Singer, Songwriter, Kimrea is a regular performer in the San Francisco Bay Area solo and with her band, Dreamdogs. Kimrea & Dreamdogs are a versatile group of professional musicians, with an extensive catalog of excellent original songs and well-known popular songs. Blues, pop, rock, country, jazz, classics old and new, you name it, Dreamdogs play it. Their love of vocal harmonies, and the solid musicianship of this fun band make them a treat to hear.
For Booking Info contact Kimrea at kim@kimrea.com
ABOUT KIMREA
Self-taught, Kimrea began writing songs, singing and learning guitar at age 13. By the time she was 18, Kimrea was performing solo as a folk artist, doing the required "Top-40" covers and sneaking in an occasional original song from time to time, accompanying herself on guitar, six nights a week in the ski country of Northern Michigan, between Traverse City and Kalamazoo. Her venues consisted of nightclubs, dinner clubs, coffee shops, bars and college campuses.
In 1978, Kimrea bought a one-month rail pass and continued her journey in search for places where she could play her own songs. Ultimately landing in San Francisco with only a dime left in her pocket, she became a street musician. Her troubadour travels circled around the continent, via New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Montreal, Cambridge and Boston, and helped in the development of a storytelling form of songwriting that is inspired by an infinite variety of styles of music.
In 1984, Kimrea disappeared from the music scene. Settling in Mill Valley, she worked as a gardener, a secretary, a web developer, an artist and a preschool teacher; and raised a daughter while continuing to write her songs. In 1998 encouraged by her friend the late Rose Frager from the Record Plant, Kimrea began performing again, testing out her songs at the local Sweetwater Open Mic.
In 1999 Kimrea began to perform solo at the No Name Bar in Sausalito. At her first official solo show, an Angel in the audience who was enjoying her original songs wanting to buy a cd volunteered to help her make a record when he found out she had none. Consequentially Kimrea found herself at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley recording her debut album “Dreamdogs” which was released in early 2001.
After the release of “Dreamdogs”, Kimrea’s band “Kimrea and Dreamdogs” formed around her and she began to perform regularly in the Bay Area. She has since released 6 more albums of original songs.
ABOUT THE ALBUMS
Her Self Produced, Live, second album, "Pre-Platinum" she recorded with her band mates live at the Sweetwater Saloon in Mill Valley, California. It was was released in September, 2004.
Pre-Platinum was followed by, "Monday Night Live" recorded in July of 2005 with her Dreamdog band at their regular Monday Night gig at the No Name Bar in Sausalito. “Monday Night Live" was released in April of 2006.
In 2007 Kimrea & her band the Dreamdogs, Joe Lococo, Russ Whitehead and Joost Vonk released their first studio album together. The album "Big Time" was produced by Kimrea and recorded by Jim Reitzel at 3 time Grammy winning Producer Narada Michael Walden's Tarpan Studios. Narada Michael Walden produced one song titled "What Do You Want From Me" on the album. The album also features Harmonica Great Norton Buffalo from the Steve Miller Band on the track "Paradise".
In 2011 Kimrea released her 5th album “Secret Room”, produced by Jim Reitzel and recorded at Tarpan Studios. Drummer Gary Mallaber (Steve Miller, Van Morrison…that’s Gary on Van Morrison’s hit “Moondance”) lends his energy to 6 cuts on that album.
On her 57th birthday, September 14th 2014, Kimrea with her band and producer Jim Reitzel, released another 12 stellar songs on her 6th album “Subversive Blues”.
On January 1st, New Years Day, 2018, Kimrea released her 7th album of original songs entitled “My Best Game”. The album is a collection of 15 songs produced again by the great Jim Reitzel. Brazilian guitarist Jose’ Neto lends his beautiful stylings on the song “New Mexico” adding some luster of validity.
On March 27, 2020 in the midst of the Corona virus shutdown, Kimrea released “The Spell”, her 8th album of original music, produced by Jim Reitzel and featuring her bandmates. This album contains one song written by her mother, Francis Kay Edgerton and epically produced by Narada Michael Walden, titled “Fancy Fanny”.
Kimrea is busy writing songs for her next album. Her dream is that the songs will find their way into the world and live on long after she is gone.
She and her band will continue to play regularly in the Bay Area and hopefully will be found every Monday Night (where they have held residency for the Last 20 years and counting) performing at the Historic No Name Bar in Sausalito, California, once the Virus Crisis has passed.
“Kimrea once again asserts herself as one of Marin’s most dedicated and prolific singer-songwriters.” - Paul Liberatore