All the friends I've played with, and the music they and my family have introduced me to. How could it be otherwise?
Oh, OK I'll give it a go... Johnny Cash, Yo-Yo Ma, Lamb, JS Bach, Sarah Hopkins, Bridie O'Brien, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Greene, Bobby McFerrin, Tim Ireland, Pink Floyd, Gillian Welch, Led Zeplin, Faith No More, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Angelique Kidjo, Vivaldi, Mal Webb, Giorgy Ligeti, Sophia Gubaidulina, Shostakovich, Baterz, Rachmaninov, Bobby McFerrin, The Beatles, Melanie Horsnell, John Cage, Sting, Miles Davis, Nick Drake, Sinead O'Connor, Annie Lennox, Christina Olsen, Peter Grayling, Deep Forest, the girl with feathers on her guitar in Byron Bay that time... still thinking of more too...
Sounds Like
It’s a strange city in the old part of town: things are kind of recognisable but kind of extraordinary, too, and each and every street is unique and just begging to be explored. These are the feelings evoked by Cellokate’s debut album “Distilled”. Delivered via cello, classical guitar and voice, the music of Cellokate is folksy-acoustic, but they traverse many styles – flitting past celtic, tipping their hat to country twang, pausing at a jazz croon, even stomping their feet at vaudeville musical theatre. Some of their musical inspiration comes from such diverse sources as Ani di Franco, The Cruel Sea, her mum’s singing Alto in the local choir, and sitting through church sermons as a kid; however, whilst this duo strolls down trodden paths, they simultaneously invite their audience to change pace a bit, and to take everything in afresh.
Cellokate materialised in 2007 when classically-trained, Darwin-raised cellist Kate Adams met Dutch jazz guitarist Martijn Hadders at a singer/song-writers’ collective called The Practicles in Amsterdam. And there they fell in love. Well, perhaps it wasn’t quite so fairy-tale as that, but to cut it down to bio-sized bytes, Martijn – also a producer and sound technician – had a recording studio, Kate had a bunch of songs up her sleeve, one thing lead to another: they fell in love. Musically, the symbiosis was incredible, and better yet for Kate, resonances from the classical education she had rebelled against returned and began to make much more sense in their natural setting, Europe.
Life was good, life was bad (the weather sucked), and the duo recorded an album of Kate’s songs together before she bid a temporary farewell to Martijn, as well as other musical cohorts – pianist/singer/song-writer Merel Hutten, and the 6-piece Persian/World Music band Babak-O-Doestan (‘Babak and Friends’ in Persian) – and returned to her homeland.
In July of 2009, Martijn made his way to Australia where Cellokate camped and performed their way from Denmark, Western Australia, to Sydney, via Darwin, playing venues such as The Happy Yess in Darwin, St Leonard’s Anglican Church of Denmark and El Rocco’s at Bar Me in Kings Cross. Along the way, they released “Distilled” to audiences that included among them both new faces and the familiar Sydney-based musicians with whom Kate has previously collaborated.
Some of this legion includes Miriam Lieberman (the other half of then folk duo Naked Without My Cello), Athron, Bridie O'Brien, Paul Greene, Tim Ireland, Brett Winterford (of Peregrine), and Dale Caldwell and Ben Fink (with whom she was involved in the production of the music-suite, “Songs Of The Sea”). Every so often, and in those times when Cellokate is divided by oceans, Kate re-adopts her alter-ego ‘the Dishpig’, playing a strap-on-electric-cello in the stripped-back-punk 3-piece band, The Waiter's Tantrum Fantasy – warped brain-child of Paul Clissold.
Clearly then, she is a versatile musician, but Cellokate, and their new album “Distilled,” is where Kate’s – and Martijn’s – “hearts and souls” (Rosa de Buisonjé, 3voor12) are at; and when listening to “Distilled” – as the title song suggests – “burdens are lifted” for their audiences, too. This, however, is not due to lightweight-easy-listeningness, but to a distillation that is in that song’s words, “pure…willful and strong”. This album is the result of a beautiful blend of instruments and their players, of lyrics and sonic expression, and of the two people who make up Cellokate.
Hey Kate, I finally got access to my Myspace again after two years of being locked out!!!! I need to 'pimp' it again, but at least I'm no longer coming across as a defeatist, cynical little wowser with a chip on his shoulder (at least not on myspace... maybe in some of my lyrics).
after a tiring day I pass by - and enjoy your voice! Isn't it fantastic again and again to meet here so many so different musicians searching for and going their own ways?! Go on! all the best for you Stephan
Mick and I are playing a gig of covers and Originals at Molly Malones
Oude Zijds Kolk, near Zeedijk on Friday 16th October at 21 30 ATTENTION
ALL SONGWRITERS- we want to start a weekly open stage with food, drinks
and expenses PLease come and support this venue
Saw you walking through Marrickville couple of weeks back...while driving through..but I didn't shout through the glass of the window.
I just got back from a swim, 10 minutes ago. Lying down, I listened to your new songs and sank right in. From my lopsided vision the sky was a field of white and the window covered in rain jewels.
I dropped into your intimacy, ambience, warmth, giving, loftiness and longing, and am grateful. Peace sister.
Today I like to inform you, that you can read and watch interviews with your favorit country stars in Enlgish, German and French at http://www.CountryHome.de/Interviews .
Warm regards
Christian
Editor & Journalist for Country Music Christian Lamitschka An der Pfingstweide 28 61118 Bad Vilbel Germany Phone: ++49 6101 544613 Mobil: ++49 171 6903352 Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de Info@CountryMusic-Magazin.de www.MySpace.com/ChristianLamitschka
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