Biography
Americana/Fiddler/Songwriter/Roots/Folk/Bluegrass/Acoustic/Alt-Country/With-Celtic Roots.
Look for Kate's upcoming recording, produced by Tim O'Brien, to be released in the fall of 2009.
For updates on Kate's activities see her main website's news page at www.katemacleod.com.
*NEW* - Instructional DVD - Beginning Fiddle for the Novice or the Classically Trained - Now Available. Kate MacLeod has recently been chosen as Artist in Residence for the Entrada Institute for which she will be composing music inspired by the land, people and geography of the Colorado Plateau.
Kate is scheduled to release a new recording in the fall of 2009 and is welcoming performance bookings to celebrate the recording release. Her 2008 single-song release "Wyoming Dove" is available on the internet at various download sites, see www.CDBaby.com for download information.
Kate MacLeod is a songwriter and musician whose songs have been recorded by other artists from California to the Czech Republic. Kate is a performer, studio musician, and leader of master classes and workshops, who is best known for her original songs and her unique fiddling style. She has been hailed as one of the “Ten Acts to Watch” by editors of the MusicHound Folk Essential Album Guide. Her songwriting and performances exhibit an unbreakable link between traditional music and cutting-edge, contemporary songwriting. She is often compared with Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith, and Richard Thompson. Based in Salt Lake City, she has been recognized as an outstanding artist by the Utah Arts Council, City Search, and the City Weekly. In the annual Salt Lake City Weekly Reader's Polls from the past several years, Kate has been voted best lyricist, best stringed instrument, best folk/acoustic musician, best fiddler, best bluegrass, and best solo act. Kate's songs have been featured on syndicated radio shows including “A Prairie Home Companion,” “River City Folk,” and the holiday program hosted by Judy Collins, “Peace on Earth." Her songs find new life through other musicians at jam sessions and performances throughout the country.
Since the mid-1990s, Kate has performed regularly from formal concert halls to outdoor festivals. She is experienced at adapting her performances to the needs of the particular venue--the intimate listening room or the large festival stage. She sings her original songs in a variety of styles, but is also a fine interpreter of other songs, including some by Bob Dylan, Jean Ritchie and Jack Hardy. She also enjoys performing traditional songs from the British Isles and North America. Included in her performances are instrumentals she performs on the violin.
Kate has released five studio recordings, three on Waterbug Records, and two on Wind River/Folk Era. Her most recent recording “Breakfast” with her backing band “the Pancakes” was released in 2005 and has received extensive radio airplay on “Americana” and folk music stations. Some of her latest performances have been at outdoor festivals such as the Utah Arts Festival, Founder’s Title Folk and Bluegrass Festival, and Gig Harbor Music Festival in Gig Harbor, WA. Other performances have been in more intimate venues such as the long-running Two Way Street Coffeehouse, in Downer's Grove, Illinois, and other concert events presented by regional music organizations. Tours have taken her as far as Austria and several other European countries. Look for Kate as a featured musician in the upcoming PBS film documentary, Red Rock Rondo, to be televised in May of 2009 as part of the 100th year anniversary of Zion National Park.
Review Excerpts
Kate MacLeod was named among the "Ten Acts to Watch" by editors of the MusicHound Folk Essential Album Guide
“Kate Macleod is one of those musicians so skilled her performance seems effortless”
John R. Lindermuth, Rambles.Net
“Kate's music is honest and she delivers her message true and clear. This is out of the ordinary folk music.”
Roots Music Report
"One of the leading lights of the contemporary folk music scene... easily one of the top folk releases of the year."
Eric Fidler, Associated Press
"Of all the singer-songwriters I've come across in the 1990s, Kate MacLeod is one of my favorites.”
M. Regenstreif, Sing Out Magazine
“If you could combine Nanci Griffith with Emmylou Harris, you’d end up with Kate MacLeod.”
Matthew Lawton, Totally Adult Magazine
“The perfect soundtrack for these uncertain times.”
Barry Scholl, The Catalyst Magazine
Performance History:
Gig Harbor Music Festival, WA
Ronan Events Center, MT
Northeastern Arts Network, MT
Pinos Altos Opera House, NM
Woody Guthrie Festival, OK
Boston folk Festival, Boston, MA
Moab Folk Festival, Moab, UT
San Diego Folk Festival, San Diego, CA
Tucson Folk Festival, Tucson, AZ
Uncle Calvin's Concert Series, Dallas, TX
Founder's Title Folk and Bluegrass Festival, Snowbird, UT
Acoustic Cafe, Pocatello, ID,
Princeton Coffeehouse Concert Series, Princeton, IL
Two Way Street, Downer's Grove, IL
Park City Arts Festival, Park City, UT
Brown Bag Concert Series, Salt Lake City, UT
Mountain Town Stages, Park City
Entrada Institute Concert Series, Torrey, UT
Utah State Fair, Salt Lake City, UT
Concerts by the Creek, Salt Lake City, UT
Utah Arts Festival, Salt Lake City, UT
Summerfest, Logan, UT
North Elk Concert Series, Northeast, MD
Folk Vespers Concert Series, Salt Lake City, UT
First Night, Salt Lake City, UT
Utah Public Radio, airing of “live” concert, Logan, UT
Bridger Folk Music Society Concert, Logan, UT
Living Tradition Concert Series, Anaheim, CA
Live Oak Concert Series, Austin, TX
Showcase, SXSW, Austin, TX
"Live" Concert, WFMT radio, Chicago, IL
Sugarloaf Concert Series, Germantown, MD
Interview, KZMU Radio, Moab, UT
Moab Arts Festival, Moab, UT
New Bedford Summerfest, New Bedford, MA
Concerts by the Bay, Assonet, MA
Spirit of the Woods Association, Manistee, MI
Ten Pound Fiddle Concert Series, East Lansing, MI
Gamble Rogers Folk Festival, Jacksonville, FL
Muse at the Grey Goose Concert Series, Londonderry, NH
Farm Folk Festival, Tremonton, UT
Helper Arts Festival, Helper, UT
European Tours: Including venues in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Italy.
Instrumentation
Kate can be booked as a soloist or with accompanying musicians.
Kate MacLeod - songwriter, vocalist, acoustic guitar, acoustic electric guitar, fiddle.
Performs with accompaniment: two-five piece group referred to as Kate MacLeod and the Pancakes.
Accompanying musicians...
Mark Hazel - vocalist, acoutsic guitar, telecaster
Robert Dow - acoustic bass
Cliff Smith - percussion, harmonica, drums
Steve Keen - piano, accordion
Kate also tours as a duet with Kat Eggleston
(Recording: Drawn from the Well)
Discography
Download Kate's new single "Wyoming Dove".
Available for download at Great Indie Music, www.greatindiemusic.com. This song is a fundraiser, for further information see www.katemacleod.com.
Trying to Get it Right, 1995, Waterbug Records
Constant Emotion, 1997, Waterbug Records
Feel the Earth Spin, 2001, Wind River/Folk Era
Drawn from the Well, 2002, Wind River/Folk Era
Breakfast, 2005, Waterbug
For Listening Samples go to www.waterbug.com and look for Kate MacLeod
Links
| http://www.katemacleod.com |
| Kate MacLeod at Myspace |
| Kate MacLeod Website |