Justine Kragen
Los Angeles, CA
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Hello! I am formally educated in Western Music and ethnic folk music genres from Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Bali- and have sung in a dozen languages. I play acoustic and electric guitar in a classical style and am passionate about percussion. Vocally, I can shift from a Bulgarian bride to an indie pop lead or blend in like a bat ray on the sea floor.
ENSEMBLE / PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE [performance photos]
Vermouth, Los Angeles, CA -Present [facebook]
Vermouth is a "psycho cocktail" quirky pop band led by myself & Steve McDonald. I compose, sing, and play guitar, bass & percussion in the band. Live performances include a 6-8 person ensemble featuring vocals, guitars, upright bass, trombone, trumpet, vibraphone and drums.
Nevenka, Los Angeles, CA 08/05-Present [facebook]
Nevenka is a women's folk chorus performing songs from Eastern Europe including songs from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Albania, Russia, Greece, and Georgia, as well as Ladino Sephardic and Romani songs.
Petra Haden & the Sellouts, Los Angeles CA (2005-2006)
A 10-woman a cappella group that performed the entirety of "The Who Sellout."
performed at:
- the Henry Fonda Theatre for the LA Weekly Music Awards [article] -06/14/05
- the Ford Amphitheatre [article] [video] -07/01/05
- the Fillmore (SF) & Henry Fonda Theatre -09/11-15/2005 (opened for The Decembrists)
- the Pantages, LA, CA (opened for the Foo Fighters) -08/29/06
- The Troubadour, LA, CA -05/25/06
- the Getty Center, LA, CA -11/10/06
- The Warhol Museum (Pittsburg), Boston Museum of Fine Arts, World Cafe Live (Philadelphia) [review], Tonic (NY), & Soundlab (Buffalo, NY) during an East Coast tour -Oct, 2006
Gamelan Silih Ganti, Los Angeles, CA 07/05-2008
A Balinese gamelan quartet from the Angklung Kebyar tradition.
Gamelan Burat Wangi, Valencia, CA 10/04-2008
A 20+ person Gamelan Gong Kebyar orchestra directed by
I Nyoman Wenten at CalArts.
- performed at Disney Hall [video] [audio] -03/22/06
- performed at Grand Performances, Downtown LA [video] -09/15/07
- performed at the Indonesian Consulate in Los Angeles
- performed at CalArts and RedCat
- performed at The Getty Center
Santa Cruz Chorale, Santa Cruz, CA 11/03-06/04
- Sang (first soprano) under the direction of Eduardo Mendelievich.
- performed "La Koro Sutro" in Lou Harrison's "American Gamelan" percussion ensemble, conducted by Paul Vorwerk
Gamelan Anak Swarasanti, Santa Cruz, CA 1997-2004 (Founding Member)
- Performed traditional and experimental Balinese Anklung and Belaganjur music at outdoor festivals and SF Bay Area Electronic Music Raves including
Woodstockhausen,
Camp Harmony,
Chillits, &
Warmth,
- Studied Balinese Angklung during a 5-week trip to Indonesia in 1997 with a few other founding members. Brought back new repertoire and a couple of large gongs.
Taki Ñan, University of California, Santa Cruz (1993-1998)
Played panpipes, guitar, charango, bombo, cajon and various idiophones in a 14-person Latin American ensemble specializing in traditional folk music genres. Sang in Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, & Portuguese
RECORDINGS
- small ensemble & choir vocals on Nevenka's 4th album [review] (2014)
- lead vocals, guitar, bass & percussion in Vermouth's debut RetroFuture Pop Exotica (2013)
- duet vocals & fingerpicking guitar on California Lions's "Darby Crash" (2013)
- backing vocals on Lil' Dawnee Frinta's "Everafter" (from 2:20s)
- backing vocals on CA Lion's 2010 EP (produced by Brad Gordon)
"Being Happy's Not That Bad",
"Stormy Weather",
"Saying Goodbye",
"Association Home", and
"Get Going from the Start
- backing vocals on Jason Kanakis's "Feet on the Ground" (prod. by Brad Gordon) (2010).
- backing vocals for Eliza Jane-Schneider's "Hideaway"
- demonic vocal sounds for The Omen (2006)- worked w Marco Beltrami / Buck Sanders.
- Balinese gamelan instrumentals (various metallophones) on Anak Swarasanti albums, "Gamelan Anak Swarasanti", "The Rave Sessions", & "Windu Nala".
- choral vocals for Home Alone soundtrack (conducted by John Williams, 1990).
GUEST PERFORMANCES
- performing backing vocals for Lil Dawnee Frinta 2014-2019
- performing backing vocals for The Resonant Heads 2017-2019
- performed backing vocals for Amilia Spicer at Topanga Days Main Stage -05/28/12
- performed solo songs in Inara George's summer fundraising tribute concerts to Shakespeare Sonnets(2014)-[video], Burt Bacharach(2011), Dolly Parton(2010), David Bowie(2009), Bessie Smith(2008), & Woody Guthrie(2007), at The Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga, CA.
- performed backing vocals for California Lions at The Prospector (Long Beach, CA), Room 5 (LA, CA), Molly Malone's (LA, CA), the Old Town Pub (Pasadena), The Phantom Gallery (Long Beach, CA), and The Puka Bar (Long Beach, CA) -2011
- performed lead vocals for Black Sea Surf at the SF Int'l Arts Festival 05/23/10 and Ashkenaz 05/12/10
- performed backing vocals for Elena Degl'Innocenti, the "LA Music Awards", The Roxy -06/10
- performed backing vocals for Mamak Khadem at LACMA -11/24/09
- performed backing vocals for Eliza Jane Schenieder at Topanga Days Main Stage -05/25/09
- performed backing vocals for As Tall as Lions on Jimmy Kimmel live -07/18/07
EDUCATION
- Bachelor of Arts in Music- University of California, Santa Cruz- 06/96
(Emphasis on Classical Guitar)
- Also studied Orchestration, Composition, Electronic Music, Voice, Latin American Music, & Balinese Gamelan.
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