Whitechocolatespaceegg", Sparklehorse "Good Morning Spider", Dandy Warhols "Dandy Warhols Come Down", Pavement "Brighten the Corners", Mazzy Star "Among My Swan", Sean Lennon "Into The Sun",
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion "Now I Got Worry", Bis "This Is Teen C Power", Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters "Colour and the Shape", and the Trainspotting Soundtrack to name a few.
I started working very seriously as a solo artist during my time spent in Los Angeles. It started with small steps like going to open mics at Highland Grounds in Hollywood, Koo’s Café in Orange County, and playing a few coffeehouse shows here and there. I became a regular performer at Anastasia’s Asylum (was my second home in LA, and they have the best vegetarian food and mochas) in Santa Monica, CA and often playing two shows a month. In 2000, I started playing shows at The Mint in West Los Angeles, which was when my music career started to take a step up by giving me some more recognition. It was a dream to be playing on the same stage where musician’s like Bonnie Raitt played in their earlier days. My performances at The Mint included an opening slot for Harry Dean Stanton and his band’s weekly performance. I earned a review in the international magazine Music Connection. Some other coffeehouses and venues I frequented and performed at in and outside of Los Angeles include; Highland Grounds-Hollywood, Atlas Supper Club-Los Angeles, Goldfingers-Hollywood, The Cat Club-Sunset Blvd., The Greenway Court Theatre-Los Angeles, Wednesday’s House-Santa Monica, The Mermaid Tearoom-Venice Beach, The Green Room-Hollywood Blvd., and the Coffee Klatch-San Dimas.
After being more removed from my experience working in the music business and realizing my dream of pursuing my music career, I was self promoting myself and often running all over the city from Sliverlake to Hollywood to Venice Beach hanging up posters for my shows almost every other week. I faxed record companies my show announcements at my temp jobs and tried as much as possible to find opportunities to reach more people with my music.
I relocated to Boston, Massachusetts in February 2001. I missed the East Coast, family and friends, the change of the seasons, my roots, my dog and it was time for a change. Boston has always been my favorite city and there are so many incredible musicians who have emerged and found success from this place. There is a great folk acoustic community that I looked very forward to becoming a part of. My first few months in Boston, I started playing open mics at Club Passim. I have performed at The Middle East, Druid Pub and various Starbucks locations on your corner somewhere (aren’t they on every corner?!). More recently I have found a home at Café Zog in Providence, RI which reminds me greatly of Anastasia’s Asylum in Santa Monica, CA – which I love to pieces. Once again I frequent the stage at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo, NY on my occasional road trips and managed to stop in to Al Riess’s show "Rooting About" on WBNY last year for an on-air interview and in studio set to promote my show in Buffalo. Look out Boston………I have only begun!!

You can listen and watch one of my performances at The Mint in Los Angeles from January 20, 2001 www.liveonthenet.com/rock/mint