Biography
March 2009
If you were lucky enough to have caught the recent show at Upstairs, then you know what I'm talking about... A few unlucky souls without reservations were turned away from a sold-out, high-energy show from what some have called a powerhouse vocalist and her tight band. Stay tuned. You'll be hearing more from this band...
March 2008
Kim has been selected as one of the Top Five Vocalists in the latest SingerUniverse "Best Vocalist of the Month" Competition for her song "My Country Man".
Kim Adams and the House Cats is a satisfying cover band whose repertoire is centered around blues, with healthy influences of country, gospel, jazz and swing.
This band's leanings tend to be varied and sometimes far-from-mainstream. "I'm drawn to songs that are lesser known", says the band's namesake, whose vocal stylings have been compared from Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin to Patsy Cline and Ella Fitzgerald. Although she laughingly doubts the comparisons, she declares "I'm flattered. I simply try to deliver a song with straight-ahead sincerity and passion." True enough.
Born and raised near Knoxville, Tennessee, Kim was weaned on country, southern gospel, and Appalachian music. "I believe my love of music comes from my Daddy, Samuel Franklin Adams. I'm still completely awestruck that he was a travelling bluegrass musician in the 1930's in the southern Smokey Mountains. He sang and played banjo, but didn't talk about that part of his life - until almost the end of his own. After serving in the war overseas he returned home to a wife who wasn't too keen on him travelling around with his buddies. So, unfortunately, that chapter of his life ended."
As a teenager, Kim emigrated to Montreal with her family. She has sung in several choirs, cutting her teeth with classicial music, traditional hymns, and gospel. She spent eleven years as the main soloist with a choir that performed in and around Montreal, one of those defining performances having been at the Montreal Jazz Festival. "I was lucky that my Daddy was able to attend one of my concerts before he passed away at 92. I know it tickled him to boast that my talent came from his genes! I had always adored singing, and when I sang gospel, I recognized something very familiar. It was then that I realized that gospel, blues and country were so intertwined, and so in my blood."
It was also in that choir that she met Ted Phillips, one of the House Cat musicians. Ted is an accomplished and respected pianist, composer, arranger, and director of a 20-voice vocal ensemble. The fortitude of their 17-year musical partnership is immediately apparent.
Joining them on bass is Michel Dansereau, whose notable onstage appearances include backing the strippers in the heyday of Montreal's psychedelic sixties!
On guitar is Charles-Etienne Doucet, a classically trained graduate of the Montreal Conservatory of Music. But Kim is quick to clarify that "In this instance, classically trained does not translate as rigid and stuffy." Charlie divides his time between the House Cats, teaching his many guitar and music students, and playing with another band.
Drummer Jeremiah Mitchell is the new-kid-on-the-block. A Concordia music graduate, he's currently pursuing a second music degree in order to establish a professional career teaching music. This is one versatile cat. Don't let Jeremiah's smooth brush work fool you; this man can let loose with raw blues just as well!
Finally, part-time percussionist, Basil de Sousa, sometimes lends his support to the group, in between his numerous other appearances with other bands and his work as a studio musician.
Individually, Kim, Ted, Michel, Charlie, and Jeremiah are talented, experienced and versatile musicians, but their true strength is witnessed when they appear on stage as the expressive and soulful Kim Adams and the House Cats.
After all, you know what they say about a house cat being a happy cat, dontcha?!
CONTACT:
Kim Adams
Kim Adams and the House Cats
kim@ece.concordia.ca
Instrumentation
Kim Adams - vocals
Ted Phillips - keyboards and vocals
Michel Dansereau - bass and backing vocals
Charles-Etienne Doucet - guitar and backing vocals
Jeremiah Mitchell - percussion and backing vocals
Basil de Sousa - percussion and backing vocals
Discography
Kim Adams and the House Cats can be heard on Internet Radio at www.RadioIndy.com.