Katherine Wheatley
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Katherine Wheatley

Guelph, Ontario, Canada | INDIE | AFM

Guelph, Ontario, Canada | INDIE | AFM
Band Folk Acoustic

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Press


"WORKSHOP REVIEWS"


“Youth songs was the best school-wide program I’ve seen in my career as an educator.”
- Nelson Keane, Principal, Paisley Rd. P.S.

“ I just want to thank you for the amazing energy that you have brought into my classroom. My students and I all look forward to when you come and work with us. We are very proud of the song, "CANADA IS MY FAMILY". Thank you so much for your patience, inspiration, enthusiasm and expertise. We have so benefited from your presence. You need to know that everyone is thrilled with the quality of the CD. You and David did an amazing job of recording and mixing the songs. It sounds so professional! It's been a hit and a real gift to the students, staff and parents of Paisley Road School.”
- Jane Rocher, Grade 4 Teacher

Katherine Wheatley’s Song Writing Workshops with Grade 7 students attending schools in Parry Sound and area schools were amazing. She was patient, enthusiastic, and very talented. It was an absolutely wonderful and extraordinary experience for the students and teachers. Dave Golden, Education Director, Charles Stockey Centre, Parry Sound

“I believe it was an enlightening project for everyone who participated and listeners. It was a fantastic way to bring the school together with our communities. It was uplifting and fun to listen as well!” - Vittoria Balfour, parent

"Creating the music and lyrics was an extraordinary musical experience. Every song captures the spirit of the children in such an exciting way. My children are so proud to share their CD with family and friends." - Anne Phillips, parent

"We have been playing the CD all summer and other families have been also. It's great!" - Mary Anne Giovinazzo, parent

“The program had a big impact -- teachers and kids loved it. I attended the concert and was so moved by it. I support this wonderful work.”
- Erin Kelly, Superintendent, Upper Grand District School Board

“I thought that the music program was wonderful for the students. The trustees were delighted as well and welcomed the performers to the Board Room.”
- Martha Rogers, Director of Education, Upper Grand District School Board

“The presentation was absolutely wonderful. The children were so engaged that it was obvious that this is a venue that should be pursued elsewhere. This is the type of outreach that all cultural groups in Guelph should strive to accomplish. My congratulations to you, Jude and Katherine on a job well done. Sign me up for at least one CD.”
- Nicholas Dalton, Hillside Music Festival

"The music enrichment program last year at Paisley Rd. Public School, developed by Jude Vadala and Katherine Wheatley, was fantastic! The feedback from students, teachers, and parents has been extremely positive. The entire school community was excited throughout the process! The songs written and sung by each class were developed into a CD and are wonderful. We hope to have Jude and Katherine back this year."
- Nelson Keane, Principal - FROM VARIOUS PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS and PARENTS


"KATHERINE WHEATLEY - NEW LIFE, NEW CD, NEW HEART, NEW SPIRIT"

KATHERINE WHEATLEY - NEW LIFE, NEW CD, NEW HEART, NEW SPIRIT
By Richard Flohil

Ask any songwriter for advice, and the answer is always the same: “Write what you know.” It’s counsel that Katherine Wheatley has frequently given — and it’s advice that she’s followed on her emotionally powerful new CD, Landed.

Here is what Katherine knows: Doubt, betrayal and loss. Courage, strength and discovery. This is what else she knows: how to make songs universal and how to write tunes you remember, lyrics that are believable, and stories that touch the heart and mind.

Christmas comes ‘round each December
Robins return every spring
Wild aster blooms each September
But some people don’t come back again

The songs on Landed are about growing up, loyalty, relationship, loss, revenge and — most of all — resilience. And when she sings about making it work, you feel like dancing.

Monday, the boys have basketball
Tuesday, they wait for you to call
Wednesday, I get them to the rink by five
Thursday, car pool, my turn to drive
Friday comes and Saturday goes.
Sunday, heaven knows….

It’s taken 10 years for Katherine to release her third album. She started the project four years ago, and then — with big changes in her life — she put the album on hold until new songs emerged. She asked two others songwriters, Lynn Miles and Scott Merritt, to produce the record. They demanded that Katherine meet this standard for every line of every song: “Will people believe it?” A line that seemed maudlin? An awkward phrase? A verse that needed clarity? Scott and Lynn insisted Wheatley get the eraser and sharpener out. They insisted she be truthful.

The result: Landed is a collection of 11 songs that are not only Wheatley’s very best work, but give a perfect indication of the grace, power and emotional impact of her live performance.

This is a strong woman, a survivor, and a person who has indeed — despite the bumpy journey — landed. As the title song puts it:

I landed, I made it through
I landed without help from you
When I landed, it felt so sweet.... ...’Cause I landed on my own two feet.

- Press release by Richard Flohil


"CONCERT REVIEWS"


"I’m in love...with the music of Katherine Wheatley. A verse into her first song “Mrs. McIvor”, I was hooked. Being a KW virgin, I was totally unprepared for the absolute beauty of her voice and lyrics".
FOLKSPOKE, Barrie, ON

"This is a performer to keep you on the edge of your seat"!
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN, Ottawa, ON

"Wheatley, sporting a beautiful voice and heady guitar work, brought the house down with her stunningly intimate musical meanderings. Her voice and guitar work drew the crowd in from the moment she started to sing. Her witty repartee gave these songs a footing from whence to fly. And fly she did"!
THE EXAMINER, Peterborough, ON

"...an absolutely transcendent concert...she exudes sheer kindness and love...blessedly, refreshingly, a truly Canadian original".
THE CHRONICLE JOURNAL, Thunder Bay, ON

"When she started her first song, the audience knew that it would be a most unusual concert. Alternately entertaining the sold-out crowd with insightful and humourous vignettes, or simply leading off with her marvelous guitar work, Wheatley took her listeners on an enthralling adventure".
CARLYLE OBSERVER, Carlyle, SK

"Wheatley’s songs have intermingling themes of underdogs and unlikely heroes all set against a Canadian small town landscape. From LTD’s, Pontiacs and hand gesturing out of a pick-up truck to the neighbours gossiping about an eccentric, yet tenacious old Mrs. McIvor and a very self-conscious game of spin the bottle in a snowmobile suit, her songs are vivid, familiar and engaging".
THE ECHO, Guelph, ON

"The house concert featuring Katherine Wheatley & Wendell Ferguson was better than a solid night's sleep. For the night to be so magical, so memorable, so perfect, it is important to talk more about Katherine's music. Lyrically, her songs are thoughtful and reflective, sometimes funny...often poignant...Melodically and harmonically, all of her songs were beautifully crafted and expertly performed. But it's her performance of the songs that remains so memorable for me".
OLD CHESTNUT NEWS, Kitchener, ON

"Man, can this serene red head ever play guitar".
SEE MAGAZINE, Edmonton, AB

- QUOTES FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES


"CD REVIEWS"


"Katherine Wheatley's got moxy to spare". (Four stars)
THE OTTAWA CAPITOL, Ottawa, ON

"Like Joni Mitchell, Edie Brickell and Bonnie Raitt, Wheatley has an ear for melody lines that stay in your head, a true craftsman's sense of song structure and a voice that commands your undivided attention".
THE GUARDIAN, Charlottetown, PEI

"As a listener, it's hard not to sit back, close your eyes and watch the movie play".
SEE MAGAZINE, Edmonton, AB

- HABITS AND HEROES


"CD REVIEWS"


"...turns pebbles of everyday life into dreamy mountains of song".
THE TORONTO STAR, Toronto, ON

"Wheatley sings about good things in life, things like secret hiding places, friends, gum, banana seat bicycles, coffee, tea and love. She sings vivid pictures that every Canadian would fondly recognize and she sings them beautifully".
VIEW MAGAZINE, Hamilton, ON (Cover Story)

"Chock full of literate, thoughtful and frequently piercing lyrics, Wheatley is a great storyteller, and her voice, documenting stories of lost innocence, the beauty of the Canadian landscape, hockey cards, and the human costs of so-called 'technological advancement,' fills this record with a warm glow".
EXCLAIM MAGAZINE, Toronto, ON

"A voice that's beautiful and assured".
CHART MAGAZINE, Toronto, ON

- STRAIGHT LINE


Discography

Katherine Wheatley - Landed (The HOOT Music Co.) 2009

Katherine Wheatley - Habits and Heroes (The HOOT Music Co., Festival Distribution) 1999

Katherine Wheatley - Straight Line (Entropy Records, Page Distribution) 1995

Betty and The Bobs - self titled CD 2007

Katherine Wheatley – self titled cassette 1992

Lenka Slaba, Susan Crowe and Katherine Wheatley - Zive v Telci a Brne 2001 (“Live from Telc and Brno 2001” released in the Czech Republic July 2003)

All For A Song – CBC Recordings (Compilation of featuring Katherine’s song “Gentle Rain”) 2003

Let It Snow (Compilation of featuring Katherine’s song “99 Feet of Snow”) 2003

Tears Of A Thousand Years (Compilation featuring “My Last Breath”) 2001

Stuck on a Cold Steel Pole - Duke Street/MCA (Compilation featuring “Rita”) 1995

Selected Performances
Summerfolk, Owen Sound, ON
Winnipeg Folk Festival, MB
Northern Lights, Sudbury, ON
The Nickelodeon, Calgary, AB
Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield, PQ
Acoustic Waves, Ottawa, ON
Hradac Kralov, Czech Republic
The Ark, Ann Arbor, Michegan
Spring Hill music Festival, NS
Folk Under the Clock, Peterborough, ON
Prazdniny v Telci, Czech Republic
West End Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, MB
Black Fly Jam Folk Club, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Rogue Folk Club, Vancouver, BC
The Church, Halifax, NS
The Millenial Club, Charlottetown, PEI
The Regina Folk Guild, Regina SK

Photos

Bio

Katherine's new CD "Landed" has landed. Scott Merritt and Lynn Miles produced it. Lots of excitement around it. Now here's K's bio...

She turns pebbles of everyday life into dreamy mountains of song.
The Toronto Star

"I'm in love...with the music of Katherine Wheatley. A verse into her first song, I was hooked...I was totally unprepared for the absolute beauty of her voice and lyrics". FOLKSPOKE, Barrie, ON

Arresting vocals, great guitar playing and vibrant lyrics mark her work. Every song evokes her uncanny depth of observation. With offhand wit and an infectious passion for performing, Katherine Wheatley has been captivating audiences everywhere she performs.

According to the Ottawa Citizen "This is a performer to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Before she was a working musician, Katherine worked for the Canadian Geological Survey, gathering not just rock samples, but material for her songs. Then - music was her hobby. Now - as she travels between shows on North Americas highways where the rock cuts show the best of the earths history, geology has become her hobby. The landscape, as well as the characters she encounters on her travels, continue to inspire her songs.

Katherine's music has been used for television documentaries, series and films. She has been a featured vocalist on Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe, as well as a musical guest on TVO's Studio Two, CBC's Vicki Gabareau Show and CTV's Canada AM. In addition to touring across Canada, the U.S. and Europe as a singer/songwriter, Katherine is a member of the band "Betty and The Bobs" and plays guitar in Wendell Ferguson's "Smoking Section". She was one of 33 artists, including The Barenaked Ladies, Bruce Cockburn, and Sarah McLachlan, selected for FACTOR'S (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records) 20th Anniversary compilation CD. Her first CD, Straight Line, spent 17 weeks on Sam's Top 10 Independent Chart with nine of those weeks at number 2. Her second CD, Habits and Heroes, featured a stellar cast of musicians (The Bands Richard Bell, Blue Rodeos Basil Donovan, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings Colin Linden) and received glowing accolades from critics and fans alike.

As a listener, it's hard not to sit back, close your eyes and watch the movie play. And man, can this serene red head ever play guitar. SEE Magazine, Edmonton

Katherines passion for songwriting began with a 13 dollar guitar ordered from the Sears Catalogue. She sang back-ups and played coffeehouses while doing geology but put the hammer down when she was 30. She studied jazz composition and arranging at Humber College, winning the Duke Ellington Award for arranging, the Gordon Delamont Award for Composition and the CMPA award for songwriting. She is in high demand for her innovative songwriting workshops that cover many aspects of songwriting: lyric writing, chord progression theory, melody writing and sustaining creativity. She also created YOUTHSONGS, a songwriting and recording program for schools. She presents the program at schools in Canada and the US and is valued for her genuine caring and special intuition for connecting with all age groups.

"Youthsongs was the best school-wide program I've seen in my career as an educator."
- Nelson Keane, Principal, Paisley Rd. P.S., Guelph, ON

For more about workshops, please visit http://www.katherinewheatley.com/news.htm

For full details about the YOUTHSONGS program, please go to http://www.sonicbids.com/katherinewheatleyYOUTHSONGS

For information about Katherine's double bill show with Wendell Ferguson, please see
http://www.sonicbids.com/WendellandWheat

Wheatley FACTS

KATHERINE WHEATLEY - QUICK FACTS

Born and raised (#4 of 6 kids) in Parry Sound, part of Ontarios cottage country. She now lives in Guelph, Ontario.

She got her first guitar at 14 from the Sears Catalogue.

Early influences: Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, James Taylor, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach.

First performance: Rhinestone Cowboy with her high school stage band, in 1976.

In her twenties, she studied geology at Queens and environmental science at the University of Calgary, and worked several summers in northern Saskatchewan for the Canadian Geological Survey.

Wheatleys songwriting began in earnest, ironically without her guitar, while traveling for 3 months by herself in Africa.

For five years, she was the Ambassador for the capital campaign to raise 6 million dollars for the new hospital in her home town, Parry Sound.

She received her diploma in music from Humber College, winning awards for songwriting, composition and arranging.

Her first CD, Straight Line, earned considerable airplay - CBC and