The Pembles
Cold Spring, New York, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
"Ms. Pemble started singing, and the ambient noise in the cafe disappeared as if by magic." -The New York Times
..." Winning melodies in the folk-pop vein delivered with strong, supple vocals made Ms. Pemble's music compelling. -The New York Times
The Croton Gazette declares: "Each of Pemble's songs has its own sparkle, whether from an arrangement that fits the lyrical content perfectly, or from a tricky tempo that keeps you leaning forward, and so her sets, full of variety and little surprises, always seem too short." More from the Gazette..."her art on the other hand, is born from a great deal of sophistication and style." ..."she crafts singular, gem-like songs".
- New York Times
"Ms. Pemble started singing, and the ambient noise in the cafe disappeared as if by magic." -The New York Times
..." Winning melodies in the folk-pop vein delivered with strong, supple vocals made Ms. Pemble's music compelling. -The New York Times
The Croton Gazette declares: "Each of Pemble's songs has its own sparkle, whether from an arrangement that fits the lyrical content perfectly, or from a tricky tempo that keeps you leaning forward, and so her sets, full of variety and little surprises, always seem too short." More from the Gazette..."her art on the other hand, is born from a great deal of sophistication and style." ..."she crafts singular, gem-like songs".
- New York Times
Songs of the Heart, About Life's Mysteries
By THOMAS STAUDTER
Published: January 30, 2005
Photo: Kathleen Pemble, center, with Ali Chambliss, left, and Eddie Denise, performing at the Peekskill Coffee House on a recent Saturday night. (Photo by George M. Gutierrez for The New York Times)
THE 50 or so people in the audience at the Peekskill Coffee House were unusually quiet on a recent Saturday night when Kathleen Pemble performed.
Accompanied by Ali Chambliss, a percussionist and harmony vocalist, and Eddie Denise on bass, Ms. Pemble remarked in between songs about how quiet the audience in the small coffee bar was, and then added, ''I guess the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet.''
Side conversations and restless table hopping among the audience are a constant irritation to musicians making their way up through the coffeehouse circuits. But it is not really a surprise that Ms. Pemble, a 43-year-old county native, was attracting attentive listeners. Over the last four years, she has developed a sizable local following that is still growing.
Introducing a new song, ''Hologram,'' Ms. Pemble asked the women in the audience if they ever felt that a man they were talking to ''was so not there you could put your hand right through them,'' and laughter followed.
Lyrically, Ms. Pemble often describes the seasons of the heart and the conflicts inherent for women in searching for personal happiness while fulfilling roles as parent and spouse. Some of her songs are about mentoring younger women about love, separating (temporarily) from her husband, identifying with her mother and trying to understand ''the mystery'' of her children.
Winning melodies in the folk-pop vein delivered with strong, supple vocals made Ms. Pemble's music compelling enough to keep the audience around for a second set.
Last October, after two years of piecemeal recording dates at a Portchester studio, Ms. Pemble released her first studio album, ''Learning to Listen Again.'' Since then, she has been playing at clubs in Manhattan, and is getting offers in New England. John Platt, host of ''City Folk Sunday Breakfast'' on WFUV-FM, has played one of the songs from the album on his show.
''I'm experiencing a lot of reverence and respect while I'm playing, which is deeply gratifying because of the total commitment and sacrifice I've put into my work,'' Ms. Pemble said. ''For the longest time I was worried that listeners wouldn't necessarily be interested in what I was singing about because my songs are very personal. But when I'm on stage I can see people in the audience nodding their heads in agreement and identifying with the songs.''
Ms. Pemble and her husband, a New York City firefighter, live in Peekskill with their two sons. She grew up on the border of Ossining and New Castle, and said that in her grade school days, she was a closet songwriter, heavily influenced by Judy Collins and Cat Stevens. She spent her early adult years working as a cook on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico before returning to Westchester for a college degree, and eventually a job in graphics design.
But she left that job 12 years ago, around the time her first son was born. About 10 years ago, she began working as an entertainer at day care centers and nursery schools around the northern suburbs. She still does this work.
Recently, Ms. Pemble made one of her regular appearances at the Head Start classes at St. Matthew's Methodist Church in Ossining. Carrying an electric keyboard, a small guitar and a bag full of percussion instruments, she was greeted by a group of 4-and 5-year-olds inside a classroom with cries of ''Music lady! Music lady!''
''Playing for kids always puts a smile on my face,'' said Ms. Pemble, as she packed up her gear to go perform for another class down the hall.
About four years ago, she decided to perform the music she was writing for adults. ''When I turned 39, I feared that if I didn't get out there immediately and sing my songs, then I never would,'' Ms. Pemble said.
She received early encouragement from Mark Teamaker, who runs the ''open mike'' nights at the Towne Crier, a restaurant and night club in Pawling, and before long was surmounting her self-described stage fright and playing at Danny's Café.com in Ossining and the Funky Bean Café in Buchanan, both of which have since closed.
David Goldman, a fellow songwriter and performer from Croton-on-Hudson, said Ms. Pemble impressed people from the start.
''Some of the phrases in her lyrics really turn your head,'' he said, ''and she has this nice meditative style of fingerpicking on the guitar.''
Vowing ''to work really hard and turn this into my life's passion,'' Ms. Pemble began to put in long hours writing music. She rehearsed in her dining room with Ms. Chambliss, 34, a Putnam Valley resident, and met with people in the music business to learn about the industry. Since July 2003 she has regularly attended the weekly songwriter's workshop led - The New York Times
Songs of the Heart, About Life's Mysteries
By THOMAS STAUDTER
Published: January 30, 2005
Photo: Kathleen Pemble, center, with Ali Chambliss, left, and Eddie Denise, performing at the Peekskill Coffee House on a recent Saturday night. (Photo by George M. Gutierrez for The New York Times)
THE 50 or so people in the audience at the Peekskill Coffee House were unusually quiet on a recent Saturday night when Kathleen Pemble performed.
Accompanied by Ali Chambliss, a percussionist and harmony vocalist, and Eddie Denise on bass, Ms. Pemble remarked in between songs about how quiet the audience in the small coffee bar was, and then added, ''I guess the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet.''
Side conversations and restless table hopping among the audience are a constant irritation to musicians making their way up through the coffeehouse circuits. But it is not really a surprise that Ms. Pemble, a 43-year-old county native, was attracting attentive listeners. Over the last four years, she has developed a sizable local following that is still growing.
Introducing a new song, ''Hologram,'' Ms. Pemble asked the women in the audience if they ever felt that a man they were talking to ''was so not there you could put your hand right through them,'' and laughter followed.
Lyrically, Ms. Pemble often describes the seasons of the heart and the conflicts inherent for women in searching for personal happiness while fulfilling roles as parent and spouse. Some of her songs are about mentoring younger women about love, separating (temporarily) from her husband, identifying with her mother and trying to understand ''the mystery'' of her children.
Winning melodies in the folk-pop vein delivered with strong, supple vocals made Ms. Pemble's music compelling enough to keep the audience around for a second set.
Last October, after two years of piecemeal recording dates at a Portchester studio, Ms. Pemble released her first studio album, ''Learning to Listen Again.'' Since then, she has been playing at clubs in Manhattan, and is getting offers in New England. John Platt, host of ''City Folk Sunday Breakfast'' on WFUV-FM, has played one of the songs from the album on his show.
''I'm experiencing a lot of reverence and respect while I'm playing, which is deeply gratifying because of the total commitment and sacrifice I've put into my work,'' Ms. Pemble said. ''For the longest time I was worried that listeners wouldn't necessarily be interested in what I was singing about because my songs are very personal. But when I'm on stage I can see people in the audience nodding their heads in agreement and identifying with the songs.''
Ms. Pemble and her husband, a New York City firefighter, live in Peekskill with their two sons. She grew up on the border of Ossining and New Castle, and said that in her grade school days, she was a closet songwriter, heavily influenced by Judy Collins and Cat Stevens. She spent her early adult years working as a cook on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico before returning to Westchester for a college degree, and eventually a job in graphics design.
But she left that job 12 years ago, around the time her first son was born. About 10 years ago, she began working as an entertainer at day care centers and nursery schools around the northern suburbs. She still does this work.
Recently, Ms. Pemble made one of her regular appearances at the Head Start classes at St. Matthew's Methodist Church in Ossining. Carrying an electric keyboard, a small guitar and a bag full of percussion instruments, she was greeted by a group of 4-and 5-year-olds inside a classroom with cries of ''Music lady! Music lady!''
''Playing for kids always puts a smile on my face,'' said Ms. Pemble, as she packed up her gear to go perform for another class down the hall.
About four years ago, she decided to perform the music she was writing for adults. ''When I turned 39, I feared that if I didn't get out there immediately and sing my songs, then I never would,'' Ms. Pemble said.
She received early encouragement from Mark Teamaker, who runs the ''open mike'' nights at the Towne Crier, a restaurant and night club in Pawling, and before long was surmounting her self-described stage fright and playing at Danny's Café.com in Ossining and the Funky Bean Café in Buchanan, both of which have since closed.
David Goldman, a fellow songwriter and performer from Croton-on-Hudson, said Ms. Pemble impressed people from the start.
''Some of the phrases in her lyrics really turn your head,'' he said, ''and she has this nice meditative style of fingerpicking on the guitar.''
Vowing ''to work really hard and turn this into my life's passion,'' Ms. Pemble began to put in long hours writing music. She rehearsed in her dining room with Ms. Chambliss, 34, a Putnam Valley resident, and met with people in the music business to learn about the industry. Since July 2003 she has regularly attended the weekly songwriter's workshop led - The New York Times
Discography
LP: LEARNING TO LISTEN AGAIN
AIR PLAY:
WFUV New York's premier AAA radio station
WHUD Widest listening area in NY state
WVKR
WFDU
WSPK
...and who knows where else!
Photos
Bio
Kathleen Pemble has worked as a performing songwriter full-time for the past 7 years; (see kudos below!) On December 24th 2007, she severed the all the tendons in her right index finger and 8 weeks later, fell and shattered her right elbow. These events provided an amazing opportunity to re-learn her guitar skills, (and a few other coping skills as well...) Back in the saddle and fully bionic, continues to write, play and perform with genre-bending skill and a keenly honed sense of humor.
Winner of The New York City Song Slam! She released [Learning to Listen Again] produced by Billy Masters, (of the Suzanne Vega band). She was featured in the New York Times then started getting airplay on 90.7 WFUV, New York’s premier AAA format FM station, including being the featured artist on ‘New Music Mondays’ and featured on John Platt’s Sunday Breakfast. Platt stated in WFUV’s Guide to Notable New Talent: “superbly crafted compositions”. Other airplay includes WFDU of Fairly Dickenson University, WVKR WMUD, and WHUD.
Kathleen’s most recent project is Cold Spring theBand, is inspired by life in Her home Cold Spring, NY where between shows she teaches guitar, songwriting, and runs an Open Mic all of which support burgeoning musicians in her community. Kathleen has played at venues in NYC including The Bitter End, The Knitting Factory, The Cutting Room, and 'Live on Stage' at the World Trade Center concert series and has been a featured artist of the national music series Chick Singer Night. Regionally, in up state New York: The Town Crier, The Turning Point, the Westchester Arts Council, The Pleasantville Music Fesitval, Mamapalooza Festival, Tribes Hill Festival, The Peekskill Coffee House, the Philipstown Depot Theatre, as well as several venues in Vermont.
Pemble’s Alt-IndieAcousticTM brings extremely diverse musicality and relentlessly honest writing to every performance; the vocal arrangements weave and draw the listener close. The New York Times said, "...Ms. Pemble started singing, and the ambient noise in the cafe disappeared as if by magic", two years later, the New York Times article states, “Winning melodies in the folk-pop vein delivered with strong supple vocals made Ms. Pemble’s music compelling...”. A recent article in The Gazette declares: "Each of Pemble's songs has its own sparkle, whether from an arrangement that fits the lyrical content perfectly, or from a tricky tempo that keeps you leaning forward, and so her sets, full of variety and little surprises, always seem too short." More from The Gazette... “her art on the other hand, is born from a great deal of sophistication and style." ..."she crafts singular, gem-like songs”, “ The astute observations about life and love that fill her songs come from a world of experience and nascent artistry. ”Her music is available on iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby, just to name a few.
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