Love music? Then we are kindred spirits! SoundAround was founded out of a deep love for all manner of popular music genres, and a passion for place and the histories of the diverse cultures that have shaped the lives of our favorite musicians.
Founded by Kristen Zschomler and Sarah Lee, SoundAround is shaped from our own desire to understand the artists we love, what aspects of their lives shaped their creativity and what is the very foundation of their greatness – the places where they grew, where they matured and which inspired their genius.
Place is far more important than just where we live. Be they urban or rural landscapes, where we grow up and the society that shapes us, form the bedrock of our existence.
As passionate music lovers, we have sought to drill down to that bedrock to better understand the musicians that we love, and we want to share the information we have unearthed with you.
You don’t have to be a life-long fan of any particular musician to enjoy our tours. Despite offering a deep dive into the stories of artists, SoundAround’s music tours also provide you with an immersive way to discover some of the social history and many of the tourist hotspots in your destination at the same time.
That’s because, between us, we have much experience in uncovering history and producing travel guides to destinations the world over.
OUR FOUNDERS
Kristen Zschomler researches, writes, and leads tours about places associated with Prince, the development of “The Minneapolis Sound”, and music history in the Twin Cities.
She came to researching and putting together her own tours of the lives of other artists she is passionate about, such as U2 in Dublin, and Elvis in Memphis, after struggling to find tours that appealed to fans like her.
Kristen’s background as a historian and archaeologist played into her professional work, and saw her leading the charge to have two Prince places recognized as historically significant through the National Register of Historic Places, preserving his legacy for future generations.
Kristen is also a co-founder of the International Centre 4 Prince Studies, which holds academic conferences and publishes journals on the burgeoning Prince academia studies.
In addition, she was consulted as a Prince expert by WCCO Television to verify if film footage from a 1970 interview was with a young Prince Rogers Nelson (watch below – it was!).
Sarah Lee is a journalist, award-winning travel writer and blogger, and author of historical fiction. With a media career spanning 25 years, she’s delivered inspired content for newspapers and glossy women’s and travel magazines before creating LiveShareTravel; a blog dedicated to affordable luxury travel and authentic experiences.
A life-long Prince “fam”, Sarah has explored his work from London to Minneapolis and beyond, to gain a greater insight into him as an artist, activist, philanthropist, and icon.
Since 2016, she has visited his beloved hometown each year from her home in the U.K., to seek a deeper connection with the place that made him.
It was on one of her early visits to the Twin Cities that Kristen and Sarah first met in 2018 on an impromptu tour Kristen led of north Minneapolis based the artist’s early life.
Four years later, after numerous late-night discussions on Prince and his legacy, plus the Minneapolis Sound, (as well as dance parties from London to Minneapolis and Las Vegas), Kristen and Sarah decided to bring you the stories and places of some of their favorite musicians (and hopefully many of yours!) that will thrill dedicated fans, as well as educate and enlighten music lovers and city explorers alike.