Episode 51: Artists in Quarantine with Kat Edmonson

Speaking of the Arts

Today is the first episode of a new mini series I will be doing where we will be featuring some of our artists during this time of quarantine. My first guest is Kat Edmonson and we actually had Kat on the show almost exactly 2 years ago so if you like what you hear today then please check out that interview which is episode 34 (http://www.speakingofthearts.com/episode34/). Today, I speak with Kat to learn about some of the unique things she is doing from home to stay creative and active as an artist. For example, Kat has created a new live show that she streams from her apartment in NYC every Sunday night at 7PM Eastern. You can tune into Facebook to catch that and you can also check out her new website http://www.kat.live where she is archiving each episode as well as other new content. Our conversation is wide ranging and covers a lot of topics and emotions that I would imagine many artists are going through right now so I hope everyone finds this helpful. On a side note, I wanted to update everyone who listened to our last episode with Brice Rosenbloom where we highlighted the Jazz Coalition Commission Fund (https://www.jazzcoalition.org/). As I record this, the fund has raised over $25,000 so thank you to everyone who is supporting it. More on Kat: Dreamers Do, Kat Edmonson’s 2020 record, explores the common human struggles around daring to dream, including a range of emotional and psychological consequences. The album begins with a promising invitation to settle in for the night and dream. Joy and magic are revealed before an eventual left turn is taken, and a wild night ensues. A question gets raised in Kat’s vulnerable original, “Too Late to Dream”: “Are the messages we receive as children about following our dreams relevant through adult life?” Self-despair is explored, however all doubts are ultimately laid to rest in a stunning duet with guitarist Bill Frisell on the song “Age Of Not Believing.” Dreamers Do follows the release of 2018’s Old Fashioned Gal, which Billboard calls “an intimate journey from doubt to resolve and implied triumph.” In 2014 Edmonson released The Big Picture, which debuted at 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers, 1 on Contemporary Jazz Chart, and 2 on Total Jazz Chart. Her 2015 performance on “CBS This Morning: Saturday” garnered the program’s highest rated viewership since 2006. Her 2012 LP Way Down Low was described by The New York Times as “fresh as a spring bouquet,” and her performances at WNYC’s Soundcheck and Daytrotter were included in “Best Live Performances” and “Best Sessions of 2012,” respectively. The Texas native began crafting her signature sound while performing in Austin’s local club circuit for years before releasing her debut LP Take To The Sky in 2009. She went on to tour worldwide with high profile acts including Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Gary Clark Jr., Shawn Colvin, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Nick Lowe and more.