Charisse Kahler profile picture

Charisse Kahler

Songwriting: the poor man's therapy...!

About Me

Charisse’s music is a composite of many styles and influences. She grew up listening to her parents’ recordings of Maxine Sullivan, Mahalia Jackson, Benny Goodman, Josh White, and Billie Holiday. When her father retired from the Air Force and moved the family to Ithaca, NY, Charisse fell in with the folk element in the small college town, and was introduced to the contemporary folk writers of the day. (To this day she believes that Joni Mitchell is the greatest singer-songwriter of all time, the Queen). While still in high school she taught herself guitar and began playing venues in the area to include the seminal Bound for Glory, a live broadcast from Cornell University on WVBR radio.Initially, Charisse played traditional folk music stamped with her own personal touch. Over the years she has evolved into a singer-songwriter unconstrained by genre or style. Her writing covers topics as diverse as a Down syndrome everyman, prima ballerinas, Henri Matisse, and all facets of the human condition. She has been a consistent Song Showcase winner at Winfield, and in 2006 won first place in the 59th Annual Ozark Folk Festival Songwriting Contest in Arkansas.Charisse has played to audiences all over the country and Europe. She has shared stages with folk elite Greg Brown, Maura O’Connell, the late Mickey Newbury, Kate Campbell, Jack Williams, and Small Potatoes.The year 2001 brought Charisse’s first all original CD, “Places I’ve Been…People I’ve Known” to fruition. It received positive reviews and airplay on several indie stations throughout the country, and the track “Red Dirt” won the Winfield Showcase that same year. In 2004 she released “Fountain Street”, a bare-bones effort recorded by Wichita friend, Larry McDoniel. It captures the soloist coffeehouse sound, and included another Winfield winner, “Jesus Loves You”. The fall of 2006 Charisse recorded “New and Overdue”, her third collection of original songs that included two contest winners, “Blue Factory Hill”, and “Across the Border”.Her voice can be as loud as Broadway, or quiet as a small town Saturday night. Charisse can jump from a wild, up-tempo jazz tune to an ancient ballad without missing a beat. It all works because the woman loves to sing!Currently living in the Kansas City, KS, suburbs, Charisse and husband Steve often play as a duo, imaginatively called “The Kahlers”. They have become local favorites in area venues for their wonderful harmonies as well as their unique dual guitar and mandolin style.
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Member Since: 4/6/2007
Band Website: charisselowe.com
Band Members: Charisse Kahler, and as 'The Kahlers' with husband Steve
Influences: I was influenced as a singer by many of my dad's favorites because that's who I heard growing up. He listened to jazz, and I heard Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Keely Smith, Billie Holiday, and my favorite, Maxine Sullivan. Singer-songwriters? Joni Mitchell, Tim Buckley, Tom Rush, Chris Smither, Paul Geremia, Susan Werner, and Shawn Colvin. Favorite singer? Maura O'Connell!!!
Sounds Like: I've been told I sound like, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Bonnie Raitt, and Maura O'Connell. It seems to depend on who the listener likes best..Here's a review of my first CD, "Places I've Been...People I've Known, by Alan Burgebuhr. Alan writes jazz reviews for Cadence magazine, but has developed a CDBaby jones, and found my CD. Here's what he said:“ Although I write mostly about jazz/cabaret vocals for Cadence Magazine, my musical interests reach beyond those categories. Usually, I find singer/song-writers of little interest. I find their songs too often strained and cliché laden, as though they all learned to write songs by subscribing to the same song-writing correspondence course. And, there's Charisse Lowe Kahler and her CD. Her perspective is so damn honest and uniquely human - and her turn of phrase so often breathtaking. "Arms Around Me Still" moves me to that point that my vision is compromised by a certain effusion from some sort of ducts operating in my eyes. There are lines in other songs - both speaking about "grace" - that thrill me.....literally. One occurs in "What I Need To Know." - "..days of anger, days of grace/one day at a time, heart to heart and face to face." The other is at the end of "Lime Green Sweater," when "having met the devil, and retained his grace/but fell asleep with a smile - On his face" I took those lines very personally.I come away from each separate listening of this CD with new images etched in my mind. "Bare trees like black lace hemming the edge of the sky," struck me the last time. She is a poet… And her singing voice, her phrasing - all delicious. I consider myself very fortunate to have found this CD in my nocturnal wanderings into the CD Baby catalog's innards. Please accept my sincere thanks."
Record Label: MollyDog Music
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Saturday nightt at Homers Coffee House

Another great evening for us at Homer's Coffee House. Jim Mathis is the best, and the customers that frequent his coffee house are a wonderful audience. My husband tore it up with beautiful vocals on ...
Posted by Charisse Kahler on Mon, 12 May 2008 10:48:00 PST

Opening at West Side Folk

Steve and I had a great time opening for Stacey Earle and her husband, Mark Stuart. The crowd response was wonderful for us, and the rest of the evening like cream in your coffee. Stacey and Mark are ...
Posted by Charisse Kahler on Mon, 05 May 2008 06:13:00 PST