Kathryn Calder

Kathryn Calder played at End Of The Road Festival 2011.

Kathryn Calder is one of those artists who belies her age. She began her professional music career as a teenager, and by the time that most people are just stepping into their first independent record store, she had recorded 2 EPS and 4 CDs with the Victoria based Immaculate Machine (from whom she parted ways in 2008), and toured the world and recorded three albums as a member of The New Pornographers.

Recorded at her mother’s house in Victoria BC, ‘Are you my Mother?’ is one of 2010’s most innovative releases. It is a deeply personal record that was largely born through two years of Kathryn caring for her terminally ill mother. Yet the songs on “Are you my mother?’ are universal in their tone because the record relates to so many facets of all our lives. This is NOT a eulogy. Rather, it is a statement that life is a mixed bag, and that without losing things you would never know to cherish them.

While the songs are sophisticated in their expression, the process of recording them was surprisingly simple. With little in the way of technology, Calder and her producer, Colin Stewart relied on intuition and improvisation to create a record that sounds full and lush but also reflects the charms and intimacy of the surroundings in which it was recorded.

Although Kathryn played most of the instruments, she did have the benefit of friends and band mates to fill in the gaps. Local musicians and other notable friends like Neko Case, Kurt Dahle, and Todd Fancey of The New Pornographers, and members of Ladyhawk all lent their talents to the project.

Are You My Mother,’ is one of the most exciting and honest debut records of 2010. You will hear a moment in time and all of the feelings that were contained in it.

Kathryn Calder doesn’t like to let the grass grow under her feet for too long. 2011 is shaping up to be a busy year as she’s already finished a follow up to “Are you my Mother?”, to be released fall of 2011.

Listen to Kathryn Calder:

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