The singer-songwriter with an album-release show tonight was featured for Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks by DL Rossi, Matisse Zuzu, Upon Wings, Leif(kolt) and more.
Songs That Paint a Picture of Her Life: Kait Rose (Photo/Loren Johnson)
The way Kait Rose views it, some of her songs just “needed another chance.”
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So when the Kalamazoo singer-songwriter and her producer, David Vandervelde, sifted through music she had written over the past 20 years, a batch of them rose to the surface as compelling tunes that deserved studio polish for a new album.
“I wanted to give people an idea of who I am,” she reasoned. “There are certain songs that really are my favorites that I keep going back to and they really paint a picture of my life in a balanced way.
“It’s definitely not a breakup album anymore. I’m past that. So, I’m trying to shed some light on the healing process and incorporating songs over a span of time.”
The resulting record, “Balance,” officially gets released tonight (Aug. 12) in a seated show at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Café with performances by Rose and her band, The Thorns, and opening act Jilian Linklater. Tickets, $20, for the 7 p.m. show are available online at bellsbeer.com.
Working With a Producer for the First Time: Rose (Courtesy Photo)
For Rose, the album title reflects “balancing motherhood and my passion to write and perform music. Everyone is struggling with finding work-life balance, and I’m an advocate for continuing to fine tune that.”
A familiar mainstay amid Kalamazoo’s music scene, Rose first picked up a guitar at age 15, inspired by Jewel’s 1995 album, “Pieces of You,” as well as Neil Young’s classic 1972 record, “Harvest.”
After graduating from high school in Delton, she moved to Seattle, eventually returning to Southwest Michigan.
And while she’s released other recording projects in the past, “Balance” represents the first time she’s hired a producer and the first time she’ll release an album on Spotify. The tracks were laid down at Grand Rapids’ Local Legend Recording with Josh Kaufman.
FINDING THAT POLISHED VIBE IN THE RECORDING STUDIO
“It was really important to me in working with a producer – that they help me find a common trait in my music, to narrow in the sound form being as wide-reaching as it was and find the vibe,” Rose explained.
“We definitely found the vibe together in the studio. I cried a few times listening back to the songs the day of recording them. They sounded so polished, grown up and just plain vibey as hell. I love the way they turned out.”
For this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE, Rose debuted two tracks from the new album – “The End” and “Bad Mother.” Watch the official music video for “Bad Mother” here, and scroll down to listen to the songs and the full radio show podcast.
VIDEO: “Bad Mother,” Kait Rose
Completion of the new album is just part of a recent “wild ride” for Rose, who’s also getting married in September to another Kalamazoo musician, Aaron Stinson.
For Rose, the recording encapsulates her goal of connecting with audiences through songs inspired by her life experiences by making them “open enough and relatable enough that it feels like it becomes your song.”
On Stage: Rose and band at Meijer Gardens. (Courtesy Photo)
She hopes that “universal feeling” comes through for fans via tonight’s intimate, relaxing seated show with a full band.
As for the near future, Rose remains content to perform and collaborate as a regional artist.
In addition to upcoming gigs with a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Rose will perform for the first time at an in-person Wheatland Music Festival outside Remus in September.
Find more tour dates and information online at kaitrosemusic.com. And read more about Rose in this Local Spins feature by writer Enrique Olmos.
This week’s episode of Local Spins on WYCE – which trains its attention on Michigan-made music at 11 a.m. Fridays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org – also aired new tracks by FINKEL, Steven Malcolm, Chain of Lakes (this week’s musician’s pick by Rose), Leif(kolt), Upon Wings, Matisse Zuzu, DL Rossi, Tiny Car Army and Whorled, along with a live track from The Crane Wives. Listen to the radio show here.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (8/12/22)
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