After the support of a Des Moines radio station programmer made Sister Soleil a hit in central Iowa, real labels came calling. The record will be released Tuesday, July 14, and Sister Soleil will perform at Metro that evening. Although her history raises questions as to how much of Sister Soleil's music is the result of career calculation and the intervention of music business handlers, Katsoudas herself sounds genuinely ebullient in discussing her experiences. I love to collaborate with people. They'd just come out of my head.
Some people like to live with pain.
I write songs to get it out. It's really more of a positive thing than just staying in a dark place. It's a peace of mind that came with help from plenty of friends along the way. McKeough is a Chicago freelance writer.