"If you like the way Joe Satriani rocks, the intellectual leanings of Living Color, the acid jazzitude of Miles Davis, or the musical complexity of Dave Matthews Band, you'll love Karsten Durand."
-Erik Deckers
Indie-Music.com
Karsten is the product of a jazz aficionado and a 70's funk lover. That, combined with his own eclectic appreciation of genres, has provided abundant color for his musical palette.
At the core, Karsten is a performer and he delivers lyric driven compositions with soulful finesse.
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BROADJAM.com Top 10 Chart placements
"Never Give Up The Sky" reached:
#1 -- South East
#1 -- Georgia
#1 -- Production - Male Vocals
#1 -- Production - Mid Tempo
#1 -- Pop
#1 -- Pop - Rock
#2 -- Earth
#2 -- North America
#2 -- United States
"Baby Got A Good Thang" reached:
#3 -- Georgia
#6 -- Pop - Rock
"Fiction" reached:
#8 -- Rock - Funk
#9 -- Georgia
"Conspicuously Pretty" reached:
#3 -- Georgia
#7 -- Pop
Biography of Karsten Durand
It was evident that Karsten Durand was destined to collide with music when, at age three, he started his first band singing lead, heading up the rhythm section of a Snoopy drum set, and periodically filling in on air-guitar. At age five, he walked into a music store with his parents, pointed out a piano and said, ?that?s the one I want, right there?.
At elementary school he fell comfortably into the spotlight and was, even then, a commanding presence in school plays and pageants, the band and the chorus. At age 12 Karsten auditioned and was selected to join the Atlanta Boy?s Choir. At age 14 Karsten played keyboard in an adolescent ?punk-rock? band that competed in local talent showcases and garnered some minor accolades. Karsten later went on to graduate from the now Grammy awarded, DeKalb School of the Arts.
As a graduation present, Karsten was given his first keyboard. Though the tones were laughable, they opened the flood gates of possibility and Durand begin to discover his voice as a songwriter.
His music has appeared on benefit compilations for the Million Mom March and Camp Sunshine and as the opening theme for the teen television show, Campus Live (FOX, Atlanta).
Five songs from Karsten Durand?s debut album (Stream of Consciousness) won awards from the Georgia Music Industry Association. Including Circle The Moon, which took 2ND Place in the organization?s 1999 International Songwriters Contest.
Through his active involvement with a variety of organizations as a keynote speaker, Karsten has been in front of nearly 3 million people. He has appeared in hundreds of schools and communities in over 40 states as well as in the U.K., Belize, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, St. Maarten and the Virgin Islands. Other performance credits include; singing the National Anthem for the Atlanta Braves; pre-game show for the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome; halftime shows for the Atlanta Hawks; events at Six Flags (Atlanta, GA) and Sea World (San Antonio, TX); GMIA songwriters showcase at the Celebrity Rock Cafe in Atlanta; concerts and conferences in Germany, Italy, Austria and Cancun; command performances for former First Lady Nancy Reagan and for the Pope while on tour with the Atlanta Boy?s Choir; ....and dozens of karaoke clubs.
Karsten Durand continues to prove himself as a performer and a composer. Future aspirations include soundtrack placement and a guest appearance on Sesame Street alongside the Muppets of whom he?s always been a huge fan.
The REVIEWS are in...
?Jazzy, soulful, eclectic. Karsten Durand & The Collective make great music with a message. If Bobby Mcferrin had a back up band equally adept at Jazz and Rock it might sound as good as KD&TC.?
- Chris Van Loan
http://www.mp3.com/stations/soulrock
?Each track is well sculpted and flows beautifully. The genre could be classified as a mix of Luther Vandross, Barry White and a touch of Lenny Kravitz....?
-SoulSlice
AtlantaMusicScene.com
?...great talent, smooth sounding vocals, and very original.?
-Kevin Foster
?I listened to your music on the MP3 web site, and I think it is excellent.?
-Peter Kimmel
Class Act Productions
?I listened to your album 3-4 times yesterday. It's absolutely brilliant..the pure emotion...kinda very ?reduced? and real. Definitely avoiding all clichés...breaking up musical structures without destroying them..and the voice sings soul EXACTLY how I always felt it...[should be]?
-Lord Litter
Berlin, Germany
Smooth funk soul grooves. The Karsten Durand Collective, an evolving, smooth soul band with funky pop sensibilities and a late night, acid-jazz vibe. [Karsten] The former Atlanta Boy?s Choir member has a great silky voice, like what Barry White must have sounded like before puberty.
-Kevin Sechrist
DigitalCity Atlanta