About — Kim Baxter Music

After more than ten years of guitar and vocal duties in All Girl Summer Fun Band (Magic Marker, K Records, AGSFB Music), Kim Baxter wrote and co-produced her debut solo album, "The Tale of Me and You", with her husband, Chris Flanagan (Life at These Speeds). The pair played all the instruments on the album which was recorded in their home studio in Portland, Oregon. The album was self-released on CD (and digital download) in April 2012. Shortly after the release, Baxter and Flanagan put together a five piece band to play the songs live. In September 2012 the band played their first shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco as part of the Chickfactor Magazine 20 Year Anniversary Celebration along with Stevie Jackson (Belle and Sebastian), Lilys, Jim Ruiz, Allen Clapp, and The Softies.

Baxter is best known for her catchy, short and sweet pop song writing in All Girl Summer Fun Band, but on "The Tale of Me and You", she flexes her song writing muscles. The result is an album that is still fun and catchy but the songs are longer, the lyrics are deeper, and the instrumentation is layered and more dynamic. "Flame Ball for Hire" is quiet and intimate, "The Afternoon" is upbeat and poppy, while "Intelligent Lovers" is strong and driving. The songs are varied in their feel and texture but they come together to create a cohesive, unique and fun album.

Baxter had formed All Girl Summer Fun Band (AGSFB) with three of her best friends in Portland in 1998. AGSFB was known for their twee-pop sound. This sound carried through from their first 7 inch record released by Magic Marker in 1998 to their two full length albums released by K Records (Self-Titled and 2). In 2008, the band decided to record their third full length album titled "Looking Into It" themselves and to release it on their own label, AGSFB Music. "Looking Into It" was a departure from the band's earlier recordings. Baxter and her band mates, Kathy Foster (The Thermals) and Jen Sbragia (The Softies), wrote an album that was a bit edgier, heavier, and fuzzier. It had a more mature sound, a sound that Baxter was excited about expanding upon in her own work.

Shortly after the release of "Looking Into It", the band decided to take a break from playing and recording since Kathy was busy with The Thermals and Kim and Jen had recently become new moms. But with an arsenal of solo songs already written, Baxter decided it would be a perfect time to finish and release her first solo album. With the help of her husband she reviewed her collection of songs and selected ten of her favorites. These ten songs were then re-worked, re-structured, and re-recorded in order to create "The Tale of Me and You". Some of the original guitar solos that were recorded by Baxter years earlier were kept for their crunchy, rough basement recording sound. The rest of the album was re- recorded and mixed in Baxter and Flanagan's new home studio (with a few bits here and there recorded at Type Foundry Studio in Portland). Years of love and hard work went into these songs.

The German record label, Expect Candy, released the album on vinyl in March 2013. Kim and her band travelled to Europe for a two week tour in support of the vinyl release in April 2013.

As of 2021, Baxter is writing and recording a new solo album and collaborating with friends on various music projects.