Kerri Powers

Kerri Powers' throaty voice complements the moody, intimate songs on her latest record, Faith in the Shadows (Gritty Ditty 2009). With these songs, it's clear that she looks for beauty on the darker side of life. However, with lyrics that are often considered quirky and whimsical, the songs can also have a hopeful feel but are never bouncy. "I put myself right in the middle of each song and find the truth in them," Kerri says. She brings that same intimacy and charm to her live performances. Kerri was born and raised in Southeastern Massachusetts and grew up listening to Neil Young, Gram Parsons, The Bee-Gee's, Patsy Cline, and Hank Williams. She took guitar lessons alongside her father when she was 9 and gravitated to the edgier sound of blues and soul. You might put her in the company of Lucinda Williams, Margo Timmins, or Karen Dalton. After years of touring with some success-she was a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk competition-she took a break to raise her son. "You do for your family," Kerri says. "What I now realize though is that I couldn't do for them without being able to write and perform my music. Luckily they understand." She reunited with her long-time collaborator and producer Crit Harmon (Martin Sexton, Mary Gauthier,) to record Faith in the Shadows. Two songs from the disc were featured in a steamy love scene on a 2009 TV episode of Denis Leary's "Rescue Me." Kerri was also a finalist in the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Troubadour songwriting contest. She's been invited to major festivals such as the Philadelphia Folk Festival and Strawberry Music Festival and in 2009 made her European tour debut with Fred Eaglesmith.