Music
Press
"When Katherine Schell, Loyola University student and budding pop-rocker, was growing up in the Bay City area, her younger brother was diagnosed with leukemia. So it's no surprise she's playing a concert Sunday night at the Michigan Theater with 100 percent of the funds raised going to benefit Special Days Camps, a program that helps out kids with cancer."
"'This has been a long journey and I am so blessed to be able to share my work with the world to help Special Days,''' said Schell, who will appear with her band, The Emergency. "'Special Day Camps has meant so much to my family and I'm thrilled to support their programs.'''
"Schell is the recipient of the 2005 International Song of the Year Award from VH1 Save the Music for her alt-pop song 'Rest Assured,' from her upcoming debut CD, "Emptier Streets.'' She also performed the national anthem at NASCAR's Kansas Speedway (televised nationally on NBC) and opened for Irish tenor Ronan Tynen in Saginaw this past October. "
--Roger Lelievre, News Arts Writer - Ann Arbor News
Alternative rock infused with blues, think Frau Frau [sic] and Nora Jones meets Tori Amos. Watch out Alicia Keys, this Bay City native is going to give you a run for your money.
-Nick Brandon, Music Editor - Heritage Newspapers
Lush harmonies! I totally enjoyed this entire CD from start to finish. I can’t help but compare to late Madonna vocally – but, the style of Katherine Schell is definitively unique and precious to its genre. The lyrics are rich with substance and the overall ‘wish upon a star’ mood is delightful and belongs in as many players as possible.
-Annette Warner - Go Girls Music Review
Emptier Streets melds skittish drums and lush cello to Schell's gentle coo, giving the effect of Fila Brazillia remixing Sarah McLachlan. "The Gravity Situation" twinkles like stars in the midnight sky, while "Take Me As I Am" glides along on a silvery guitar line, Schell's vocals layered into a lilting chorus. It's an impressive debut...
-Andy Downing
Local Heroes Writer
Chicago Tribune - Chicago Tribune
Schell's lush "The Gravity Situation" sounds like the airy soundtrack to Van Gogh's "Starry Night."
- Chicago Tribune
"Her magical fingers grace the piano’s keys." - Hiroko Sato, staff writer- The New Hampshire Democrat
"The mid-Michigan native ... is sharing the stage [in Saginaw's Temple Theater] with Irish tenor Ronan Tynan."
"Earlier this year, Schell won the 2005 International Song of the Year Award from Vh1's Save the Music program for her alternative-pop song, 'Rest Assured.'"
"She recently sang the national anthem at NASCAR'S Kansas Speedway, nationally televised on NBC. She also recieved a personal letter from [Michigan] Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, acknowledging her talents and commitment to service."
"Despite studying classical piano and singing in the church choir since kindergarten, Katherine Schell envisioned a future in sports rather than music." - The Saginaw News Daily Newspaper
"When her brother was diagnosed with leukemia, it motivated her even more to tap into her creativity and find ways to help on a higher level. And that led to 'Emptier Streets,' and album that will hit the store shelves in [March] 2006. The album is a variety of styles, showing how her music has matured and evolved since she began her career."
--Sue White, The Saginaw News - The Saginaw News Daily Newspaper
"Still, with all of [Katherine Schell's] burgeoning success, [she] remains humble and focused. Offstage, she appears quiet and relaxed, but when she takes the stage she doesn't just sing--she flows. The chemistry between Katherine and her band is apparent in the music and when the band is on stage. They compliment each other and intensify the emotions of her songs."
-Niema Jordan, Daily Northwestern PLAY - Daily Northwestern PLAY
Emptier Streets is downright awesome. "Come to Me" and "Take Me As I Am" are two of the better songs I have heard in a long while.
Eric Cohen
Music Director
WAER Radio - WAER Radio
Discography
Torn, Limited Edition EP (2004)
Introducing Katherine Schell EP (2005)
Emptier Streets, Full-length Studio Album (limited release and online distribution (iTunes, Napster, etc.), September 2005; full release, March 2006)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
“Just another pretty face,” Katherine Schell is not. True, the 21-year-old singer/song-writer does have the looks; but this girl’s got grit, smarts and depth to back them up. Her blues-infused rock and classical piano style isn’t rooted in teen heartbreak, although she’s had some of that too. Katherine derives her unique style and award winning lyrics from her upbringing in industrial Bay City, MI, her experiences as a highly competitive athlete, and most notably the trauma of dealing with her younger brother’s illness.
Katherine suffered an emotional year in 1999, which can be referenced as her beginnings as an artist. As a high school all-state athlete, her aspirations of big-time college athletics were vanquished when she tore both ACL’s requiring surgery and laying her up for months. To compound this trauma, her little brother, Greg, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Katherine, trained in classical piano since the age of six, turned to songwriting to express her emotions. She developed a soulful, eclectic style that expressed anguish and hope, dreams and fears. “My music is very abstract so it can relate to a lot of different experiences that people have,” Katherine says. “It could be anything.”
Katherine matriculated to Loyola University Chicago to study Philosophy and Music as a double major. The systematic study of Philosophy has helped to enhance Katherine’s lyrics and add depth to her style. This, combined with her ongoing refinement and mastery of the piano, soon attracted notice in the Chicago music scene. After a positive response to live performances of her original work, Katherine recorded an EP, Introducing Katherine Schell, which attracted national attention and facilitated her aspirations of music as a profession.
In 2005 Katherine actively chased her dream and the results began to show. Most notably, Katherine was awarded VH1’s 2005 International Songwriter of the Year Award in the adult contemporary category and recorded her debut album, Emptier Streets, at the famed Chicago Recording Company. Katherine also performed across the nation, from New York City to Hollywood, Chicago to Austin, Denver to Detroit and many stops in-between. In January 2006, Katherine completed her first tour, as she spent two weeks performing at premiere Colorado ski villages, finishing with a show in Denver, in an effort to promote the March 2006 national release of Emptier Streets.
Throughout her burgeoning success Katherine has not lost sight of her initial motivation for her music—her brother’s battle with cancer. In December 2005 Katherine returned to her home state to play a benefit show at the Michigan Theater, which raised $10,000 for Special Days, a Detroit-area summer camp for kids with cancer. Less than a month later, Katherine headlined a benefit concert for Northwestern University’s Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy organization in the country. Katherine has also begun working with Locks of Love; an organization providing hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss. “I know I’m touching people in a way I’ve been touched by other artists before,” Katherine says.
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