(Kingston, ON) – Amidst the din of the hollow bombast and over-produced sonic malaise that seems to be the unfortunate hallmark of most ‘popular’ music across a multitude of genres, it’s refreshing to hear music and words that convey sincerity, real intimacy and the subtleties of life.
It may sound like effusive praise, but it is warranted in the case of Kingston duo Kris + Dee. They have been making music of deep resonance and meaning – music that is tasteful and honest without a hint of bending to the prevailing trends – for more than eight years. Over that time, Kris + Dee have penned and produced profoundly evocative songs that are truly refreshing in their unpretentiousness and in the soul-baring way they can at once be mournful yet ultimately hopeful.
Comprised of music industry veterans Kris Abbott (Pursuit of Happiness) and Dee McNeil (best known for her time with Toronto-based, all-female alt-punk band The Strap Ons), Kris + Dee released their third full-length album, A Great Long Game, this month. A special CD release party is taking place on Saturday, May 23, at 8 p.m. at The Mansion in Kingston. Similar release showcases are being planned for Prince Edward County, Ottawa, Toronto and London in the coming weeks.
Following up the revelatory 2011 debut Still Here Inside and 2013s critically-acclaimed Bloom, this third offering from the creatively blessed couple sees them stretching as songwriters and musicians, not afraid to take a few chances along the continuum of their creative path.
“Album number three is where traditionally it feels like it’s time to do something different and to push yourself. We felt like it was time to challenge ourselves and do something different. It felt like it was a comfortable time to do that and we didn’t feel stressed by the idea at all. We had an idea and we wanted to explore it,” said Abbott, who explained that for the first time, the pair played every single instrument on every track on the album and also shared production duties for the first time.
“It’s back to our roots too. When Kris and I started writing together there was this whole folkie thing that we hadn’t explored between the two of us. So that was why the first two records have a folkie feel. But with this third album we started to reach back to some of pop/rock influences,” added McNeil.
Abbott and McNeil met in 2003 when Abbott joined The Strap Ons. Two years later they married, relocated to Kingston, and began working as musical partners by 2007. Mirroring their life journey, the music created over the span of their three albums is emblematic of artists who are exploring their world, their life and love.
“We like to reflect – that’s our thing. It’s the kind of people we are, so our music is also like that. We hope that the journey of the record takes people to a really positive place by the end. It feels, to me, like a really positive record, even though our life was really challenging when the writing and recording process was going down. But the record reflects an overall positive journey, both sonically and lyrically,” Abbott explained.
The music of Kris and Dee is about real life, with its times of sadness, disappointments and inequities, but also with its hopefulness. As will real life, life isn’t always utterly despairing or blindly optimistic. There are shadings, subtleties and grey areas.
“We believe that our music would be nothing without the realities of life inspiring it, and that includes the fun parts, the crappy jobs, the not having jobs – all of that stuff. We need to live life, interact with it and then write about it. That’s our thing,” Abbott continued.
The song Escape, one of the many stand-outs on A Great Long Game, highlights a consistent topical and lyrical theme of McNeil’s writing – the notion of needing to get away. Songs from both previous albums have examined this desire to see a place to rest, reflect and then re-engage with the world armed with greater wisdom and perspective.
“It’s about a lot of things, but one of them is being in a corporate environment or an institutional environment – some sort of organizational environment that is oppressive to the people that work there and oppressive to the people it’s supposed to serve. I guess as you walk through life, it’s a common experience that there’s a part of your soul that has to ‘check out’ to do the things that you need to do to pay the bills. It can be a really dehumanizing force,” said McNeil.
“But this song sort of turns that on its head and says you’ve got to keep working for people; you’ve got to keep yourself alive, keep your integrity, keep your values and put the anger and frustration where it belongs.”
Another unique thematic touchstone of Kris + Dee is the use of nature-based metaphors and imagery as a way of conveying human emotions and experiences. On Still Here Inside there was the powerful lead-off track Polar Bears. On Bloom, you have the title track and the hauntingly beautiful Weeds as well as the sublimely tuneful Wide Winter.
A Great Long Game continues this trend with Beach, Trembling Aspen (which perhaps has the most powerful imagery one can encounter in a song) and Record-Breaking Lows.
“We love words and we love metaphor. We are always looking at the metaphors in nature and wondering how it applies to human beings. We both love metaphors – Kris loves musical metaphors and I love the word metaphor side of it,” said McNeil.
“It’s a choice we made years ago in terms of what kind of a life we wanted to have, what kinds of things we wanted to appreciate or enjoy. It doesn’t cost anything to look out at a garden or a lake or a sunset and appreciate it, right? So it’s a mind space for us,” added Abbott.
“The speed at which you resonate as a human being on this planet, I think, is really influenced by what you’re around and what you choose to appreciate and prioritize. We choose to think with that kind of speed: with nature and the pace that things grow and move at, like the speed that water flows. It has a lot of similarities to the tempo and vibe or our music. If we were into the club scene and liked flashing lights, our music would be different for sure.”
One song being bandied about as a possible single is the melodic, deep and powerfully emotive Cold Chisel.
“It’s another metaphor song. Our nephew is a stone mason and one day I went over and he was working on limestone and I asked what tool he was using and he said ‘it’s just a cold chisel.’ I loved the sound of those words and I starting thinking about what it could mean and started researching about the tool and based on that context, a love song came out of it. I just fell I love with the term ‘cold chisel’ and thought about it as a metaphor for human relationships,” said McNeil, adding that the tool has been around for centuries and does a lot of the rough work when carving stone.
“It’s not fancy and it’s not really pretty, but it’s really consistent and it’s something that is always there, always reliable and does the job. And we liked that as a metaphor for persevering and being consistent in your love for someone. It’s a tough, strong implement and we liked how it represented that aspect of relationships,” said Abbott.
The more pop-oriented Simple Life features and infectiously melodic chorus, but also a strong and truthful message – less is more.
“It’s anti-greed and against society’s obsession with material things, and how technology is so prevalent and 24/7. And that’s also a theme in our songs – giving up that kind of stuff. It’s basically an observation that we could all be a lot happier living on less stuff,” McNeil said.
Besides the CD release shows, Kris + Dee are planning on performing at a few festivals in Ontario this summer, as well as a spate of shows in varying venues and in varying configurations over the next several months. While they often play as a full, you are just as likely to see Abbott and McNeil sidling up on stage as a two-piece.
For more information on their shows or A Great Long Game, visit Kris + Dee on Facebook or at www.krisanddee.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran, award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a part-time communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
