The Bright Siders are a musical collaboration between Nashville-based Americana songwriter Kristin Andreassen and Brooklyn-based child psychiatrist Kari Groff, MD. Together, they create music with the purpose of helping children connect to their emotions. Ten years in the making, their carefully crafted, star-studded debut album A Mind of Your Own arrives just when the world needs it most, and as the importance of mental health resurfaces. Released on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the album invites listeners to think deeply about empathy and self-compassion as they navigate the beauty and complexity of their emotional lives, and is chock full of wonderful artists including Ed Helms, The War & Treaty, Gaby Moreno, Punch Brothers, Joey Ryan (The Milk Carton Kids), Oh Pep!, Kaia Kater, and more.
I chatted with Kari and Kristen via Zoom – this is the full-length interview.