Kristi Allen

Expertise: Creating playlists that blur genres, bridge eras and explore rhythm and textural sound.

Education: University of Denver + Eastern Washington University

Highlights

• Biked the Smoke’n’Fire bikepacking route in 2021 - peak type 2 fun!
• Loves crocheting potholders, do you need one? 
• Has a tattoo of the auxiliary water valve at Lucky Peak State Park, otherwise known as “the portal”

Experience

I contain multitudes. Over the years, I’ve been a barista, plant conservationist, environmental educator, public health advocate — and always a music enthusiast. While I’m not a natural musician, my love for music runs deep. Some of my earliest memories are of listening to vinyl records with my dad, singing along to classics by The Rolling Stones and ZZ Top.

In my twenties, I co-founded a co-op record label and toured as a musician, living out of my car and booking shows through couchsurfing.com. Those were the glory days of community-supported music, and they left me with a lifelong appreciation for the power of shared creativity. I love exploring music, past and present, and tracing the threads that connect it all.

Now based in Boise, Idaho, I spend my time building resilient systems for my community and the natural world. When I’m not working, you’ll find me biking, hiking or creating wonderfully bad art with my close-knit group of friends.

I host the Neon Brown Radio Hour.