Apr. 15--When she was 11 years old, Jillian Riscoe wrote her first song. Back then, she decided to focus on something big that affects us all. "The first song I wrote was about the sun. ... I guess I just thought it would be cute," the Kansas City singer/songwriter recalls with a laugh. Of course, the direction Riscoe, now 20, has gone since then is quite different. She crafts "dark romantic pop-rock" in the name of artists like Savage Garden, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Tyler and Muse and has recently formed a band called The 21st Century (guitarist Trace Follett, bassist Tim Ning and drummer Kris Venard). While she tends to veer more toward the rock side of things, Riscoe's current in-store acoustic tour for Daisy Rock Guitars lets her shaded lyrics and minor key melodies take on a new form. "I think a lot of people can be put in a box with certain things," Riscoe says. "I just want people to see that I can do the unexpected and I can be versatile." Jillian Riscoe & The 21st Century performs at 7 p.m. tonight at Borders Books in St. Joseph and at 2 p.m. April 17 at Best Buy at The Legends in Kansas City, Kan.
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