It's been years since I've visited this
blog.
It's not that I haven't been supporting
local live music.
It's not that I haven't felt the urge
to write these past 4 years.
And it's not that I haven't seen
musicians worthy of writing.
I stopped because I wanted only to
write about music that inspires me. And this became difficult
because I've become friendly with some of those musicians and was
afraid that, somehow, writing a blog-review would muddy the
friendship-waters. And I was worried that my personal relationship
would color my objectivity. Years have gone by, friendships have
solidified and, with time and perspective, I now feel that I can
honestly and without prejudice write about friends. Today I cruised
to Foster's Cheese Haus in Foster, Wisconsin to listen to Catya's
Trio play an increasingly rare gig. I was as captivated today as I was
when I first saw them 5 years ago.
I met Catya as The Jones Tones' bass
player. We were at the Sheeley House in Chippewa Falls when David
Jones and his band played that venue regularly. David gave Catya the
stage at the end of the second set and she blew the house away with
her song of forbidden love, “Kiss Me Like You Mean It.” Her
voice soared over the crowd and stilled beer-loosened tongues: she
had a story to tell and we listened. I found myself holding my
breath as her voice sailed up and up and exhaling as it plummeted,
all low and sultry. I was electrified. She sang my lonely heart.
She sang secret love-dreams that I—a stable, middle-aged woman—was
loath to acknowledge. Though I'd never heard the song before, I
knew it. And it ended with a wonderful little twist, like some of my
favorite novels. This is one of Catya's talents: her original songs
are emotionally familiar. They are complex and accessible, smart and
simple. They echo unspoken desires and feelings. They are courageous
in their honesty and—again like a great novel—they let the
listener fill in the spaces: “...Kiss me like you mean it/show me
the hunger in your eyes/and when it's late/late at night/won't you
think of me sometimes.”
“Kiss Me Like You Mean It” is the
title track of Catya's new CD and while it's a great song, it's not
the only great song on the disc. All the tracks are gripping; Catya
tips her hat to the classic blues form but brings her own brand of
originality with intricate lyrics and unexpected musical turns. Her
music stands alone. It needs no decoration to prop it up, nothing
else to reinforce it. And so it is the richest icing on an
incredible cake when she is joined—both live and on some of the
tracks on the CD—by Sue Orfield and Randy Sinz.
Anyone familiar with our local music
scene knows Sue Orfield and her partner Randy Sinz. These two
musicians are prolific and Sue's original music is awesome. One of
my dirty little secrets is that I'm a lyrics gal; I just didn't “get”
purely instrumental music. Sue changed that. She first captured me
with her generosity of spirit--clearly displayed on stage, then her
energy and obvious joy, then her skill and talent on the saxophone
and finally for her songwriting. I know, I know, I got it backwards,
but we all learn in our own ways. She has three original CDs:
“Boink,” “Nobody's Looking” and her newest CD's title track
“Fight The Good Fight” written in honor of a friend who died of cancer.
I recommend all of them. My favorite songs are “Sway,” “After
The Fall” “Two Cats Named Bob” “Brass Monkey” “Slide Over
Baby” and “Deja Blue.”
Randy is a music veteran and has been
playing locally for more years than I've been in the Midwest. He's
in a bunch of bands, including Rada-Dada (accompanied by Sue), Ranger
Rudy and Swinging Wingtips, and most recently (though they've been
playing together for decades) with Gregg Wheeler and John Lynch as a
yet-unnamed trio. Randy's voice is pure, strong and true, and he is
skilled on both the upright and electric bass. Both Sue and Randy
host a monthly, unofficial open mic for local musicians at Foster's
Cheese Haus as Two Rivers.
This afternoon I waltzed into Foster's
Cheese Haus, a venue that might seat 60 people, and settled into a
chair not 10 feet from where these three musicians, Catya, Sue and
Randy, worked their spell.
I gratefully succumbed to their magic
as Catya sang two originals: “Good Coffee Or Good Beer” a
generous and bittersweet ode to her past marriage (“You left me a
fool/but that don't change my mind/that time I spent with you/was
something so fine”) and “Just Can't Stop,” a song of
unrequited love (“Ain't it a wonder/isn't it strange/lightening and
thunder/it never rains”) as well as various covers by the likes of
Theresa James and Billie Holliday.
I wasn't raised in the Midwest. I'm
not really from anywhere. But I came to the heartland from the East
Coast which is where I caught my live-music jones. And I know that
if this trio were based in New York or Washington DC or Maryland
they'd be demanding $50 a ticket. And they'd pack the house. It is
my observation that we in the Chippewa Valley take good live music
for granted. We don't know—really know—the
talent we have here. My only regret for this afternoon is that I
didn't get there in time to catch the first set. Go see Catya's
Trio. And don't make the same mistake I did: see the whole show.
You can buy Catya's CD at
CDbaby!
You can buy Catya's CD at
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