Rain and Mud and Wild and Green by Christine Kane

In her new release, Rain & Mud & Wild & Green, Christine reaches an even deeper level of lyric purity and opens herself up to show the many different sides of her artistry, her personality and her spirit.

In Rain & Mud & Wild & Green, an organic and often raw mix of tight acoustic textures and rhythms sets down a dynamic backdrop for Christine's earthy and elegant voice, which manages to hold within its range both vulnerability and strength at the same time - much like the whole CD itself.

"I don't think there's that much difference between strong and vulnerable. All my favorite works of art and all my favorite people embody both those qualities. This CD has a lot of seemingly opposite elements on it. Hope and disappointment. Reverence and irreverence."

Christine's reverence is undeniable in several cuts on the CD. "The Way Clouds Do" describes a gritty bus ride through highway traffic while looking out on the world through the eyes of a mystic seeking change. "Times Three" reads like a biblical text and moves dramatically with the pulsing guitar work of Larry Campbell. And the powerful "The One Thing I Know" poetically and effortlessly travels back and forth between the profound and the personal.

Christine's irreverence comes out in the more humorous notes in the album. The women in her songs live by the railroad tracks, drive beat up Volkswagens and don't go to church. The laugh-out-loud cut on the CD, "No Such Thing as Girls Like That," starts with a comical look at an MTV video and ends with a description of an aging Barbie with sagging breasts and osteoporosis. Christine's masterful treatment of such a well-worn subject secures her place among the finest humorist songwriters of her generation.

"Rain & Mud & Wild & Green" was recorded in New York City and produced by Christine and Ben Wisch, making this Christine's first CD recorded away from her home of Asheville, NC. One of the best producer/engineers of the acoustic genre, Ben Wisch has a diverse list of credits ranging from Marc Cohn to Kathy Mattea.

"Christine has a unique and wonderful way of seeing the world, and she beautifully communicates her vision in her songs," Wisch says of Christine. "It was such a joy to work with her. Her spirit and her dedication to openness and truth are an inspiration."

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Christine grew up in Fairfax, VA, taking ballet lessons and using her imagination to jump beyond the land of chain link fences and strip malls. Longing for a more peaceful environment, she moved to Asheville, NC after graduating from Boston College. And to the surprise of family and friends who thought she should be a journalist, she started writing songs and waitressing.

Her musical career started by accident, when a songwriter friend had to cancel a weekend of shows at a local bar and called on Christine to fill his spot. The club owner, impressed by her talent, immediately booked her into his calendar two weekends a month for the whole following year.

"My first real gig was one of the most terrifying moments in my lifeS but I made more money in one weekend than I had ever made waitressing or anything else for that matter. There was a Shakespeare Troupe in town who wandered into my gig, and one of the actors found out it was my very first night ever playing music. He handed me a hundred dollar bill and told me never to give up. I haven't yet."

While honing her craft on the regional acoustic scene, she recorded her debut CD, This Time Last Year in a friend's basement. Sparse and understated, it garnered rave reviews and surprisingly high sales. Shortly after its release, Putumayo Records included Christine's song "Off the Ground" on the hip release Women's Work, a compilation featuring greats like Ani DiFranco and Janis Ian.

Her second record, A Thousand Girls, was soon to follow, and was a testimony to her growth as both songwriter and producer. It features an atmosphere of textures and rhythms as well as the poetic lyrical style that Christine's fans had come to expect. Apple® Computers chose A Thousand Girls as the CD that would demonstrate their highly regarded QuickTime® software at their national expositions and on their website.

The growing popularity of Christine's live shows prompted the release of her third album, Live. Recorded at The Down Home a favorite club in the Southeast, Live is a mix of old and new songs, including the highly-requested "Southern Girl," a satirical song she wrote about being a contemporary female in an old South.

These days, in addition to the listening room and festival circuit, Christine regularly performs for humanitarian and charity concerts. Last year, she toured with "Girls On The Move," an Outward Bound program for at-risk teens. On several occasions, Christine has appeared with Sister Helen Prejan (author of Dead Man Walking), and satirist Mark Shields in conjunction with several social justice programs and concerts.

In 1998, Christine was named one of the top three college performers by Campus Activities Today magazine. She was one of the winners of the Merlefest Songwriting contest in 2000. She has headlined at Chattanooga's Riverbend Festival, Asheville's Bele Chere Festival, and Madison's Folk Festival. She has been a showcase performer at the legendary Philadelphia Folk Festival. She opened for the Beach Boys during their annual summer rounds across the country; and she regularly performs with nationally touring acts, including Nanci Griffith, Shawn Colvin, Los Lobos, Greg Brown, and Rosanne Cash.

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