This Saturday at Hardywood, minimalist dance musician KATTIE will debut her uniquely crafted sound to a
This Saturday at Hardywood, minimalist dance musician KATTIE will debut her uniquely crafted sound to a Richmond crowd that will surely be unprepared for what’s to come.
Describing KATIEE’S style at first is almost a contradiction when you use the word “minimalist” and “dance” so close together, but when you listen to the singer’s new single out now on Selfish Agenda, “Passersby,” it becomes clear just what “minimalist dance” entails. It’s nothing new either. KATIEE (Katie Eastburn) got her start as part of the LA experimental trio Young People who had a similar sound and also had fans and critics scratching their head when trying to put their sound into words. After five years in Young People, KATIEE is fully on her own and ready to explore music in her own way in the scarcest way possible.
When KATIEE opens up about her musical background and her origins in touring dance troupes, it really makes you understand just how her sparse compositions come to be. “The first music I ever recorded was a score for my first solo dance in San Francisco back in 1999,” KATIEE reminisced. “From there, I remember going to Berlin to follow a Buto dance teacher I had been studying with. I was in Berlin with just a bicycle and since I didn’t speak German, I would just ride around town by myself in between workshops and just sing out loud. I always had these melodies in my head and this was an opportunity where I really didn’t care. No one was paying attention to me nor could they understand me so I was just completely of out of my usual context. I just started vocalizing the tunes that had always been inside me and from there, I shared them with my friend Jeff Rosenberg and that’s how Young People came to be.”
Picking up music at a much later time than most of her contemporaries, Young People granted KATIEE an opportunity to learn and create music simultaneously, with the help of two talented musicians behind her in Jeff Rosenberg and Jarrett Silberman. By the time she ventured on her own, she was a fully rounded musician that often came off as a musical maniac on stage. “I remember playing a different instrument on each limb when I started on my own,” the singer recalled. “I must have looked like one of those crazy buskers on the sidewalks. I had a kick drum on my left foot, tambourine on my right foot, shaker in a hand every now and then, and then an 88 key electric piano right in front of me.”
That style of playing was limiting for the singer who “just wanted to dance and move on stage.” With her latest material, she’s touring with a full band behind her that she hopes will give her the ability to be a little bit more than a static figure on stage outside of playing the instruments. Still, even with the full band, she admits that it was a bit simpler when she was just on her own. “I did a full US tour by myself in 2007 opening for Xiu Xiu and Sunset Rub Down and it was just fantastic. I was in my minivan going from town to town directly after each show. I didn’t have to stop for anyone else having to eat or pee. I just had this great time driving by myself. Still, I’m able to have a broader sound now which makes the music come alive a lot more and really makes you want to dance.”
Unsurprisingly, the conversation always drifted back to dancing with KATIEE. “I think I’m happiest when I’m dancing,” she revealed. “For the latest music, I just made things that made me feel like moving in a good way. I hope that people will feel moved to dance as well. I think they’ll find it very liberating if they do.”
Richmond will see just how liberating KATIEE’s broad music can be when it’s on full display this Saturday. If her work over the last decade is any indication, it’s bound to be an incredible show that might just be unforgettable if the singer has her way.
KATIEE debuts in Richmond this Satuday at Hardywood, kicking off an extremely eclectic show celebrating the release of an IPA that honors Richmond rockers RPG. For more information on the show, click here.
