|  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | Bio of the Artist | Kim Archer grew up in Greencastle, Ind., with music a big part of her family life. Her dad played guitar and sang in a band and her mom loved to listen to music, sing and dance. Archer received her first guitar at the tender age of 4, and some of her fondest childhood memories are of the impromptu “concerts” she would put on for her mom.
Archer’s love of music continued in school, where she sang in school choirs and played tenor sax in her school band, winning state awards for both saxophone and voice. Years later in college at Ball State University, she kept the music playing by joining up with a band called Walking Cat Fish Review while earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising/Marketing. She worked in that field for 12 years in various positions, including account executive and business owner, and continued playing in bands on weekends.
In 2003, she released her first CD titled “They Say I’m Crazy,” then soon after she moved from Indiana to Washington State to take part in the more active music scene there. She formed the Kim Archer Band in 2004 and she and her bandmates received accolades at their very first show by winning a battle of the bands that August.
By 2006, Archer grew weary of the 9-to-5 grind and left her corporate job to hook up fulltime with the vibrant independent music scene happening in the Pacific Northwest. Honing her performance and playing skills through constant gigs at bars, clubs and festivals in Seattle and Tacoma, Archer grew in popularity by leaps and bounds, earning her the chops to be a major contender in the live music arena. Newspaper and magazine interviews, along with numerous TV and radio appearances, served to introduce her more widely. In 2010 her Tacoma fans expressed their love for Kim Archer and her music when they voted her “Best Overall Music Artist” in a Best of Tacoma contest, and again in 2011. Another honor came her way in 2010 when the prestigious Washington Blues Society nominated her “Best Female Vocalist.”
All that performing and interviewing prepared Archer well for the next step on her musical journey – creating a new CD in 2011 that would showcase her growth as a singer/songwriter since the release of “They Say I’m Crazy” eight years earlier. The result: “My Friend,” a moving collection of her original tunes recorded in-studio using an old-school “record album” recording quality to give the music a distinctive, warm, “live” sound. “My Friend” also includes three tracks recorded during live performances at the Tempest Lounge in Tacoma – including her funk/soul rendition of the Steve Miller Band classic “Fly Like An Eagle.”
Archer currently plays solo and with her band in the Pacific Northwest region. She’s enjoyed gigs across the country in cities like Chicago, Chapel Hill, Indianapolis, Nashville and Los Angeles, where she had a great experience earlier this year auditioning for the television smash-hit “The Voice.” She said of that experience, “I learned a lot of things and met a lot of great people I’m still in contact with. There is a path for me, and I’m on it, so it’s fine when things I try add to my experience for other things I will be experiencing further down my path.”
This winter, Kim Archer will embark on a multi-city tour in support of “My Friend.” She plans to release two new original songs this April, and is already creating music for her third CD due out in July 2012. For tour dates and locales, and to hear Archer’s music, visit www.kimarcherband.com. | | |
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