The Kate Hinote Trio returns to Grand Rapids to play SpeakEZ Lounge on Friday. Today, Hinote reveals the albums that have influenced her the most. Get her back story, listen to songs from those recordings.
Promoting a New Album: The Kate Hinote Trio is wrapping up a busy year. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
EDITOR’S NOTE: All musicians and songwriters can trace their inspiration to key recordings that influenced their careers. Today, Local Spins showcases music that changed the world for Detroit-area singer Kate Hinote, whose Kate Hinote Trio plays SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Scroll down for a Spotify playlist of her picks, including a current favorite and a couple of the trio’s latest songs.
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Detroit-area singer-songwriter Kate Hinote describes 2025 as “a whirlwind and a blast.”
The artist who co-founded the gothic Americana band The Blueflowers in 2009 has since fronted the contemporary indie-folk outfit the Kate Hinote Trio with guitarist David Johnson and violinist Matthew Parmenter — a singularly mesmerizing collaboration that released its sophomore album, “Stowaways,” over the summer.
“It definitely felt like the busiest year of my life. When we wrap this tour season, we’ll have ended up at around 40 performances this year, in 22 cities in Michigan, as well as jaunts to Ohio, Kentucky and New Jersey,” Hinote said, adding that the trio plans to be just as busy in the future.
“We are certainly trying to find ways to get our new album into the hands and ears of more people and, since we love playing live, that means I am full steam ahead booking for 2026. We connected with so many wonderful people on the road this year, from venue owners and staff, to folks that made a point to see us, to people that we surprised that happened to catch a set. … We;re just gonna keep at it, keep expanding the playing radius, hopefully add another state or two to our list (and several cities at a minimum), meet more people, see more towns, and keep growing, learning, and enjoying the journey together.”
Returning to SpeakEZ on Friday: Kate Hinote Trio (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
Part of that journey continues at 7:30 p.m. Friday when the Kate Hinote Trio plays the Live Music Fridays series curated by Local Spins at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids. Show details here.
“We can’t wait to return to SpeakEZ Lounge with our new album in hand and the songs polished up nicely from a summer of gigging with them and getting more comfortable and playful with each other on stage,” she said.
“In addition to music from both of our albums, as well as some songs I’ve written for The Blueflowers, we will have a handful of our favorite covers to share. We, of course, love sharing our original music with folks, but it’s always so fun to see how people react to our interpretations of songs they know.”
As for her own influences and treasured albums, the roster is “fluid and ever-changing, but I’m going to pick three albums that I can absolutely listen to on repeat in their entirety with no skips.”
1. Sarah McLachlan, “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” (1993) — This was an absolute game changer to be turned onto by a friend as a teenage girl. I always loved music, but this was the first album that I remember knowing every single word and having on repeat and crying when I heard these songs live and it remained that way for many years. I can’t say for certain, but I would bet her vocal style and delivery were probably the most influential for me as I started writing songs myself in my 20s.
Listen: “Ice”
2. Radiohead, “The Bends” (1995) — I was introduced to Radiohead with this album. I’d heard “Creep,” of course, but this was the album a friend shared with me right out of high school and that cemented my love of alternative music. I had been well into the more grungy alternative stuff at the time, like Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but hearing Thom Yorke’s beautiful voice deliver those incredible melodies and lyrics, over a different kind of noise, that changed how I felt about the whole genre and kind of pinpointed what I liked most about alternative music.
Listen: “Bones”
3. Tarnation, “Mirador” (1997) — Paula Frazer has one of the best voices and ranges I’ve ever heard. She is top tier in my world. Though I can’t say I’ve listened to this album in its entirety all that recently, it had a huge impact on me at the time when my now-husband, Tony Hamera, introduced me to it. I remain absolutely obsessed with her voice, the style, the nostalgia, and the incredible melodic choices that were made, not to mention the brilliant instrumentation and production.
Listen: “Your Thoughts and Mine”
Honorable Mentions: Echobelly, “Lustra,” Neko Case, “Blacklisted,” Coldplay, “Parachutes”
Currently Loving: Chelsea Wolfe, “Birth of Violence” – My current favorite that I’ve been listening to is not all that current, but I’d say Chelsea Wolfe’s “Birth of Violence” is in heavy rotation.
Listen: “Deranged for Rock & Roll”
ALBUMS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: Kate Hinote’s Playlist on Spotify
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