September 2008 - The Parklander Magazine

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
Fills Neighborhood Coffee Houses
Story and Photos by Todd McFliker
Kristin Cappiello prefers performing in local java hangouts over noisy
nightclubs any night of the week. The 31-year-old from Pompano Beach
can be seen in venues where visitors truly pay attention to the music.
Besides DADA, Gizzi’s Gourmet Coffee and KoffeeOkee, all in Delray
Beach, she plays in Pompano Beach’s Boomerang Coffeehouse on the
third Friday of every month. On November 28 and 29, Kristin will
perform as Joni Mitchell at the Kindness Festival, (local talents portray
their favorite rock stars in the cult movie, The Last Waltz), in Downtown
Delray Beach. “Coffee shops and festivals are so much more intimate,”
said Kristin. “Of course, I like connecting with the audience, and I
absolutely love it when complete strangers come up and jam with me.”
At a recent performance she was using her spiritual poetry to headline a
Friday night in Pompano Beach’s Boomerang Coffeehouse. Dozens of
spectators of all ages, from middle school children to their folks and
grandparents, filled the establishment. Midway through the set, a
man, maybe a few years younger than Kristin, became part of the act.
After asking permission to join the festivities, the creative fellow,
known simply as Eric, joined Kristin to play on a box drum. Both
friends and complete strangers often join Cappiello onstage with their
violins and cellos.
Growing up in a time when MTV actually showed videos, Kristen was
turned on to the inventive passion of 10,000 Maniacs and the Sundays.In
fact, her ankle still sports an R.E.M. tattoo that she proudly gave herself at
age 14. Not unlike Dylan or Marley, each of these bands creates beautiful
harmonies with something
compelling to say.
Listeners can use the lyrics
towards improving their
lives. “I wanted to be a pop
singer,” she said. “I would
spend hours in front of a
mirror trying to look and
sound like of one the
alternative megastars.”
After spending about a
year as an exchange
student in Spain and
Germany, Kristin began
singing in many of South
Florida’s musical venues
on open mic nights. After
graduating from Boca
High in the mid-’90s, she
frequented spots like
Boynton Beach’s Barista
Cafe, as well as the Red
Room in East Boca.
Three years ago, Kristin collaborated with another performer she met
on the local scene—classically trained cellist Courtney Yates, a welleducated
music teacher armed with three different degrees.“Courtney is
just amazing when we get out there,” explained Cappiello. “We have
regular gigs every weekend. Since 2005, I have been taking my work
much more seriously. When I write, they (the lyrics) come from my own
life experiences,” she said.
Kristin’s writing is a therapeutic outlet for battling her own personal
demons. Many of her experiences are shared both literally and
figuratively in her touching words. The ditty Love is about her never
having experienced falling in love. Cappiello would rather be single
than in a relationship. She’s familiar with how dangerous liaisons
can get. Come On, Come On is a life being torn up by addiction. The
tune has a Rolling Stones-like melody with an edge. “It’s about
hope,” she said. “It’s for listeners who may be suffering. They can get
up and get out if they take the initiative. If you don’t knock on a door,
it won’t open.”
Perhaps Kristen’s Bjork-like tune, Take These, possesses the sweetest
phrase— “butterfly kisses and a topless car”. The message in the song
relays the painful experiences of drug addiction. “That’s a surrender
song,” Cappiello said. “You just grow tired of the vicious cycle. You have
no freedom. What you do have is that same miserable feeling day in and
day out. A person’s addiction could be anything— sex, drugs or food.”
Another tune, Turn Around, is a about an individual facing his fears.
“People shouldn’t be afraid because a negative situation will become
evident and eventually work itself out,” said Kristin. In addition, the
low-pitch sounds of 10,000 Maniac’s Natalie Merchant can be heard
in Nobody Noticed. The metaphoric wording reflects the notion that
feelings are more important than image. Kristin writes, “You could
dress up and make it all look great, but it doesn’t matter if you’re dying
on the inside.”
By 2009, Kristin hopes to have a full-length CD of her original songs.
She also hopes to start a warm, melodic group with versatility. Perhaps
together, they’ll land a regular gig and open for some big-name jam
bands on national tours and festivals. Until then, Kristin Cappiello is
content playing coffee houses around South Florida. Her “dark past”
definitely makes for a bright future.
58 SEPTEMBER 2008