Kim France is a freelance musician, and also a contributing member of many bands. Her primary instruments are the upright bass and her voice, but she also performs on electric bass and acoustic guitar. Her stylistic reach ranges from jazz and classical to bluegrass and country to rock and roll and even world music. She is a performer with epic stage energy. Her performances have been referred to as Bassercise because of the way she never stops moving with her instrument. Her current “doghouse” is a 1967 Kay that people like to remind her “is bigger than she is!”. Kim spends most of the year in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, performing with her two jazz projects: The Mercury Dames; a close harmony trio specializing in vintage vocal jazz and blues, and The Good Vibes Jazz Trio; a vocal and instrumental combo featuring vibraphone.  She also stays busy playing double bass for the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra and various chamber groups. In the summer months, Kim relocates to Ocracoke Island to play with Molasses Creek and Madame Presidents.  Kim got her musical start on Ocracoke Island in the late 90’s playing bluegrass guitar, and later discovered that upright bass was a natural fit. She’s been exploring new musical styles ever since. In her 14 years as a bassist, Kim has lent the "low end" and her vocal soundings to many of her friends’ and colleagues’ recordings. She has performed with hip-hop fusion group Turbo Pro Project, rock band The Erasers, big band Swing Set, West African drum and dance ensemble EYA!, bluegrass bands Boss Hawg and Lost Ridge Band, and numerous jazz combinations -just to name a few!  The Fretlands is her newest project and a return to her roots, with some beloved bluegrass friends from her earliest days as a musician.