Thanks for everything, Kate…
Andy N xxx
Setting Sun: How’s things and what’s happening at the moment?
Kate:
What can I say? Everything’s pretty amazing at the moment - I've
Just come back from a mad weekend in Coniston (the lakes) where I
Organise a folk festival (Music by the Lake) on the lakeshore.. We had 14
Acts playing from 3pm till 12:30am & a bar and bbq on the shore... we raised
£550 for the local first response group (who provide advanced first aid within
The village) & most of the musicians camped on my Dad's garden (I kid you
Not we had 30 tents squished up on both lawns!) It was a great weekend and
Despite the torrential rain I think it's been the best festival yet - I suppose
The rain gave it that authentic Glastonbury feel!!
Setting Sun: Can you now introduction yourself to us, As I
Always say although I have been aware of you for a little while, clearly there
Are a few people who don’t know you, so can you tell us a little bit about
Yourself, what started you off in music, who fired the starting
pistol etc, etc?
Kate:
Well .. I guess I was born with music flowing through my veins.. my Dad
named me after Simon and Grafunkel songs (Katherine Emily) & even
though my parents didn't play instruments, there was always music playing in
the house. I grew up listening to Joni Mitchell, Linda Rondstadt, and The
Beatles, The Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, Cream, Bob Dylan and many
more so I suppose that's the direction my own music comes from.. I toyed
with the cello and oboe at school but I never really settled into the classical
training, I was too lazy to read music properly & always persuaded my
teachers to play it for me so that I could learn it by ear.. eventually I picked
up the guitar and started to do the same.
I don't claim to be the most amazing guitarist in the world - lord
knows I'm not ! My aim has always been to accompany not much
& myself more - so my guitar parts are always quite simple.. I tend to write songs at
poignant times in my life - when I've been broken-hearted or down about
something.. it's always been a challenge to write a happy song - and I'm on it - I
promise ! I suppose sometimes it's comforting to listen to a song if you're down
and know that it's not just you feeling that way .. it takes the loneliness
out of the equation.
So yeah.. my songs are bittersweet, mellow, and reflective with a bit of
passion mixed in for good measure.
Setting Sun: What have your been influences, music wise and what
have you been listening to recently?
Kate:
well I've already told you my influences in childhood, but lately I've
been listening to a lot of Ani DiFranco, Sarah McLauchlin, Jewel, Zero7,
Michelle Branch, The Stone Roses, Alanis Morisette, Kings of Convenience,
Sheryl Crow, & Beth Nielssen Chapman. I do have a pretty wide musical
taste - I love Elgar, Debussy & Chopin but also bands like Blink 182,
Staind, Skunk Anansie.. hmmmm.. yep I'm strange !
Setting Sun: Do you play concerts? If not, could you see
yourself playing concerts - how would they compare or
differ to your recordings so far?
Kate:
Well obviously the festival is a big thing for me and organising that
takes some doing..
I also run an acoustic night at Stamps Winebar in Crosby every Tuesday,
I really enjoy it because the music scene here in Liverpool is thriving
so much at the moment! It makes me so happy to know that everyone
who plays at Stamps is playing their own original music - there are a
million & one acoustic nights where people get up and play covers
all evening - what we do is very unusual & I'm proud of that!
I can also be found lurking around The Cavern on Mathew St -
especially at Acoustic Afterwork on Thursday nights.. Zanzibar on Seel
St is also a favourite haunt of mine! I don't do that many gigs at the
moment because I'm still at university.. but who knows what the future will
bring ! In terms of the style of music compared with what's on the website..
Live I am probably pretty similar.. my friend Alistair sometimes accompanies
me on cello.. but generally things are fairly similar.. I get a huge buzz out of
playing live & getting everyone in the Cavern Club to listen to me is always
fun!
Setting Sun: I seem to recall you are from Liverpool (Although I
may be wrong with that) - Have you been to any good gigs lately? What is
the live scene like where you live?
Kate:
You'll probably think this is hilarious but the most recent gig I saw
was Bonnie Raitt at the Summer Pops - I cried when she played "Angel
from Montgomery".. she really is the first lady of Blues.. but its quite
amazing how many genres she can cross into - such a talent..
I don't tend to go to that many large gigs.. but seeing my friend Joe
Keelan do his performance exam was a delight for me - he is just amazing.
Setting Sun: Probably my favourite song of yours off the website
certainly is “3AM”, which seem to make particular sense if playing it
actually at 3am in the morning…What is the story behind that song out of
interest?
Kate:
I don't normally give too much insight into my songs because I believe
everyone should be able to find their won message.. however.. since
it's you:
I'm driving home from a gig .. driving through the Lake District
towards Coniston.. the road was deathly quiet and the air was barely
moving.. everything just looked so stark and beautiful in the moonlight,
the mountains so imposing and the fields covered in mist.. as I'm driving I
can't stop thinking of this guy that I was madly in love with at the
time.. as you'll gather from the song it's a song of unrequited love.. in
fact he doesn't even know how I feel.. so as soon as I got home I take
my guitar into the garden, light a load of candles and start to write.
Nobody knows this.. but it was originally called 5a.m. but 3am sounded
better when I sang it..
Setting Sun: What's next for yourself? - do you have any releases
/ gigs in mind etc...
Kate:
I've just released a new EP - "fingerprints":
1. Fingerprints
2. All that I want
3. By The candlelight
4 The Key
I'm going to release a proper albums-worth of songs in September
which will be called "Out of the Blue" it will hopefully feature lots
of my musical friends playing cello, viola, pedal steel, flute and lead
guitar.. so that's very exciting..
I'll be in my final year at university in September.. so things will probably
slow down a bit.. isn't it strange how everything starts to take off when
you know you're going to be busy with other stuff... ironic huh?
Setting Sun: I notice from your website that you are clearly still
writing new material, from “Every best friend I’ve made” (which is a great
title by the way). How can you see your newer material developing in
contrast to your earlier material?
I promise I'm going to write some happy songs ! I'm working on one
called "In an Instant" at the moment which is sort of happy ..
Umm.. hopefully my guitar playing will improve, I've just bought a
Vintage Guild Songbird & if that's not a good enough reason to practice
more - I don't know what is.. I hope to explore a few more styles of music..
I'd love to do some Blues.
Setting Sun: A couple of more lighter questions to finish the
interview off with, firstly what would you like to do when you are 60?
Kate:
Retire hopefully.. if someone remembers me for organising the Coniston
Festival all those years ago - that would be nice.. I'm sure I'll still
be writing and singing.. and if Bonnie Raitt and Tina Turner are anything
to go by - I could even be touring !
Setting Sun: What will you be doing 60?
Kate:
Isn't that the same question as above?
Setting Sun: Lastly, sort of hacking a question one of my
friends used to use in her magazine, if you were stranded on a
desert island with a record player (although I could be tempted to
let you upgrade it to a CD Player if I was feeling nice), what 5 records
what you choose to have with you?
Kate:
Well that's a hard one..
Blue - Joni Mitchell
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
Sarah Mclauchlan - Mirrorball
City of Angels soundtrack
Damien Rice - O
I'd definitely want more though.. I'd probably swim to
find the nearest Music Zone - even if I died doing it !!
Setting Sun: Thanks again for everything, Kate. Do you have any
plans to play Manchester out of interest? Keep me informed what
happens…
Kate:
Yes definitely.. James Youngjohns from "Anna Kashfi" is trying to get me
some gigs later in the year!
I will keep you informed - no probs :)
Let me know when you get it all done and dusted !
Kate
X
