SoCal siren

When Krissi Moses’ first boyfriend turned out to be a schmuck, she did what any savvy rock diva would do. She threw his stuff out on the driveway then wrote a song and recorded it. The saucy, baby doll tones of “You’re Forgettable” soon became a hit at parties, and she’s been writing her own music ever since. “You’re Forgettable” was recently featured in Saturday Night Magazine’s compilation CD, a diverse mix of aspiring and established artists including The Chubbies and Counting Crows.

Against the advice of family and friends, the Los Angeles native turned down a solo artist deal from Columbia, opting to start her own band instead. “Columbia had definite ideas of what they wanted, and I wanted the freedom to explore music and play with styles and genres, so I decided to wait,” said Moses.

Her current band came together from varied avenues. Newly arrived from Virginia, drummer Nick Hughes nailed the open audition. Marcello Feldman attended her first show, and they wound up hanging out as friends. When the original bass player returned to school, Feldman offered to step in “and blew us all away,” said Moses. Guitarist Andy Law is a longtime friend. Sean Huritz stayed on when the other regular guitarist left to tour with Ashley Tisdale.

“We all have different backgrounds in music, so between all of us we come up with the weirdest, different ideas and never run out of new things to try,” Moses said of her band. She noted, “As a solo artist with a band, you can sometimes lose that sense of unity with your band members, but that’s not the case with us. We’re all very supportive of each other.” The end result is a playlist that features a blend of rock, pop, reggae and punk-pop, from the subtle ballad “It’s Alright” to the steady reggae rhythm of “Best You Can.”

The cautionary tale, “15 Minute Man” was inspired by a chat with a friend about a celebrity whose big parties failed to change his innate cheesiness. “It’s not the same if you’re paying for it,” Moses told her friend. Moses later backed that lyric with a driving rock pulse that ends abruptly like the flick of a radio dial.

Another song’s inspiration came when Moses stepped into the voting booth for the first time and realized she knew nothing about politics. “In the last four years, I’ve read so many books and watched so many documentaries that I’ve become sufficiently pissed-off to start voicing my opinions.” Her outrage over the Military Commissions Act pours out in the edgy punk vibes of “2006.”

Moses has played a variety of Los Angeles clubs, including Safari Sam’s, Key Club and The Joint. “I’m a Reno virgin,” Moses said of the July 17 gig that marks both her Reno debut and launch of her first EP. Additional performances will follow to promote her EP while she records more tracks to release a full-length album.

Of her future plans, Moses said, “Definitely more songwriting, more gigs, finishing my album. And from there … who knows.”