Kat
Parsons |
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"Acrobatic and fiery vocals…extraordinary…." -Penny Black Music (UK)Kat Parsons is a performer first and foremost. Her self-penned songs resonate with her ever-growing young following. Possessing a voice of incredible range, strength and feeling, she intuitively connects with audiences in literally any setting. Humor, wit and grace inhabit her wistful original material, which she has been performing over the last year in everything from clubs to outdoor stages to coffeehouses, solo and with accompaniment. As a recent live review stated, "Kat Parsons played her acoustic heart out on a gigantic stage only to dominate every inch of it." Since the release of her debut album, Framing Caroline (Waterdog Music), she has toured across the United States and England, garnering praise worldwide for her singing and her songs, making waves in the independent music scene. In press, (The Onion, Chicago Tribune's Metromix, & Songwriter's Monthly), on radio, (WRNR, WLUW, WBEZ), and perhaps most importantly, from the crowds themselves. Kat's full-length album, Framing Caroline, was produced by Ralph Covert (The Bad Examples) and released on Waterdog Records in May of 1999. Tracks from that record have since been featured on compilations in the UK and the US, on MTV, and independent films, as well as a new live single, "Standing Still", released in France. Parsons has been featured on several Chicago television shows, including Wild Chicago, as well as Fox TV WV as part of the Kanawhapalooza Festival. In addition, she was chosen as a Finalist in GuitarGirls.com Songwriting Contest as well as a Semi-Finalist in the Pantene Pro-Voice Contest, recognizing excellence in songwriting. In addition to performing on her own, she has also appeared live and on record in support of artists as diverse as Doug Hoekstra, Rebecca's Statue (w/Son Seals & Fareed Haque), and Made to Be Broken. Kat was born to parents Darrell and Julie Parsons in one of Europe's most prominent musical cities, Vienna. Her father was an opera singer in the Vienna Opera House. He recorded with the Clemencic Consort for Harmonia Mundi and is the featured tenor on a Philips release of Mozart's "Mass." He still performs occasionally in the Baltimore area. Her mother is a professional keyboardist and singer and released a solo album in Europe in the mid-70s to her credit. She also recorded and released a dance single with her band Foxx Fire. Raised in Maryland as a child and teenager, Kat sang in local shows with her parents and brother Jon, as well as performing in various musical theater productions. Kat became a theater major at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois), where her parents first met. Her interest in music continued with classical guitar studies and performing pop music with other musicians. For a particular show, she became a songwriter out of necessity. Once she tapped into her muse, she continued to write and perform as a solo artist and ultimately with her own trio. Kat
has released two succesful follow-ups to Framing Caroline, won
a number of songwriting awards, tours internationally, graced
magazine covers, and generally been noted as one of the most promising
young talents around. |