Katie DuTemple

Katie DuTemple is among those few fortunate enough to be part of the "Bare Bones and Upfront" concert series held at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. The series is part of a pilot project to help musicians and communities come together in a listening environment.

Each night presents two artists in the TCA gallery room in a "stripped down" format and a focus on songwriting and at times, audience participation. Bare Bones runs eight weeks, and is the second series this year. Lanrick Bennett Jr. is the Education Outreach Coordinator at the TCA and Kim Jarrett and Elana Harte assist in co-producing.

Katie's music influences reflect her worldly upbringing and her approach to songwriting comes from "Love, as always. Freedom." She will be performing at BB&UF2 on Thursday October 16. She'll be joined by guitarist Robb Cappelletto.

Q:
Starting with the Toronto Centre for the Arts - have you been up to the Gallery Room ?

Katie DuTemple:
Not yet, I plan on getting to one of the BBUF2 shows in the next couple of weeks

I have seen some of the previous videos from that space and it's beautiful

Q:
As I spoke to Lanrick, this series had more artists interested in playing the only 16 spots available - what part of your music do you think helped you earn a spot?

Katie DuTemple:
Good question! I think having a wide variety of genres in my music was part of it. The thread between all of the performers I think has to do with the fact that everyone has a pretty distinct sound and that the songs are a little left of centre in terms of writing. They sound a lot like pop songs, but aren't quite, and that's on purpose.

Q:
With part of the focus of the series being the songwriting itself - are there songs you have which you feel are definite ones that fit the series?

Katie DuTemple:
Bare Bones and Up Front is generally how I try to write my lyrics, so they all apply in a sense. I think the most appropriate would be Delicate - a song I wrote last year about someone very close to me who struggles with addiction and is a recovering alcoholic. It's about watching someone go through that incredibly painful journey and realizing that you can only watch them do it, you can't fix their problems for them.

Q:
I had also discussed with Lanrick, and with Angela Saini - how audiences in the north end of the city fit in BareBones. Do you have any advance idea on your audience up there / traveling up there?

Katie DuTemple:
I used to live at Yonge and Sheppard when I was my last year at York. Much like the Junction (where I live now), it kind of operates as it's own city. I enjoyed living up there and it isn't as far from downtown as people seem to think it is. I'm really excited to interact with the audience and have some crossover with Authentic Imperfection.

Q:
As far as interacting with the audience - any hints to "how" for this show?

Katie DuTemple:
I've been focusing a lot of my performance energy on creating something musically satisfying for the audience, that I'm trying to get back into really bringing out the message and lyrics of the songs I've chosen to sing. That and some witty stage banter.

Q:
With the Gallery having a great grand piano, and being an "alternate" venue -- are there other non-traditional venues on your wish-list to play?

Katie DuTemple:
Hmmm.... playing Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado would be incredible.

Q:
And lastly - after the BBuF2 show, what's next?

Katie DuTemple:
Taking some time to focus on writing. I have a monthly residency at the Tranzac that I'll continue to do, but at the moment I'm starting to put things together for a new EP.

Katie DuTemple website:
http://www.katiedutemple.com
Katie DuTemple fanpage:
https://www.facebook.com/KatieDuTemple

Bare Bones and Upfront takes place Thursday evenings.
Toronto Centre for the Arts
5040 Yonge Street, Toronto
7:30-9:30PM
tickets available at Ticketmaster.

Toronto Centre for the Arts:
http://www.tocentre.com/barebonesupfront
Bare Bones & Up Front
https://www.facebook.com/barebonesandupfront/info - The Examiner

For those who like: funky singer/songwriters

Katie DuTemple is a Toronto-based musician who recently released her debut album Give and Grow. Her sound is a strange-yet-addictive blend of Fiona Apple (vocally) and fellow Torontonain Jessica Stuart (musically). - Snob's Music

"While it would be easy to try and draw a comparison between her and other jazzy Canadian vocalists, it would be illogical because Katie stands outside of the "let's-remake-jazz-standards" box that many Canadian jazz musicians throw themselves into. She has embraced a sound that doesn't really sound like anyone else currently" - The Blanket Reviewer

Photo interview done by Joel Yum for The Image Interview. - The Image Interview

Katie DuTemple's influences are wide and worldly, coming from the American jazz legends to those she heard on Prague radio, and everything from trip hop to Sneaker Pimps, Zero 7 and Portishead. It's all of these and others that have led her to a unique blend of vocals and delivery.

I managed to catch Katie between shows for an interview with Examiner.com to discuss her music and her upcoming June Toronto NXNE music festival.

Q:
NXNE: it's your first time, how have your other festival showcases prepared you?

Katie DuTemple:
They've prepared me to make sure I give the most to my audience in a short amount of time.
The showcase times are short, about 30 mins, so we have to make sure we're picking our strongest songs and putting on the best performance we can. The feedback I got from Indie Week is that the music was good, but that I need to work on my look and presentation a little more. I've taken that to heart and will use that info for NXNE.

Q:
Do you find from show to show, audiences offer feedback that's honest then? Are you able to look at audience response, and respond honestly?

Katie DuTemple:
The feedback was from a panel of judges because Indie Week is a giant competition, but I think the way that an audience responds can be feedback in and of itself. At this point, most of my audience consist of friends and family so their feedback is generally positive and supportive. People will often tell me after I play a new song whether they like it or not.

Applause is also immediate feedback.
As for honesty, I generally think people are being honest. I think when an audience is listening and not talking, that means they're really into it.

Q:
For the list of places you've live/were raised, you've had some clearly different influences genre-wise. When you started playing music in Toronto, were there already people here, acquainted with them/those influences? Did you say, "listen to this..."

Katie DuTemple:
It's funny, I think it's more of an age gap sometimes than a geographical issue. Our drummer is the youngest in the band and had never heard of Portishead, which blew my mind. When I started writing and playing music, I had a compilation CD that I would give to people to check out, mostly consisting of European electronic artists like lamb and jazzanova, but some people were hip to it. It was great in school to swap records because I was able to catch up with the North American rock scene from friends and peers, something that escaped me when I lived in Prague

Q:
Any stories to share about Canadian Bands (well known here) that friends had to say to you, "You've never heard of ..... ?"

Katie DuTemple:
I hadn't heard of Avril Lavigne until I came back to visit one summer. It took her a year to get onto the European airwaves. And I found out about Broken Social Scene half way through university, in about 2005.

Q:
Have you found then, in the diverse range of music you've listened to (internationally) universal elements? Things everyone can relate to?

Katie DuTemple:
Good question! In most music, I find that rhythm is pretty unifying. In most popular music, there's a beat or underlying rhythm that's constant. The time signature or tempo may vary, sometimes in the song itself, but that's something everyone usually includes.

Q:
And lyrically/songwriting?

Katie DuTemple:
Love, as always. Freedom.

Q:
Let's talk about the emotions you bring out in your songs. Does it start with a feeling you have a moment in your day? Or something more observational about the emotion?

Katie DuTemple:
When I'm writing, I usually start with chords and improvise vocally on top. Whatever comes out in that moment is what I start to express. Sometimes I'll write and improvise to work through a specific feeling, other times it will just come out.

I also sing my songs with the emotion I feel at the time, which is linked to jazz tradition. I try not to sing anything exactly the same way because I'm always changing, which means the songs will too.

Q:
As far as performing music described as 'unique', what are you bringing to NXNE that someone who has never heard you can appreciate, and stop in at Czehoski for a drink and stay?

Katie DuTemple:
First of all, my bandmates are amazing musicians and bring my songs to life in ways that I hadn't ever dreamed possible. It's a well oiled machine. Secondly, the music borrows from so many different genres that I think there's something for everybody, but it's kind of hard to pin down into one specific genre.

Lastly, I really put everything I have into these songs, which I think (and hope) people can relate to. - The Examiner

Next, Katie DuTemple took the stage. Rooted in Jazz, Katie played a fusion of music that combined the best of Jazz and the best of Electronica. A most welcome treat (for both Ryna and I) was the last song in her set that had a ambient, psychedelic feel to it that was very unique and beauty to the ears. - INtune Magazine

When Katie DuTemple first sang publicly she took everyone by surprise.

“I randomly decided to sing at a school fundraising concert in the tenth grade,” DuTemple says. “I sang, and it was just me and a piano.”

Her friends and family were left stunned.

“I still cannot tell you to this day what compelled me to do it,” she says. “I think maybe I wanted to be cool, but I am not even sure. My parents and everybody were so dumbfounded.”

It was after that performance that DuTemple realized she wanted to make a living as musician.

“Afterwards I realized that this is pretty much what I want to do,” DuTemple says. “I just loved it and it took off from there.”

Earlier this month, after years of developing her talent and a stint living overseas, DuTemple released her debut album Give and Grow.

“It’s all original compositions by me,” she says. “It sits somewhere between jazz, pop and electronica. It’s kind of a mix of all those with a little bit soul and folk influences as well. There are a wide range of emotions that are portrayed and it’s very honest work.”

Give and Grow was partly funded by a $4,000 project grant that DuTemple received from the Ontario Arts Council (OAC). The Toronto-based artist applied five times before being approved.

“It’s an intense process,” DuTemple says. “There is something like 500 to 600 applicants and only about 70 people get funding.”

The OAC, which is similar to the British Columbia Arts Council, offers a wide range of grants and opportunities for musicians and artists alike. There are various types of grants that musicians can apply for such as a project or operating grant. In order to be considered for a project grant from the OAC, artists must meet a handful of requirements and demonstrate to the council that they are working on a project.

“You need to have a project that you’re working on or working towards. You can’t just simply say ‘I’m a musician give me money,’” DuTemple says. “You need to have a proposed project that you’re working on. You also have to be a professional musician, which means you have to be active in the industry and you have to have some sort basic training to show that you have spent time on your craft.”

DuTemple, who was born in Montreal but calls Toronto home, explains that the OAC does not ask musicians for a project budget beforehand, but rather requires applicants to fill out a form if they are approved.

“The expectation is that the project will likely be halfway completed or almost completed by the time that you do get the funds,” DuTemple explains. “I paid for studio time late in the year pretty close to after I applied. I had to pay for that studio time but I was able to use the grant money to pay for mixing and mastering.”

While DuTemple didn’t experience any challenges in creating content for Give and Grow she did run into delays during the production stage.

“It was longer than I expected,” she says. “I had to change my timeline of when I was going to release things and how much time I had to do stuff.”

DuTemple had originally planned for five days of recording at the CBC studio in Toronto and then to have the album mixed and mastered immediately after.

“I did the first two days of instruments then I did a day for vocals,” she says. “Then I was going to do two days for mixing right after and when I was talking to someone in the studio they said it was more beneficial to do it outside of the CBC.”

She elected to have the mixing and mastering done by someone outside of the CBC studio because it saved her the cost of having to pay for additional studio time. While the idea was great, it resulted in Give and Grow being completed six months later.

DuTemple’s musical beginnings date back to when she learned to play the French horn in grade 5.

“I didn’t really like it but I was good at it,” DuTemple says.

She was also involved with theatre performances and school choirs and in grade eight she began to learn to play the piano.

In 1999, DuTemple and her family moved to the Czech Republic. She spent her high school years in Prague and says the music she listened to impacted her own musical style.

“My musical influences stem from a lot of different places,” she says. “Mainly the stuff I write is deeply influenced by a lot of stuff that I would hear on this radio station in Prague that played a lot of electronica, drum and bass and hip hop.”

As a teenager DuTemple loved exploring new music.

“I find that when you’re a teenager that’s when you’re an emotional and a very passionate person,” she says. “Every free weekend I was at the record store digging through CD’s and listening to new artists and buying new albums.”

After six years of living in Europe, DuTemple returned to Canada in 2004 and experienced culture shock.

“I didn’t know who Avril Lavigne was when I came back. Somebody had to tell me,” she says. “I had to learn a lot about Canadian culture. I had never heard of Family Guy. There were a whole bunch of references to Canadiana stuff during a six-year period where I had no idea what anyone was talking about.”

That same year she enrolled in Jazz studies at York University and graduated in 2008. While at York, she was mentored by Sacha Williamson and Bob Fenton.

DuTemple remembers being at a music workshop when she met Fenton for the first time.

“Bob was 78 when I met him and he had this old Detroit Pistons trucker hat on and this old shirt and high waisted pants and one of those nasal strips you wear at night when you go to bed. I remember thinking am I in the right place?” she says.

However, the moment Fenton began playing the piano DuTemple knew she was in the right the place.

“Rumour had it he had played with Billie Holiday, but he never talked about it,” she says. “He had crazy stories and he changed my perspective on how I think of singing. He made sure we made it a story.”

To see a cover of PJ Harvey and John Parish’s “That Was My Veil” performed by Du Temple with Robb Cappelletto at Hugh’s Room in Toronto on Oct. 15 go to youtube.com/watch?v=yg6EaKMfNSc&feature=youtu.be&a.

For more information on DuTemple and her new album visit katiedutemple.com or follow @KatieDuTemple on Twitter.

- See more at: http://www.nsnews.com/entertainment/music/katie-dutemple-brings-it-all-together-on-give-and-grow-1.677028#sthash.CRjHGA2K.dpuf - North Shore News