Tristan Prettyman grew up surfing in San Diego. Pretty soon she was playing her dad's guitar, too, and before long was using her primary influences (Ani DiFranco, Joni Mitchell, Jack Johnson) to write songs of her own. In between modeling for Quicksilver's Roxy line (and of course more surfing) she starting playing some local gigs, mostly at parties or smallish venues. She also landed a song on the soundtrack to Chris Malloy's 2001 surf film, Shelter. So the buzz was building for Prettyman. She did some touring with fellow San Diego scene folk-popper Jason Mraz and also with G. Love & Special Sauce; she also recorded and self-released the Love EP. With the success of Mraz and Johnson in the mainstream it wasn't long before the majors came calling, and Prettyman eventually signed with Virgin. Her debut LP, Twentythree, appeared in August 2005. It was a sweet, mostly acoustic affair that featured contributions from Mraz, Love, Norah Jones guitarist Jesse Harris, and some ace session players. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
