Oakland's Spellling opens for Cat Power at Stern Grove Sunday
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- Thousands of music fans will head to Stern Grove this Sunday for another unique lineup of performers. The Oakland-based artist Spellling is ready to show off her whimsical style.
Her music has been described as experimental pop meets synth.
Chrystia Cabral, known professionally as Spellling (yes, with three l's), is a singer and songwriter who incorporates nature into her work. The Turning Wheel is her third album.
"I think my interest in staying in the Bay Area and living here is that you always have access to so much -- the trees, eucalyptus groves, it's all readily available so it's part of the reason I've lived here so long instead of moving to Los Angeles or New York," Cabral said.
On Sunday, Spellling will dazzle the Stern Grove crowd for the first time. The Sacramento-born artist said she's attended many times as a music fan.
"Stern Grove is something I just -- it's been on my bucket list since I've been performing as somewhere that would be the most ideal place to perform so I'm really, really excited," she said.
Spellling will be performing with an ensemble of eight musicians and debuting costumes from a local designer.
During the pandemic, she took on the ambitious task of orchestrating and self-producing an album that features 31 collaborating artists. Fans familiar with her albums can expect something a little different on stage.
"The live versions of the songs are radically different than the recordings," she explained. "It's always different each time we perform. There's unexpected improvisation. It's a lot of fun."
Indie rock artist Cat Power headlines Sunday's show.