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Barrel Room Chronicles
May 24, 2024

Whiskey, Witches and Music: The Christine Kammerer Story (BRC S3 E8)

In this episode of BRC, host Kerry Moynahan sits down with Christine Kammerer, a talented artist whose whiskey journey intertwines with her passion for music and storytelling. Christine shares insights into her unique musical whiskey experiences with Whiskey and Witches, where she pairs folklore with spirits from different regions.

In Season 3, Episode 8 of BRC, host Kerry Moynahan delves into a fascinating conversation with Christine Kammerer, an acclaimed international artist whose whiskey journey intertwines with her passion for music. The episode explores Christine's unique venture, "Whiskey and Witches," where she combines five different whiskeys with folklore stories and music to create a captivating experience for attendees. Christine shares her whiskey journey, starting with her first taste of Laphroaig 10 in Scotland at 18, leading to her love for peated whiskies and her involvement in founding a whiskey club in Denmark.

 

As the conversation unfolds, Christine reveals her deep connection to music, influenced by her Bavarian granddad, who introduced her to piano and singing at a young age. Her musical background spans from folk music to heavy metal, jazz, and Viking music, showcasing her versatility as an artist.

 

The discussion delves into Christine's part-time role as an Experience Ambassador and Performance Artist at Johnny Walker, where she immerses visitors in the "Journey of Flavor" experience, blending elements of Willy Wonka, Disney, and whiskey. Christine's involvement in various projects, including a solo album merging Nordic and Celtic folk music, highlights her dedication to cultural heritage through music.

 

Listeners gain insight into Christine's upcoming album, recorded with a diverse group of musicians from Denmark, Scotland, and Norway, reflecting a fusion of cultural influences. The episode concludes with details on where to find Christine's music on platforms like Bandcamp, Spotify, and YouTube, inviting audiences to support her artistic endeavors.

 

Overall, the episode offers a glimpse into Christine's multifaceted artistic journey, blending whiskey, music, folklore, and cultural heritage into a harmonious tapestry of creativity and passion. Viewers are left inspired by Christine's dedication to storytelling through music and her innovative approach to immersive experiences in the world of whiskey and beyond.

 

Pre-order album on:
 

Christine's EP - which was released in 2020 on Bandcamp is available to buy here:
https://christinekammerer.bandcamp.com/album/growing-pains

 

Christine's Patreon page: https://patreon.com/ckammerermusic?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

 

- Another option is to give a contribution via my Spotify to my PayPal account

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7gRSpjV5y0g5VvIR7BTW2H?si=p4_690vpScOtmJZPb6uUcA 

 

  • 00:00:00 - Introduction to Podcast Episode
  • 00:05:30 - Christine's Whiskey Journey
  • 00:10:02 - Whiskey and Witches Concept
  • 00:16:01 - Christine's Role at Johnny Walker
  • 00:23:30 - Christine's Musical Background
  • 00:26:24 - Christine's Music Availability
  • 00:31:01 - Christine's Solo Album
  • 00:34:12 - Christine's Various Projects
  • 00:37:05 - Christine's Social Media Handles
  • 00:38:17 - Sponsorship Segment

Whiskey Business - more information:

Time Travelling Since 1824 - The Macallan, 200 years in the making

Whisky Advocate Summer Cocktails

Pappy & Co - Bourbon for Good

Introducing Tomatin 12 Year Old Sherry Cask

GreatDrams, Summer of Sport

Become a member of the Barrel Room Parlor by clicking on Become a Member  from the navigation bar or go straight to our Kofi site at www.ko-fi.com/BRC and click on the membership link.  Barrel Room Chronicles is a production of 1st Reel Entertainment and can be seen or heard on, Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Breaker, Public Radio and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Transcript

# AI Transcript: Chrtistine Krammerer 

Kerry Moynahan:
It is 5 o'clock somewhere, and you've tuned in to Season 3, Episode 8 of VRC. For those of you who'd like to watch this episode, I'd highly recommend it. You can view Season 3 on our website, YouTube, Spotify, WhiskeyNetwork.net, and Zencastr. I'm Kerry Moynahan, and in today's Tales from the Still, I speak with Christine Camara about how her whiskey journey collided with her passion for music, and how she became a witch? But first, let's see what's new in the world of whiskey. Kick off your shoes, pour yourself a dram, and join me for this episode of Barrel Room Chronicles. 

Last season on Barrel Room Chronicles, I embarked on an amazing journey through Ireland, from Dingle to Belfast and nearly everything in between. Now I'm going to do it all over again. But this time, you're invited. That's right. Join me this September for a trip of a lifetime through the rich tapestry of Irish whiskey culture. We'll visit iconic locations, such as the Titanic Experience and the new Titanic Distillery, and tour through the lush Irish landscapes and visit filming locations from the hit TV series Game of Thrones. We'll also visit historic sites, including cathedrals, jails, castles and more. Plus, we'll get to distill our very own batch of Clonacilty gin. To find out more or to book now, visit BarrelRoomChronicles.com and click on the Brock Tours photo. 

It's time now for Whiskey Business, where I report on new releases and other current events in the world of whiskey. May is a good time to spring into action. And that's just what Pappy & Company is doing with their Bourbon for Good sweepstakes. The Van Winkle triplets offer a bottle from their own collection in an effort to raise money to support a dedicated beneficiary. Through Bourbon for Good, the triplets have been able to highlight the incredible work of a variety of charities, both locally and nationally. Since May is ALS Awareness Month, they have partnered with Hop on a Cure all month long to help raise awareness for this debilitating disease. To learn more about bourbon for good, and to see how you can help, check out the Pappy & Company blog. Tomatin Highland Single malt is delighted to welcome a new member to their core range of Highland Single malt whiskeys, Tomaten 12-year-old Sherry Cask. This new expression builds on their classic Tomaten 12-year-old, exploring the remarkable aromas and flavors that are uncovered when their new make is fully matured in Sherry Casks for a total of 12 years. Launching this week, this new single malt whiskey brings their award-winning core range portfolio to six with each distinctive expression matured in different cast types. To celebrate the summer season, Great Drams also has a new release called The Summer of Sport. Inspiration for this expression was taken from the success of other Great Drams flavor and occasion-led releases. The Summer of Sport release is a 10-year-old sherry-cast matured blend with aromas of sticky dates, raisins, and undertones of sweet sherry. Deep within that first sip, there are more sweet sherry notes complemented by crisp orchard fruits, sweet vanilla, and a hint of oak. The finish is smooth, mature, and full of character. More on summer beverages, Whiskey Advocate magazine reminds us not to sacrifice flavor for low ABV cocktails. In an article put out earlier this month, we learned many people are swapping their heavy whiskey drinks for lighter cocktails that can be sipped all day long. However, hard seltzers and clear-spirited highballs aren't the only options. Whiskey cocktails can also be low ABV, yet still be satisfying and complex. The trick is to use whiskey as an accent rather than a base. For samples of these cocktails, head over to BarrelRoomChronicles.com and click on the Whiskey Advocate link in today's show notes. Turning now to a celebration 200 years in the making, Macallan is celebrating their bicentennial with internationally renowned British singer-songwriter Emily Sandé alongside Olly Green, who has composed a poignant soundtrack called Roots. The song is an artistic celebration of Macallan's legacy, their roots in nature, craftsmanship, and community. Their story is one of timeless progression. As they navigate from past to present and into the future, they show their roots, DNA, and core values in a short film called Time Traveling Since 1824, featuring Dr. Who's David Tennant. To watch this film or to get links to anything else we've discussed in today's whiskey business, visit our website for today's show notes. Coming up, I speak with an acclaimed international artist, who some might say is a witch. Tales from the Still is next. 

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Kerry Moynahan:
Hello, good evening, good afternoon, whatever time it is you are catching the show today. Today on the show, I have Christine Camara. She is a fantastic artist. I came across her on Facebook, you know, through all my whiskey things, but then I found out so many more things about her, which has to do with witches and there's singing and there's whiskey and there's just so many things. So I couldn't wait to get her on the show today. So Christine, thank you so much for taking some time out and welcome to the show.


Christine Kammerer:
Thank you so much for having me on it. I'm absolutely amazed to be here. Great.


Kerry Moynahan:
I usually start out every show asking your whisky journey. So I think I'll ask that, but then tell me also how all these other things kind of incorporated your whisky journey. And when did you first get into whisky? Yeah, let's go with that.


Christine Kammerer:
Well, the first whisky I ever had, as far as I remember, was on my first trip to Scotland. I was 18. I was a waitress at a hunting castle for a week because I had a friend who was a chef. Yeah, it was really an estate somewhere and I can't remember where it was, but it was beautiful. And it was my first trip to Scotland. And then, you know, it's where a lot of CEOs and CFOs went to drink, eat and hunt for a week, which is an amazing combination, by the way. One of them actually almost shot the other because he forgot to like, you know, crack the gun or whatever it's called. I have no idea. Yeah, no, me neither. But no, so I had a Lefroy 10 there. I remember it quite vividly because I remember having it and thinking, this is like licking an ashtray, but I don't know why I like it. Oh, you did like it? Yeah, I loved it. I just went, that's funny. I'm not supposed to like this, am I? But I liked it. and I've been a peated whisky woman ever since. Well, when it comes to whisky, I don't discriminate. I love them all equally. As long as it's good, it's good. And then, I just went from there. I started getting more and more curious about whiskies and through my university years and then traveled back and forth to Scotland a lot over a decade before moving here. And you're from Denmark originally? I am, where I actually co-founded a whisky club before I went to Scotland, so yeah.


Kerry Moynahan:
Wait, so you co-founded, you mean after 18 but before you came and stayed?


Christine Kammerer:
Yeah, about six, seven years ago now. Yeah. Okay. Is that club still in existence? It is. It is. It's called the Red Label Society. Cute. And yeah, it was with a group of my friends who I've known since I was 15, 16. Great guys, heavy metal heads like myself, and that's how we got to know each other.


Kerry Moynahan:
Okay, so growing up, were you involved in music like in school or did you take lessons somewhere or how did you get into music also?


Christine Kammerer:
That was my granddad, my Bavarian granddad. So a lot of my family comes from Bavaria or Bayern. And he was a composer and a folk musician. So he taught me to play piano when I was six, got me into singing when I was eight, I think. And I was a goner then. Yeah, it was all music from then. All throughout high school I specialized in it. I studied musicology at university, but before that I did a six month intensive course in musical theater. Did my masters in music as well. So it's, and now I live off being a composer and singer. And weird whiskey person.


Kerry Moynahan:
I love it. Now how, when you came back to Scotland and you came to stay and you got your visa, um, Johnny Walker has something to do with that perhaps, maybe?


Christine Kammerer:
And not to do with the visa per se. Um, I got, I got the job after I got, well, obviously after I got the visa, but, um, I'd been wanting to do these musical whiskey experiences since 2019 actually. And I'd been to, I'd been, first of all, to the whisky shop in Inverness, had some great conversations with them about it. But then Covid and everything happened, you know, and then the world disappeared for about three years, two, three years. I tried out with two other bars and then it just never really clicked. And then I met Jane Ross, who I do Whisky and Witches with today. told her about this idea for musical whiskey tasting, and she'd been thinking about doing something like that as well. So it's just like, okay, great minds think alike. Let's see what we can do with this. Great.


Kerry Moynahan:
Yeah. So tell me, what exactly is Whiskey and Witches? What do you guys do when you have gatherings, or is that a good word to use for it? I mean, with witches, I think gatherings would work.


Christine Kammerer:
I love when you said gatherings, I just pictured us standing over a cauldron and muttering spells into it. Which is honestly just a Friday night, but... So, Whiskey & Witches is... It's a musical whiskey experience where we pair five different whiskeys with stories and creatures from folklore that fit to the regions or the countries that the whiskeys come from. and then I compose music or select some folk songs that I arrange in a new way to then go with each of the whiskeys. So they all fit together, emphasizing the character of the spirits and the spirits within the spirit, so to speak.


Kerry Moynahan:
Wow. How long is one of these evenings last usually with the five?


Christine Kammerer:
So with the five, it goes for two hours, because what we include as well is women's role in not just whiskey history, but alcohol history in general. And also how putting the stamp witches on some of these women aided in, well, not aided in, but in effect pushed out women from the whiskey industry and the alcohol industry, which is something we're still struggling to, you know, regain footing in today.


Kerry Moynahan:
That's amazing. So is it the same five every time or you have to do research every time you do one of these?


Christine Kammerer:
No, so we've got like a baseline one where we do the five or we typically do four of the five whisky regions in Scotland and then an international one because we always want to get something a bit different. And we primarily work with, we try to work with independent bottlers, smaller distilleries with an amazing product, up-and-coming distilleries, female-led distilleries, to offer something that is different. But for instance, we've worked with one sponsor for a lot of our shows in 2023 called Spirit Filled. Great guys to work with. But for May, for instance, so Spirit of Spaceside, I'm doing a musical whiskey experience that's solely about Spaceside spirits and Spaceside whiskeys. So for that, I will have to do a lot of new research. How do I get tickets for that? Oh, you could just come over.


Kerry Moynahan:
And I definitely, I would love to have you guys come to the States. We could totally do a Barrel Room Chronicles edition of Whiskey and Witches and have you guys come out.


Christine Kammerer:
That would be stunning. A post coming to the States, for instance. Oh, that's something to look forward for and try out for 2025. Okay. Okay. I feel something brewing, pine scented.


Kerry Moynahan:
So how many of these Whiskey and Witches events have you done, you think?


Christine Kammerer:
We have done 18. 15 of them have been sold out. We did it for the Fringe last year. Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, cultural festival in the world, lasts for the entire month of August. It's an absolutely amazing time to be a tourist in Edinburgh. It's an absolutely horrible time to be living in Edinburgh. No, it's good. But by the end of August you just go like, could you please, could you please just go home? I just want to walk down the streets without anyone taking a random picture of me or accidentally photobombing someone.


Kerry Moynahan:
And then we- Do you dress up for all of this? Like in a Celtic outfit of sorts or a witch outfit or something?


Christine Kammerer:
We do this up for a modern day version of a witch outfit because we don't really want it to be, it's not a gimmick, which a lot of people think it is when they come to it. We've actually had people crying at these events. younger and older men coming up to us and say, I have two daughters whom I will now never look at the same way because of your stories. I had no idea this was, this has happened. And we had, I distinctly remember one of our shows, we had six guys, early 20s, mid 20s, sitting at the very back of the room. And And they were, you know, in the beginning, the first 15, 20 minutes, they were goofing around a bit. They weren't disturbing anything, but. They weren't paying attention. Yeah, well, they were paying attention, sort of. But after the first half hour, they were completely just sucked into it. And they actually came up to us and said thank you afterwards. They didn't say anything but that. They just said thank you. And two of them had been crying.


Kerry Moynahan:
Wow. And they were in their 20s.


Christine Kammerer:
They were in their 20s. Yes, they were in the 20s. Typical borderline, not, you know, up to no good, but kind of in that direction. But it was great. I think that's one of those things. It's whether it's with Whiskin' Witches or whether it's with music, whatever I can do to, well, Whiskin' Witches is music as well, whatever I can do to make people think or make them feel and connect is what lies behind everything I do, really.


Kerry Moynahan:
Yeah. So tell me about your part-time gig with Johnny Walker. What is that about?


Christine Kammerer:
So I am an Experience Ambassador and Performance Artist at Journey Walker. I've been there for just over a year and a half now. It's such a great place. I don't know about you, Kerry, but I've been to over 20, 30 different distilleries and it never gets old. This is kind of like a great addition to to the whisky industry because it offers something quite different. We do have the traditional whisky tastings and I do all the different tastings there, everything from cast tastings to sit down tastings, but the primary thing we've got is a thing called journey of flavour. And if you imagine if Willy Wonka and the world of whisky had a child and sprinkled some Disney on top of it, That's kind of the journey of labor. Okay. That sounds like something I'd be down for. Oh, I think you would love it. I think you would love it. And part of it is a little play. So I do that as well, as well as the tours. And it makes for a very varied and very interesting day when you're in.


Kerry Moynahan:
That's interesting. So were they doing this before you got there or they found out all your talents and said, oh, we got to add all this extra stuff?


Christine Kammerer:
Oh my God, I would love to see the last. So Journey Walker, the Journey Walker experience on Princess Street in Edinburgh opened in September 2021. And I, yeah, amazing. It was such a great time to open a destination tourist attraction. Yeah. So they struggled with that in the beginning as well. But no, I joined in August 2022. Okay. So, not long after I came over on the Viking ship.


Christine Kammerer:
Of course. Was it really the Viking ship? Again, I wish I could say yes.


Kerry Moynahan:
Viking cruises. Nope, not even that. Not even. Oh, the one that actually works there. Nice. My mom and my niece went on a Viking cruise, I think 2019. And my niece is like, I need to go back. I need to go back.


Christine Kammerer:
I'm sorry if I'm getting ahead of myself but speaking of the Vikings because I actually, I do have a Viking band that I've had for the past six years because I finished my degree in musicology and I thought I want to work with curating cultural heritage through music and no museum has a job title like that. So what do you do? You start a band, you start conducting research and come up with weird new compositions. A lot of those musicians have been contributing to my solo album. So throughout January, because they're Danes, I had three of them over first, then I had another one, then I had another one, and one of my colleagues at Journey Walker just looked at me and saying, is this just a very, very slow version of a new Viking invasion or what's going on?


Kerry Moynahan:
Love it. I love it. Don't tell them. Okay. So I feel like I'm, I'm, I'm so interested in all of your things that I'm just jumping around so much and never let you finish the beginning to end. So you came to Scotland after building a whiskey society or club back home. You're into music everywhere. Where did you go to school?


Christine Kammerer:
So I studied musicology at Copenhagen University and then after that I decided to actually do a degree in cultural studies and strategic communication because I wanted to have a broader view on how music worked as an agent which carried meaning or acted in the world. be that political, sociocultural or anything. And then I actually specialized in the discussion of the gendered body in a comparative study of heavy metal and pop music to see how especially the genre and the use of the voice would aid in our understanding of the gendered body, the female body in general. And I think I carried a lot of that into my work with Viking music because there's so much powerful femininity in Viking or ancient pagan cultures, no matter where you have it. It doesn't have to be Viking, just pagan or animist cultures in general, where the feminine powers of nature, for instance, are just as powerful and just as equal to masculine powers. So I think it's not something I thought about consciously until someone actually mentioned it last year, that it's something I've carried with me always, also on Whisking Witches, which is about powerful women too.


Kerry Moynahan:
So your partner in Whisking Witches, is she also a musician or are you the sole musical talent for that part?


Christine Kammerer:
So I do all the music for Risking Witches, although Jane is actually trained in musical theatre. But she was always more of a dancer and an actor than a singer. So what we're thinking though in ways of developing or re-evaluating our concept is to make it more interactive between she and I. So more sort of like a playthrough. to get some of that in there. We already do that to some degree, but to get it a bit more. So we might as well just use all the tools we have in our weird and wonderful toolbox.


Kerry Moynahan:
So when you guys did your very first one, how nervous were you?


Christine Kammerer:
Oh, I was. I don't know if you can say that on the podcast. I was myself. Also, because when we did the first one, we did the first one in November. Jesus, 2022. That's, wow, that's two calendar years ago. Not two years, but two calendar years. In November 2022, everyone around me was sick and leading up to it. So I was just trying to stay healthy and my voice actually wasn't the best on the night. It was good, but I was quite nervous. This sounds weird, but I feel more comfortable standing in front of 500 people and singing than in a room of 30 where I can see everyone in the eye. It's a funny thing because I love that. I love intimate concerts. And what Whiskey and Witches has done is actually that it's brought me closer into being comfortable and seeing the vast advantages of doing that. So, I'm much more comfortable in it today. I'm always a bit nervous that I'm going to scream the head off someone because my voice is quite loud at times. MS.


Kerry Moynahan:
Okay. So, you don't need any amplification? You don't use any microphones or anything? You're just out there singing? MS.


Christine Kammerer:
Oh, I do, but sometimes I will just move away. from the microphone. I was in the studio the other day and I was laying down just a scratch track, you know, just to have some cue vocals to work from. And I was just sitting and doing it in the studio with the producer next to me. And when I was done, I looked at him and he just sat in the corner like this. And I was like, Gav, are you okay? Yeah, you hit 93 decibels and he had like, he had it on his watch in quite a small room. So I'm apparently louder than a lawnmower when you're standing next to me.


Kerry Moynahan:
Okay, well, that's good to know. Yeah, that's good to have that kind of a powerful


Christine Kammerer:
When we're out in Viking markets, we don't have any amplification. But no, I have a very dynamic voice and voice use.


Kerry Moynahan:
How many different types of music do you perform to and write to?


Christine Kammerer:
See, I've specialized in folk music for the past six, seven years, but I used to be in a heavy metal band in my early 20s. Love it. Still love heavy metal to bits. I actually went to L.A. in 2019 and wrote a couple of songs with the guitarist there, which were, it was really good. But then, you know, lockdown happens and nothing more happens. But maybe I'll be back someday. That would be, I would actually really love to. And then I do musical theater, yeah, Viking Age music, quite pagan music, some pop music, or poppy, I would say. Maybe more, no, more singer-songwriter style. So a lot of different, jazz, jazz, yeah.


Kerry Moynahan:
Oh, I love jazz. I used to be a jazz trumpet player in my youth. You were?


Christine Kammerer:
I was. Did you train for that as well? Did you go to study music at school?


Kerry Moynahan:
I did before college. Once I got to college, I stopped, but I studied music from sixth grade through high school and loved it. And then I don't know why I didn't continue in college.


Christine Kammerer:
it seems like a lot of people, they stop playing music when they go to college and think like, if I'm not doing anything with it, why then keep it up? But, well, for the heck of it, because it's fun.


Kerry Moynahan:
Yeah, well, my problem was trumpets are very loud. So, you know, you can't really, if somebody is playing trumpet next door in an apartment, hmm.


Christine Kammerer:
That's very true. Yeah, that is very true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I also used to play guitar.


Kerry Moynahan:
That's easy. If I'm playing my electric guitar, just turn it down or don't plug it in. If I'm playing acoustic, it's not going to be too bad, but I don't play that much anymore either. Where can people listen to your music right now? I know you're working on a solo album and we'll get to that in a second, but do you have anything else out? that people can download or buy currently.


Christine Kammerer:
I have got, we've got a very old EP with our band called Gjeldale, which we did, which is now no longer in existence. It's become our new band called Jótunga. J-O----......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... So, we took that, played around with it, and it became Galdilei. And Jotungr is spelled J-O-T-U-N-G-E-R. And a Jotun, I can write it for you as well. A hjortun or hjortnir is a giant or a sort of giant in Norse mythology. And in Danish, another word for kid is unge. You can also call someone Mojong, which means mischievous child. And then we thought, okay, why not combine these? Because these giants, Jotun, they also represent the wild forces of nature. So we took this Jotun term and put Onger into it. So we're kind of like the unruly, children with unruly powers still taking it seriously, but also not taking ourselves too seriously, if that makes sense. It's kind of like a play on words. And it was easier for people who are not from Denmark to say Jotunger than it was to say Gelderle. And you can get this music on where? We've got it on Bandcamp and it's... I hate to talk my music down but it's pure quality and it's a while ago. But the songs are good. And then I released an EP in 2020 because I thought that was such a good idea. It was a project that I worked on for a long time and I needed to get it out into the world. It's called Growing Pains and it was an EP about using music to work your way through trauma and resolving them. That's on Spotify, that's on Bandcamp, so if you wish to support me, please buy that off Bandcamp, especially now that I'm about to renew my visa, because that's expensive. And we've got, I'm on SoundCloud as well. And I think most of my music, which are also demos, like SoundCloud is my biggest channel right now until the album comes out. And YouTube, of course, as well. I've got loads of live recordings on YouTube and covers as well. I did a cover of The Dragonborn Comes. Oh, that sounds like a fun song.


Kerry Moynahan:
Do you know it? No, but Dragon, I mean, that sounds fun.


Christine Kammerer:
I know, it's from the game Skyrim.


Christine Kammerer:
And the beginning goes, our hero, our hero claims a warrior's heart. I tell you, I tell you the Dragonborn comes.


Christine Kammerer:
And then on and on and on. That's pretty. It's really, it's such a nice song. That was also a while ago and there's a video for that and everything. So those are like the main channels.


Kerry Moynahan:
Okay, now let's talk about your solo album that you're working on now and how can people help with that?


Christine Kammerer:
So I have, for as long as I've been traveling to Scotland, I have kind of done what I call harvested songs and melodies. So when you go out as a singer, you harvest inspiration, you harvest different things, and sometimes melodies pop up. So these songs have been in the making for, I think, eight years, some of them. Some of them are quite new, though, as well. and it's a symphonic fusion between Nordic and Celtic folk music. So I've got three Danish musicians on the project, three Scottish musicians, a Norwegian musician, and then the album is being produced in Scotland and then mastered by a Norwegian producer who's also a folk musician. So it really is a meeting between the cultures in every conceivable way. And I did a Kickstarter campaign actually for it, which ended in December, and I raised £5,000 for it, for the production of the album, which covers the production of it, the payment for the musicians. But nothing more than that. So I'm considering setting up a Patreon because to help get some funds also for the PR and marketing campaign that we're working on just now, to get some funding for the artwork. And honestly, Kerry, the best way people can support is to buy the album when it's out. If you buy it on Bandcamp or make a donation on Spotify or whatever it is. Every, and I really mean this, every little bit helps because what we don't use for the PR and marketing, we will use for touring later this year and next year. And we've got some plans on doing a tour in Scandinavia and Germany and the UK right now. Wow.


Kerry Moynahan:
And then have you recorded the album already or you're still working on it?


Christine Kammerer:
We have recorded 95%. So what we need now is we need a big choir on two of them, on two of the songs. And we need some final contributions from the Norwegian musician and on a Danish song. So that's, but once that's done, then that's the album done. And then hopefully, sorry, how many songs, how many songs are on it? Are there nine right now? Possibly a tenth, but we're not sure. The hope is to release in June, so we've got enough time to do the marketing for it, the PR and everything, getting the word out.


Kerry Moynahan:
In the meantime, you're still whisking witches and working at the distillery. Do you do anything else on the side as you've got all these? It's like you're a master of side jobs.


Christine Kammerer:
What we always say is that being a musician is like having a pat to work life. And it really is. So right now, we're doing my album here. We're doing the album for Jotunger, which is also going to be out in springtime. And I did a degree as a producer, which I finished last year. So I'm doing a lot of the work on that album. Then I am writing a jingle and a musical interpretation of a whiskey for an independent butler in Germany. Oh wow. And I'm writing essentially an album for a museum which is reopening. So where's the museum located? So that's in Scotland as well. It's the Scottish Cranach Centre, and I've been working with them for three or four years now. It's an Iron Age village, so they are currently rebuilding, or just about to be finished rebuilding, an entire open-air museum. A huge open-air museum. I'm composing an album for them, which some of the songs are going to be performed at the opening day, and a lot of it is going to be used at the site by visitors, by the museum itself, and then at some point I'm going to record it into an album, but we need funding for that first.


Kerry Moynahan:
So... MS. And where's the museum again? Where in Scotland?


Christine Kammerer:
In Scotland, in Kenmore, so near Aberfeldy. It's up in, just in the beginning of the Highlands, about a couple of hours from north of Edinburgh, where I live. Wow, I love Aberfeldy. Oh, and I do voice work as well.


Kerry Moynahan:
Voice as in the voiceover, or just singing for other people, or what do you mean by voice work?


Christine Kammerer:
So right now I've done a lot of singing for other people and other people's things. I'm really looking to get into doing audiobooks or just doing voices for, you know, different movies, games. But I recently did the Just Eat commercial in Danish. The singing for that. I don't know if you've seen the English version over there. No, it was in a lot of different languages in a lot of different countries. And was it Christina Aguilera and Lotta were doing an entire video for it. That was a lot of fun. Wow, you're very busy. Yeah, much like yourself. I just don't sleep. And I've found out a way to create a 25th hour in a day.


Kerry Moynahan:
Okay, so let's tell everybody all of your social handles and everything and where they can find everything about you because I really I want everyone to hear your music because it's absolutely gorgeous.


Christine Kammerer:
Oh, thank you so much, Kerry. I can't wait to share that album with you as well, because it's, yeah, it's been child of my heart for eight years. It's a heartbirth, it is sometimes. So I am on Facebook as Kristine Camara. My surname is spelled K-A-M-M-E-R-E-R. And Instagram, it's the same, it's kristine.camara. It's my name on SoundCloud as well, on Spotify, it's the same on YouTube. So I've hopefully made it quite easy by not having an artist name, at least not yet. That's great, that's fantastic.


Kerry Moynahan:
It's just me. Well, I can't wait to hear the full album when it comes out. Thank you so much, Mary. Christine, well, thank you so much for being on the show today. And we will catch up with you at another time because I can definitely see you coming back and participating in our Whiskey Whereabouts section so we can see what's going on with you and follow up with you later.


Christine Kammerer:
That sounds amazing. Count me in. Thank you so much.


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Christine Kammerer Profile Photo

Christine Kammerer

Singer and Composer

Christine Kammerer, an acclaimed international artist, is known for her versatile talents as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and composer. She serves as the lead singer and lyre player in the fusion folk band Jotunger. Her musical style is often characterized as a symphonic blend of Nordic and Celtic folk music, infused with a touch of musical theatre.

Having already released two EPs and three singles, Kammerer is set to launch her debut solo album in 2024, along with the debut album for Jotunger. Additionally, she holds the roles of co-CEO, composer, and singer in the highly praised and award-nominated production "Whisky & Witches." The show, which has achieved critical acclaim, has toured in three countries, sold out 15 shows, and garnered two award nominations within its first year.

Throughout her illustrious career, Kammerer has graced stages across the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, and the USA, performing at a diverse range of venues from markets and festivals to the prestigious Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and even for the Queen of Denmark. She also works as a voice over artist, and has recently done the Danish voice over for the JustEat commercial.