We are excited to be bringing this rising star to 333! Kipyn has building a following around our region, and increasingly far afield as she has begun to tour to other parts of the nation. She sings with skill and nuance, and she has a strong feel for the emotional arc of a song. She plays beautiful, laid-back guitar grooves behind her warm and soulful vocals. Her songs tend to the introspective, but they're inhabited by compelling characters too, and her melodies can be truly gorgeous.
Kipyn is a three-time Gold Award winner in the
Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. Her latest record is the EP
Dance Across the Sky, recorded with a full band. Her full-length album,
Undercover Muse, was released back in 2013. It's a great recording that hews pretty closely to her solo vocals/guitar presentation, and it propelled her to a win as "Best New Artist" in the Wammies a couple of years later.
It's worth mentioning that in addition to her solo work, Kipyn has a sideline as the avatar of Joni Mitchell in the duo
Joan & Joni (with Allison Shapira). And I think it's fair to say that Mitchell is something of a touchstone for appreciating Martin. While her compositional approach is rooted in a mainstream folk/pop style (vice Mitchell's exploratory jazziness), Kipyn can use her slightly breathy upper register in a way that evokes Mitchell's delivery. Her approach to Mitchell's songs is thoughtful, making them into pieces that reflect her own strengths as a performer, rather than simple homages.
This was a delightful show, and the 333 crowd loved Kipyn's performance.-Tom Rhoads