Nashville singer-songwriter fusing vintage rockabilly charm with sharp, hook-laden pop songcraft.
MOODS · nostalgic · wry · melodic · DIY spirit · rockabilly-tinged · warm · playful · literary · indie-folk adjacent · hook-driven · vintage pop · heartfelt
BIOGRAPHY
Tristen (born Tristen Gaspadarek, November 23, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter who moved to Nashville after graduating from DePaul University in 2007, where she studied relational group and organizational theories of communication. She began her recording career with a homemade EP, burning the CDs herself and packaging them in hand-sewn felt sleeves to sell at her shows.
Her catalog spans six albums: Teardrops and Lollipops (2008), Charlatans at the Garden Gate (2011), C A V E S (2013), Sneaker Waves (2017), Aquatic Flowers (2021), and Unpopular Music (2025). She has toured with Those Darlins, The Elected, Justin Townes Earle, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, and Vanessa Carlton, and performed in Jenny Lewis's live band in 2015. In 2016 she published a chapbook of poetry, Saturnine.
WHY THEY'RE COOL
Charlatans at the Garden Gate, her 2011 label debut, drew praise from Rolling Stone for its "catchy refrains with multiple meanings" and "ear-tugging melodies with hidden hooks," with the magazine naming her "an artist worth watching." Slant Magazine singled out the album's stylistic range and consistent lyrical and vocal quality as a striking feat for a debut, and it also received favorable notice from NPR, Spin, The A.V. Club, and Paste. That breadth of critical attention, paired with her handmade DIY origins and stints touring and playing alongside artists like Jenny Lewis, makes her a notable bridge between scrappy authenticity and polished songwriting.
GEORGE'S PLAYS
First time on the station.
PLAYED ON WOKE1
