Support Women Artists Sunday: Kissing Cousins

Kissing Cousins front-tress Heather B. Heywood grew up in the ghetto-rural outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama in the home of her step-father, a charismatic Pentecostal preacher. Most of the congregation was black and Heywood was influenced by soulful and woeful music in addition to witnessing some most confusing situations like exorcisms, speaking in tongues, and parishioners being “slain in the spirit.”

Heywood was tormented as she grew older and realized her normal life wasn’t so normal and that there were a myriad of ways of to understand life. This wounded spirituality was her muse as she fronted bands around Birmingham. Heywood relocated to LA and played guitar in a couple of bands, Map and Summer Darling.Wanting to do more than play bass for the boys, Heather founded Kissing Cousins in the summer of 2005 and made it an all female venture.

The name Kissing Cousins is a sarcastic nod to the preconceived notions of the Deep South. Heywood was quick to find 3 other femusicians to complete Kissing Cousins: Kara Haro – keyboardist, vocals and flautist, Melissa Pleckham – bassist, and Beth Zeigler – drummer and professional organizer.

Kissing Cousins were determined to do bigger things and this was getting easier. Nip/Tuck producer Alexis Martin Woodall caught a few of the Cousins' shows at Spaceland and The Echo. Woodall thought the sound would be perfect for an episode. Now, with the combination of 3 solid EPs, a single, an epochal album, a song on a hit TV show and an evolving sexy and captivating live act, Kissing Cousins are well on their way to becoming an un-ignorable blip on the rock radar.

from http://www.myspace.com/kissingcousins

Sillhouettes

First in the Fire

Kissing Cousins' cd Pillar of Salt on iTunes: