Katie Baggs
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | SELF
Music
Press
2012 Atlantis Music Prize shortlisted nominee.
FLAVOURS: Insightful, meditative, universal
OBLIGATORY GENRE CLASSIFICATION: Folksy secular gospel
Anyone that has seen Katie Baggs perform live will know what I mean when I say that she has a funny way of being utterly guileless and completely wise at the same time. More than anything, that’s what comes through on Home Again, Home Again.
Whether with Dead Language, All The Wiles or all by her lonesome, Baggs has a remarkable ability to write songs that lend the simplest observations a kind of profound weight that you don’t hear nearly enough these days.
Songs like “How Small” or album-opener “All I Know”, almost religious anthems for the secularly-inclined, are full of love for the simplicity of home and humble wonder at the beauty of the world. The subtlety of the arrangements brings the power of the words to the foreground here, and the gorgeous minimalism of engineer and producer James Anderson’s aesthetic means that Baggs’ roomy voice rides on top of everything and makes you want to join her church of the natural world, if only to hear her sing.
Indeed, the standout track here is the a capella powerhouse “Poet or Painter” — a song with the kind of impact and depth that stops you in your tracks in the middle of the sidewalk, your jaw dropping a little as you turn up your iPod to take it all in. You might look a little awkward, but it doesn’t matter: This is a new kind of church and it’s good to be a believer. - The Scope (reviewed by Mathias Kom of The Burning Hell)
2012 Atlantis Music Prize shortlisted nominee.
FLAVOURS: Insightful, meditative, universal
OBLIGATORY GENRE CLASSIFICATION: Folksy secular gospel
Anyone that has seen Katie Baggs perform live will know what I mean when I say that she has a funny way of being utterly guileless and completely wise at the same time. More than anything, that’s what comes through on Home Again, Home Again.
Whether with Dead Language, All The Wiles or all by her lonesome, Baggs has a remarkable ability to write songs that lend the simplest observations a kind of profound weight that you don’t hear nearly enough these days.
Songs like “How Small” or album-opener “All I Know”, almost religious anthems for the secularly-inclined, are full of love for the simplicity of home and humble wonder at the beauty of the world. The subtlety of the arrangements brings the power of the words to the foreground here, and the gorgeous minimalism of engineer and producer James Anderson’s aesthetic means that Baggs’ roomy voice rides on top of everything and makes you want to join her church of the natural world, if only to hear her sing.
Indeed, the standout track here is the a capella powerhouse “Poet or Painter” — a song with the kind of impact and depth that stops you in your tracks in the middle of the sidewalk, your jaw dropping a little as you turn up your iPod to take it all in. You might look a little awkward, but it doesn’t matter: This is a new kind of church and it’s good to be a believer. - The Scope (reviewed by Mathias Kom of The Burning Hell)
Discography
Solo Recording:
Katie Baggs, Home Again, Home Again (released June 15, 2012. Recorded by James Anderson. Produced by
James Anderson and Katie Baggs)
Radio airplay: CBC's DNTO live taping Sept. 2013, Vinyl Cafe Sept. 2013, CBC TV special (with Heavyweather.ca), local radio airplay (ongoing)
Other Recordings:
Dead Language (released December 2008. Recorded by Jake Nicoll. Produced by Dead Language)
All The Wiles, Painted (released September 8, 2011. Recorded by Jake Nicoll. Produced by All the Wiles)
Also appearing on the following albums: Pilot to Bombardier (Juliet on Fire Keep Clear, 2012), The Burning Hell (Flux Capacitor, 2011), Sean Panting (Man of the Year, 2011).
Photos
Bio
Katie Baggs is a songwriter and performer from St. John's. She was named MusicNL's Female Artist of the Year for 2012. Her first solo recording, Home Again, Home Again (released June 15, 2012) is a collection of songs about landscape, light, language and love. Katie writes and sings with the group All the Wiles, whose album Painted was awarded the 2011 Atlantis Prize, and is a member of alt-folk band Pilot to Bombardier. Some favourite solo performances include performances at the Halifax festival In the Dead of Winter (January 2014), a live taping of CBC's DNTO (September 2013), Writers at Woody Point (August 2012 and 2013), Trails Tails and Tunes Festival (May 2013. This performance was recorded and broadcast on CBC television). Katie will be appearing at the Bluebird North Songwriter's Circle at this year's East Coast Music Week and is looking forward to a busy summer.
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