“On And On And On” was recorded live by Steve Martin at Eastwood Salon and mixed by Jeremy Ferguson

Tristen Gaspadarek has climbed into the ranks of the local music community in Nashville in the past few years at a very unique time for female singer/songwriters. Each new female artist fearlessly brings something fresh to the table; whether it be the atmospheric Brooke Waggoner, the “sheer freak spectacle” of Those Darlins, or the country throwback of Caitlin Rose, these ladies are “bringing the business” as they explore uncharted waters.

As for Gaspadarek, her strength seems to reside in her ability to be musically versatile. Utilizing various orchestrations, Gaspadarek weaves a glistening web of thoughtful and extremely mature melodies that tremble with undeniable power. Despite making several pop records in Chicago and having a publishing deal out of L.A. that landed her spots on DVD versions of TV series like Everwood and Felicity, Tristen feels she’s found a new musical identity in Nashville that allows her sound to envelop a larger variety of popular music. Unable to immediately find a guitarist that she meshed with, she decided to fill the position herself, shifting her focus from the keys to the strings, and further developing her abilities as a guitarist and a songwriter.

DEATHBED

In choosing a song to cover for the Deathbed recording session, the exacting and self-confident songstress choose an old Skeeter Davis tune, “On and On and On,” written by Whispering Bill Anderson. Tristen was given an old record called Country Girls Sing Country Songs (RCA 1966) by a friend on which the rare recording is featured. She was soon hooked and jokingly says she’s been listening to that recording “over and over again like a psycho.” Drawn to it because of its contrast between the joyful melody and the dark content of the song, those many spins paid off as she delivered a soulful and convincing rendition of the timeless original.