K WILDER won her first art contest when she was three years old. The newspaper reported that she was the first child under five years of age to ever colour their Santa Claus completely within the lines. The paper published her name and sent her a crisp, new one dollar bill. Destiny had stopped by her mailbox.
In addition to writing music and performing, K went on to receive an MFA in Advertising Design, from California State University. She has worked as a a freelance production artist, project manager, and designer on several US campaigns for Toyota, IBM, Disney and Motown Records. She became a full-tenured university professor of graphic communication, teaching at universities in California, Dubai, and Florida, USA.
Over the years she has worked with University design classes to develop over twenty award-winning city and statewide community-based advertising campaigns promoting environmental cleanup, recycling, anti-graffiti, literacy, driver safety, storm water safety and the prevention of horse slaughter and encouragement of pet responsibility.
On the fine arts side of K’s creativity she has a touring 32-piece mixed-media art show titled, “The Ragged Edge of Desire”. The show deals with the pain we all experience in romantic relationships.
The songs and stories K writes are based upon her personal observations of country life and its relationship to city life. The twist in her understanding comes from the mix of having lived in three distinct regional areas of the United States, the West, Mid-West and the South.
The stories on K’s album “Blue Ridge Dream” come from her having lived in the Blue Ridge and experiencing first-hand the mountain top, its stories, music and its people. Sometimes, the experience runs so deep, she feels she was born there.
The album is a fusion of traditional country with modern country: a flirtation with bluegrass, the blues, rock and swing. You are taken on an emotional, musical ride.
The “Caffeine & Country Music” album is a theatrical commentary on life, inclusive of the breakdowns, greatest surprises, cups of coffee we drink, music we love, and political decisions we question. The candid lyrics are laced with wit, speak to your heart and intellect, all the while tickling your imagination. You are given a front row seat to the drama of daily life. There is not one commercial. All you have to do is enjoy the musical ride.
Both albums contain original stories, written with a sense of humor, sung with traditional styling to an edgy country groove and delivered with theatrical performance. You are listening in and become part of the story. If you like the story telling of Tom T. Hall, the humor of Jimmy Buffett, the musical instrumentation of Dwight Yoakam and the traditional vocals of Alan Jackson, then this is the album for you.