Album Notes

Singer/ Songwriter Tristen is 21-year-old student at Depaul University in Chicago. She has been writing and producing her own music for the past six years and released her first CD at age 16. Since then, Tristen has humbly accepted the accolades of music critics in Chicago.

"I draw inspiration from everyday life to create music. My life has continued to change and grow and, in turn, so has my work" stated Tristen. "'I am always learning and striving to make each album better than the last; with this record we wanted to make each song the best it could be. I truly feel this is my best work yet."

Among the Crowd was produced by Tristen and her guitarist/father Charlie Gaspadarek and features ten of Tristen's original compositions. Tristen plays piano on the record and is accompanied by guitarists, Charlie Gaspadarek and Kurt Miller. They rhythm section includes drummer Kyle Woodring (Deana Carter, John Mellancamp, Dennis DeYoung), and bassists Donn DeSanto and Adam Johnson. Additional contributing musicians include cellist Larry Gray, John Devlin on accordion, and Gerry Burns on B3 Organ. The record was engineer and co-produced by Larry Millas who has worked with the likes of Billy Idol, David Bowie, and Bruce Hornsby.

Tristen, who plays guitar and piano at her live shows, has opened for acts including Edwin McCain, Alana Davis, The Guess Who, and The Proclaimers at venues such as The Metro and The House of Blues in Chicago.