Kellie Lin Knott w/ Rebecca Katz December 12, 2008

Kellie Lin Knott

"Material draws from keen observation, insight and compassion.
Her voice commands authority."
John Noyd, Maximum Ink Music Magazine

"...lyrics of considerable wit, in more than one sense of that word,
and no little wisdom. More succinctly: wow!”
Bryan A. Hollerbach, Contributing Editor, Playback St. Louis

"...great writer, sweet, sultry vocals and a very well developed guitar player."
Brian Wheeler, Marblehead, MA Festival of Arts

Kellie Lin Knott came out of the closet at the tender age of eight.

"I started out singing in a coat closet when I was five or six. I refused to sing unless I was invisible. Eventually, with a LOT of coaxing, I went from that (singing in the closet) to acting in musical theater. I couldn't dance, but I could belt out those showtunes like nobody's business. When my dad gave me my first guitar, I took it one step further and started writing. I wanted to sing my words."

In the 20 years since emerging from the musical closet, Boston-based singer-songwriter Kellie Lin Knott has released 5 CDs and performed her original songs in festivals, house concerts, colleges & listening rooms nationwide. Songs from her most recent solo CD, Comfortable, (folk-rock) won multiple awards and media mentions. Her collaboration with fellow songwriters Victoria Vox & Stolie as the "Midwestern Super Group" Tres Femmes (pop) led to the release of a full-length band CD and two year tour received with rave reviews.

But recently, Knott's writing shifted gears from funky-folk to retro-pop. Goofing around during a 2006 sound check in Franklin, MA with headlining artist, Susan Werner, led to an impromptu jazz duet of the Patti Paige classic, "Old Cape Cod". Kellie Lin fell in love with singing the new-to-her genre of classic jazz & cabaret standards.

"It's interesting to experiment as a song interpreter, especially after performing original material for so long. Some of my early heroes were vocalists who did NOT write, like Bernadette Peters and Bette Midler. And I spent five years of my life in musical theater before I decided to hit the coffeehouse circuit in highschool.

Now I want the best of both worlds. So I'm writing a motley collection of songs that might do well in a tiny little cabaret in New York or Chicago - songs that have the character of another time, but with a few modern-day updates in theme and vernacular."

Look for Kellie Lin Knott's new CD (working title: Deja Vu) in the spring of 2009. In the meantime, watch www.kellielinknott.com and myspace for showdates, new song postings, and more!

Highlights & Credits:

2004: BEST OF BOSTON, BAYSTATE SOUND
2005: FALCON RIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL EMERGING ARTIST SHOWCASE
2005: 1ST PLACE INTERNATIONAL SONG COMPETITION
2005: 3RD PLACE MIDWEST SONG COMPETITION
2005: FINALIST SOUTH FLORIDA FOLK FESTIVAL SONG COMP
2005: FINALIST MINNESOTA FOLK FESTIVAL SONG COMP
2005: HONORABLE MENTION, GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST

Discography:

2005: Tres Femmes (Band CD: Kellie Lin Knott, Victoria Vox, & Stolie)
2004: Comfortable (Kellie Lin Knott solo CD)
2001: 3 (Kellie Lin Knott solo e.p.)
1999: Live From the Living Room (Kellie Lin Knott solo CD - out of print)
1997: Propinquity - Don't Touch The Art (Band CD featuring Jocelyn, Ruth & Kellie Lin Knott - out of print)

Rebecca Katz's favorite four-letter word is "folk."

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Rebecca has been singing, making up songs, and making noise on various instruments since she was very young. At 13, she picked up her dad's guitar so she could be the cool counselor at summer camp. A year later she wrote her first original tune and has been writing ever since.

In college at Brandeis University, Rebecca played more than 80 shows on campus. Now a nationally-touring artist based in the rich Boston folk scene, Rebecca has entertained audiences at venues up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Along the way, she has shared stages with many artists including Kym Tuvim, Liz Stahler, and Adam Levy (guitarist, Norah Jones), and had the honor of opening for Teddy Goldstein and Pamela Means.

Rebecca truly has an acoustic heart. An explorer of a myriad of genres, she will always come home to one hundred percent handmade music. Currently completing her Master's in English Literature, Rebecca considers herself a lifelong student of language and songwriting. Like her hero, Nanci Griffith, she is equally devoted to penning new songs and passing on traditional tunes and favorites by fellow writers.

For two and a half years, Rebecca co-hosted the Watch City Coffeehouse, folk presenter Bob Weiser's weekly radio program featuring traditional and contemporary acoustic music on 100.1 FM WBRS. She also served as a sound engineer and Live Music Director at WBRS, and taught private guitar lessons for two years at Cambridge Music Center in Cambridge, MA.

Above all, Rebecca enjoys connecting with people through music. Equipped with a clear, confident voice, she can as easily evoke laughter from her audiences as improvised harmony. Equal parts songwriter and storyteller, she is all-heart all the time, and brings her special touch to every room she plays.

Rebecca's debut album, Spendin' On Today, engineered by Mark Thayer at Signature Sounds Studio, was released in September 2007.

Press:

Engaging, velvet, delicious voice
"Rebecca Katz's engaging, velvet, delicious voice leaves a sweet imprint on your ears and heart. Like a warm summer breeze, her delectable soulful melodies and comforting presence invite you into her intimate world, a circle of stories."
- Ji Yeon Song, Managing Director, The Oasis Coffeehouse (Waltham, MA)

Getting better all the time
"...very good and getting better all the time...."
- Dave Palmater, WUMB Folk Radio

Spendin' On Today: Rich with flawed and real characters
"Rich with flawed and real characters, Rebecca Katz's first EP, Spendin' on Today, invites us all into her living room to sit in that oversized brown leather chair with a cup of warm tea and watch her stories unfold before your ears.

Let yourself be drawn into her music like you would a warm fire on a snowy winter's day."
- John Campbell, WGMU (Fairfax, VA)

Classic singer-songwriter
"...a true American classic singer-songwriter."
- Jerry McCarthy, performer

A truly fresh spirit
"Rebecca Katz sings directly from her heart. A voice of soothing tones rooted in classic folk-storied-melodies, Rebecca offers a truly fresh spirit. And her sensitive humor guarantees you'll leave smiling and feeling better about life."
- Rob Mark, The Oasis Coffeehouse (Waltham, MA)

Seasoned coffeehouse performer and crowd favorite
Katz, a seasoned coffeehouse performer and crowd favorite, started off the night's acts with a relaxed vocal acoustic guitar performance. Clearly in her element on stage, she made the audience feel comfortable and welcome by constantly taking requests from the crowd as well as asking everyone to sing along...Her peaceful, soothing voice helped create an intimate, cozy atmosphere at the coffeehouse...As the crowd eagerly sang along, Katz looked the most pleased out of anyone in the room to have achieved such great audience interaction.
- Jenn Rubin, The Justice

Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/perkscoffeehouseproductions