6:30 pm, Dayton, Ohio.  Greeting dusk with a glass of iced tea in the lobby of the Radisson Suites Hotel, Kristi Kates looks a bit distracted.  Taller than one would expect, with delicate features, Kates has a reason to be preoccupied.  Her new CD, Tangle, has begun gathering interest after being released for only a couple of months, and Kates, along with her band, are focusing heavily on travel and great live shows to widen the audience for her lyrical, brainy kaleidoscope of modern rock music. Right now, she's in the middle of a set list for tonight's show, which she graciously puts aside.  

Live, Kates' clear voice recollects Bjork or perhaps Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries (with the elasticity of Garbage's Shirley Manson), and she is as proficient vocally live as she is on the recorded product.  A performance this afternoon on the University of Dayton's college radio station WDCR took even the staff there by surprise. After a brief on-air interview, Kates did an unplugged version of two of the songs from the CD live with just an acoustic guitar, and upon the conclusion of her impromptu performance, the entire WDCR staff was crowded, applauding, into the control booth, and Kates was spotted afterwards signing autographs outside.  "I'm glad people seem to like the songs themselves so much," she says, "It's become such an odd thing to both myself and the band, because each person we talk to has their own favorite song, and it's different almost every time... it's cool that there seems to be something for everyone on the disc."

Indeed, the CD is an eclectic mix of styles from 21st-Century thrash to sarcastic pop to wistful balladry, all somehow fused effectively through the singer. With a mix like this, what does Kristi Kates have in her own CD collection?  "Oh, everything!" she exclaims, and a quick look through her "road" selection of discs proves just that;  Stravinsky, Dido, Superdrag, Oasis, Coldplay, Bela Fleck, the Smashing Pumpkins, The Cranberries, and more.  

With plans that include taking her band on a wider region of shows in the next year to continue promotion of the disc, Kates will have the opportunity to shop for new music to listen to in a variety of cities. "Getting the music out to wider audiences is such a priority right now, we've been working on improving the stage, and we've already added a number of songs to the set list that are brand new, and aren't on the CD," she says, "plus it gives us a chance to work with other bands and artists, which is great fun for us..."

Kates has already been invited to return to Dayton to open for The Why Store, has also been approached to open again for Duncan Sheik, and more double bills are sure to be on the way.  8 o'clock here in Dayton, and, with a glance towards her unfinished set list, she mentions politely that she must prepare for tonight's concert, and excuses herself to return to her room.  It probably won't matter exactly what ends up on the set list tonight; with an exceptional CD, a talented band, and a song for everyone, Kristi Kates will most certainly leave Dayton with a city's worth of new fans.

Kristi Kates can be seen in concert tonight at 10 pm at Timothy's, Brown Street, Dayton OH.