Intro:

In 1996, I had a lucky stumble across a positive review of Catie Curtis' first major release, Truth from Lies in my local North Jersey paper. Twelve years later, I'm still swept away by her work. Interestingly, some odd but incredibly fortunate coincidences worked out for me as a result of that newspaper article that caught my eye. The article led me to Catie Curtis' music; enjoying her music led me to write an early version of this page years ago; a couple of people who very randomly saw this page back then became good friends of mine; one of them introduced me to my sweetheart. It's crazy how things work out!

When I stumbled across that rave newspaper review, I'd had little previous exposure to folk. Unsure what to expect from the genre, I decided to give Truth from Lies a try anyway. Halfway into the first track, I knew I'd found a performer I really liked the feel of... the voice, the lyrics, the instruments, the arrangement, it just all made for a perfect whole. I had that rare and exciting feeling of being pretty lucky to have discovered this for myself and to have to opportunity to enjoy it. With every album and song of hers that I've heard since then my opinion of her has grown warmer, as she's continued to develop as an artist. As I've listened to each, I've been overwhelmed anew with that rush of sheer delight to immerse myself in the music she and her band have made. She puts on a great live show I've enjoyed several times, and each album she releases is a new and refreshing exploration. In addition, Catie's music has become my gateway into the greater folk genre. I've since become a big fan of The Nields, Lucy Kaplansky, Dar Williams, Eddie from Ohio, and many more.

Music:

True to the folk genre, Catie draws her material from concepts and moods as varied as life itself. She sings with passion, compassion, sexiness, and humor about "traditional" folk topics such as social issues of politics, joblessness, natural disasters, abuse, prejudice, rejected individuals, family dynamics, and communities, as well as about true love, the evolution of the self, and complicated relationships. Catie Curtis is a self-described story collector. Her material's based on everything from bits of conversation overheard while on the road, to headlines of long-forgotten news stories, to the lives of people who populate small New England towns such as the one in which she was raised. Her songs have a clear-eyed and unpretentious sincerity that conveys deep emotion with casual directness.

The richly vivid lyrics of Catie's songs blend seamlessly with the layered textures, hooks, and harmonies of the instrumentals provided by her and her band. The choices for instrumental highlights fall out like gifts; the rolling shimmer of guitar chords; the higher dancing tones of the mandolin and banjo; the glowing saxophone. Soaring or tripping melodies interweave with the throbbing heartbeats of base lines.

Bio:

Catie grew up in Saco, a small town in southern Maine, in a family where "singing was as important as talking," and her mother would lead Catie and her three sisters in harmonizing to Broadway standards of classic songs from the 1920s. As a teenager, she sold her commemorative coin collection and borrowed $50 from her dad to buy her first drum set. Shortly after, she was given an acoustic guitar and started performing in local bars in her hometown, which led to coffeehouse gigs during her student days at Brown University. After graduation, she headed west to San Francisco with the idea of finding a job that would allow her maximum time for practicing guitar and writing songs. "I worked as a waitress, which gave me plenty of time to concentrate on my music," she says. "That was the first period in which I was intensively writing songs. I also gave and received guitar lessons, and played the open mic scene in Berkeley." When she eventually moved back east to Boston, she supported herself with a job as a social worker while continuing to write and perform. By the time she signed with Guardian Records in 1995, she'd been touring nationally for years, playing the grassroots folk circuit. Around 1992, she quit her social-worker job for a full-time music career. Driving from coast to coast, she supported herself playing live gigs and hawking homemade recordings. The resulting buzz paved the way for her deal with Guardian. Since then, she's been signed with Rykodisc, Vanguard, and Compass Records. She's also gotten married and has adopted two children with her wife, Elizabeth.

Albums:

Dandelion (1989, Mongoose) Dandelion is Catie's earliest album, and has been out of print for a while. Haven't heard it myself and hence can't hazard a personal opinion. Supposedly, Catie views it as her less interesting work, whereas fans who have it think it's quite wonderful. The title track was featured on the compilation Women of Kerrville.	Rise Seesaw Love on the Line Dandelion Street Shoes Pass Some Time Baby Grade Still Round Backbone Counting On It Down The Pike Change Your Mind
From Years to Hours (1991, Mongoose) Not yet having heard From Years to Hours either, I can't presume to give an opinion of what it's like from the little I've read about it. One review I've read suggests that it's "unfocused and occasionally affected," while others highly praise several of its songs, such as the "Hole in the Bucket" about rips in the social safety net, "Mine Fields," and "Grandmother's Name" about Alzheimer's afflicting a loved one.	Mine Fields (From Years To Hours) Night So Still Hole in the Bucket Watching the Silence Got Me Wondering Grandmother's Name If I Could Wallpaper Dreams Preacher Same Dream (Desert Storm) Strange As It Seems
Truth from Lies (1995, Guardian) Catie's first major album. Folky, but doesn't shy away from folding in elements of pop. Lots of acoustic guitar, featuring prominently in both up- and down-tempo songs. "Dad's Yard" was written for her dad's retirement party and affectionately pokes fun at the odds and ends he's collected over the years, showing a father whose impulse to collect and save things reflects a deeper urge to help those in trouble. "The Wolf" is a tender story about a child's attempt to cope with living in a broken home. "Slave to My Belly" looks wryly at the need to make a living (and really exercises the range of her voice). "Silhouette" is a look at fear of intimacy. Don't come too close or you'll see my edge is rough And you'll make me wonder if I can be enough You'll make me worry that somehow you will see That there is always something small and trembling in me	You Can Always Be Gone Troubled Mind Radical Dad's Yard Silhouette Everybody Was Dancing Slave to My Belly The Party's Over Crocodile Tears The Wof Just Getting By Cry Fire
Catie Curtis (1997, Guardian) Her eponymous album has a more polished and complex feel from her earlier releases. The listener can strongly taste the spices of pop and even hip-hop permeating this disc's intense tracks, which grow all the more unique and from the diverse influences they include to varying degrees. Knitting them together, however, is the common thread of a persistingly folky feel. Where the previous disc was perhaps more intimate, this one's adventurous. Where the previous disc was a bit naive, this one is worldly. Where the previous disc's focus was primarily word pictures, this one shows more concern with letting the music produce a mood-setting parchment to house the lyrics. Much of this pop flavor can be attributed to producer Roy Bittan, who plays keyboards on the disc as he did for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. But the disc's players have much to do with that feel also. Kenny Aronoff, who has spent time with both John Mellencamp and Melissa Ethridge, plays drums. Tony Levin, known for work with Peter Gabriel, plays bass. But a strong acoustic connection's maintained by the use of Jimmy Ryan on mandolin, he of Blood Oranges and Wooden Leg fame. Incidentally, the arrangement for the strong section on "Falling Silent in the Dark" was written by David Campbell, Beck's dad. In the end, the heart of Catie's work remains mostly unchanged, with the focus still on the writing and the singing, on the telling of tales.	Soulfully I Don't Cry Anymore River Winding Falling Silent in the Dark Heroes Forgiveness I Still Want to Memphis The Truth Is Do unto Others Larry Come to Me
Crash Course in Roses (1999, Rycodisc)	Gave Me Love World Don't Owe Me 100 Miles Fall Away Wise to the Ways What's the Matter I'll Cover You Burn Your Own House Down Roses Look at You Now Stay Up All Night Magnolia Street Start Again Fusco's Song
My Shirt Looks Good on You (2001, Rycodisc)	Run Kiss that Counted Jane Patience Love Takes the Best of You Bicycle Named Heaven My Shirt Looks Good On You Don't Lay Down Elizabeth Now Walk Along the Highway Sugar Cane Hush The Big Reprise
Dreaming in Romance Languages (2004, Vanguard)	Saint Lucy Deliver Me Hold On The Night It's The Way You Are The Trouble You Bring Cross Over To Me Life Goes On Red Light Doctor Dark Weather
Long Night Moon (2006, Compass Records)	Find You Now Strange Water and Stone It's a Wonder Rope Swings and Avalanches People Look Around Innocent Passing Through Hey California New Flowers Hard Time With Goodbyes Long Night Moon

The Official Catie Curtis Website. On the official site, the full video for People Look Around.