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BIO

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.

Recordings:

In all, Kim has appeared on over 12 recordings.  Her original songwriting is featured on two releases with bluegrass band Boss Hawg; Times We Never Knew from 2013, and Driving Home, 2005.  She has recorded two albums with folk band Molasses Creek; People Get Ready 2016, and Waterbound 2015.  She is on two recordings from the 2015-2016 concert season with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra.  She provides bass and backing vocals on Lauren Hayworth's 2016 jazz album, Lullabies for Keira.  And she has done backing vocals on numerous albums by John Golden.  In 2012, she released This-N-That with Turbo Pro Project, the original hip hop/banjo fusion band!  You can learn more about the many projects Kim is currently involved in                     .

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