Meet Cristina Vane | Nationally Touring Musician & Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cristina Vane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cristina, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Life as a touring musician is extremely erratic, so finding a balance between “work” and “life” is a tricky one. Not only is it inconsistent in terms of routine, schedule, and work load, but my work kind of becomes my life. I am a musician in my heart and soul, ergo, in my “life”, but I have chosen to also make it my professional pursuit, so it has also become my work. This can be confusing at times, and if I let the burnout and the “work” side overshadow my artistic passion, it can be very discouraging. I need to fuel the creative in me in order to be able to work, but that music is coming from a place that is entirely separate from my business mind.

This year I decided to make a conscious effort to balance my touring a little better to avoid burnout and difficulties in my personal life that really hit me hard at the end of touring season last year. That means taking less gigs, but trying to make them just as (if not more) lucrative. So, quality over quantity. It’s a luxury to be able to do that, so I have been working for the last 5-6 years to be able to slowly move in a direction where I am not scrambling all over the country.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a singer, guitarist and banjoist and I write and perform my original music for a living. I grew up in Europe, am half american-Italian and half Guatemalan. I have always loved music and writing, and eventually in highschool I combined the two and began writing songs. I am extremely proud of the work ethic and the vision I’ve had to stick to my guns, and entertain the nebulous idea of “being a musician” even though I was surrounded by peers pursuing far more practical endeavors. I had the approval of my family, which is a huge help, as they understood why I moved to LA after college to see if I could swing this thing. Ten years later, the thing is swinging! While I am by no means “famous”, that was never the goal. The goal has always been to get to a place where I can sustain a business that involves writing, releasing, and performing my original music for a living. While there is plenty of exciting room to grow, just seeing how I have gone from open mics and busking the boardwalk to having life-changing memories (such as opening for Bob Weir at the Fillmore, or playing to a crowd of thousands at a festival in Montana, and many others) really makes me feel like I am aligned with my path and that this is truly my calling. On a personal note, I have been on a long quest to find myself and where I belong in the world, and the music I make has been instrumental in guiding me. It has absolutely not been easy- I’ve had horrible things said and done to me, people discourage me, played countless empty rooms for little pay, driven across the country by myself well over 10 times at this point- but it has been extremely rewarding because I am living my calling. I believe that is a rare blessing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Nashville now, so if I had to take them to places in my old city of Los Angeles, they would include (in no order) Sugarfish
La Cabaña
The Venice Boardwalk
The Venice Canals
Butcher’s Daughter
Taqueria Chihuahua
The Vans Store in Santa Monica (I don’t even know why but I love going there)
The Farmers Market in Santa Monica
Drive up PCH
Camp in Ojai

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I know that this might seem like a generic response, but I have been thinking a lot recently about all the folks that I owe my journey to, even if it’s just in some small way. Whether that’s Isaac Irvin, who ran the Venice Open Mic in LA where I got my start and made my community, to my mentor Pete Steinberg at McCabes who taught me fingerstyle guitar for free every Wednesday for a year or two and entered me into my first competition, and all of the countless people in between who selflessly gave either of themselves, their time, their money, their advice, or their energy.

There really are too many to name, but some that jump to mind are Lovemando (RIP), Cesar Ramirez, Fernando Perdomo, all my countless hosts on my first ever 6 month tour, Tonan Ruiz, Jenny Hashim, Lauren Stockner, Josh Loney, Rae Stanton, Radio Venice, Max Gunther, Brook Sutton, Cyndy Fike, Billy Stobo, Karen Criswell, Leilani Gushiken, Field Trippin’ Fest, Sarah Rogo, and so many others.

The mind boggles even more when I think of the countless loyal fans who have watched me grow on Instagram, Facebook and youtube, as well as everyone who has bought a ticket to a show, told a friend, donated to my albums & GoFundMes, contributed on livestreams, and left a kind words. It it really moving and sometimes I wish I could find them all and thank them individually.

Website: www.cristinavane.com

Instagram: @cristinavanemusic

Image Credits
Greg Homolka Aleks Zagozda Alex Skelton Darwin Alberto Keith Griner