Krister Axel
| Krister Axel | |
|---|---|
 courtesy of kristeraxel.com | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Krister Axel Bjornson Tidics |
| Born |
May 14, 1974 (age 39) Paris, France |
| Genres | Blues, Folk |
| Occupations | Musician, Singer-songwriter, Composer, Engineer |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar, Piano, B3, Harmonium |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Noonchild Records / RockStarAlley |
| Associated acts | Paper Sun, Whitestarr, Chris Pierce, Saucy Monky, Cheyenne Kimball, Chris Gerolmo |
| Website | www.KristerAxel.com |
Krister Axel (born May 14, 1974) is a French musician, poet and software engineer.
Background
Krister Axel, born in Paris, has been writing and performing roots and blues music for 20 years. He began his career as a songwriter performing in the streets of Paris, then New York City, Madison and finally Los Angeles. Krister Axel claims the legendary Chris Whitley as the greatest influence on his writing. His work encompasses pop songwriting as well as a roots-based approach to instrumental pieces commissioned for movie projects. His credits include pieces for the soundtracks to Hate Crime and A Colombia and licensing with NBC Networks, Regent Theaters, and many others. Most recently, Krister had a few songs placed on the season 5 DVD of Friday Night Lights (TV series) which has been very successful in generating interest about his music. These songs are Illuminate the Sky and Georgia Rain (both from the EP Swexico), as well as Something Beautiful from the album Arms Around the River.
Krister Axel has a unique style of singing, described by fans as a sort of Bill Withers meets Jamiroquai. He is a self-taught musician who started on the piano and eventually discovered the acoustic guitar.
Discography
Albums and EPs
- Swexico (EP), Noonchild Records (2004)
- produced by Krister Axel and Brian Susko
- Permanent Friday Night, Noonchild Records (2005)
- produced by Krister Axel
- Arms Around the River, Noonchild Records / RockstarAlley (2007)
- produced by Krister Axel, Cynthia Catania and Brandon Krueger
- Fast Train, RockstarAlley (2008)
- produced by Krister Axel
- Pain & Joy, Avian Recording Company (2010)
- produced by LOONER
- Sky Meet Sea, RockstarAlley (2012)
- produced by Krister Axel
Other Productions
- Sunshine Allison, Rise, Riggadig records (1995)
- produced by Krister Axel, David Kellogg, and Sunshine Allison
- Sunshine Allison, Eastside, Riggadig records (1997)
- produced by Krister Axel and Sunshine Allison
- "Always on My Mind" (single), unreleased (2002)
- produced by Krister Axel and Chris James
- Paper Sun, "Tragic" and "Brooklyn" tracks 1 and 6 from Humanity (EP), digital release (2003)
- produced by Krister Axel, Paper Sun, and Chris Fuhrman
AWARDS
- Songprize Winner 2005 (for "Georgia Rain")
- Two-time Rock City Music Awards nominee 2005
- NXNE Showcasing Artist 2005
- SXSW Showcasing Artist 2006
- Four Songs featured at Cinequest Film Festival 2006 ("A Colombia" by Ryan Byrne)
- Three-time Rock City Music Awards nominee 2006
- Amoeba Records Homegrown Artist, March 2006
- Songprize Winner 2008 (for "Always A Circle")
Software Engineering
- game development
- database design
- Ruby on Rails