Geri X.

By Julie Garisto
Published January 25, 2008

New CD: Anthems of a Mended Heart

Who is she? Bulgarian-born singer-songwriter Geri X. has a sweet but tough vocal style, somewhere between Kim Deal and Fiona Apple. Unlike most singers wielding acoustic guitars, Ms. X. doesn't fall on folksy cliches. She instead performs with a stirring and often haunting delivery, backed by spare and eclectic arrangements. We chatted with her by e-mail.

What is your birth name?

I don't like my name. It's long and Bulgarian. That's why I go by Geri X. I hate my last name because it connects me to my father, who I don't want anything to do with, and my first name is the female version of George in Bulgarian. So, Geri is good.

You write every day? And you're classically trained in piano and guitar? Both require a lot of self-discipline.

I do write pretty much every day. Writing and practicing are two completely different things, however. From so much classical training, I have been exhausted from practicing to "be perfect." I know I will mess up at shows and I actually look forward to it. I embrace the humanness of making mistakes and laughing at yourself for it. So, I like to play a song only once a day. That's all I need to be satisfied.

Do you work a regular job?

Yes. I have found my purpose in life and that is (1), to make music, and (2), to work at pet stores. I am absolutely obsessed with knowledge about animals. It comes close to my passion for music. You find that you are meant for the oddest things. I think when I grow old I will open a pet day care so I can get to play and pamper all kinds of animals.

Who are the people closest to you?

My mother and sister and my boyfriend, Greg; we all just seem to share one brain, and no matter what it is, we are always there for each other.

Can you talk about a song from your new CD?

Well, our new record actually has 14 tracks on it, so it will be hard to talk about just one song. I guess the song that the whole band enjoys playing the most is Jack's Song. That's a song about one of Greg's and my dogs. I wrote the song just as we were packing to fly down to Florida in October and Jack just refused to play with me and was just laying on the couch with his face between his paws, like he knew we were leaving him and was mad at us. So the song is basically what I think Jack thinks of us. I am pretty sure he hates us most of the time.

How do you slack off?

I procrastinate a lot because of Law and Order. ... It's horrible, but Greg and I are obsessed with the show and we put everything on hold to watch the marathons.

Hear her: 8 p.m. Sunday with Inertia at the Globe Coffee Lounge, downtown St. Petersburg. Visit www.myspace.com/gerix for other shows.

[Last modified January 23, 2008, 18:02:13]