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American Roots Concert Series: Kaia Kater
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Hill Center is thrilled to welcome Kaia Kater as part of our free, outdoor American Roots Music Series!
A Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian, Kaia Kater grew up between two worlds: her family’s deep ties to folk music and the years she spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia. Her old-time banjo-picking skills, deft arrangements, and songwriting abilities have landed her in the spotlight in North America and the UK, garnering critical acclaim from outlets such as NPR, CBC Radio, Rolling Stone, BBC Music, and No Depression.
Kaia started her career early, crafting her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release two more albums, Sorrow Bound (2015) and Nine Pin (2016). Her second album wove between hard-hitting songs touching on social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement (“Rising Down”) and more personal narratives speaking to life and love in the digital age (“Saint Elizabeth”). Nine Pin won a Canadian Folk Music Award, a Stingray Rising Star Award and sent Kaia on an 18-month touring journey from Ireland to Iowa, including stops at The Kennedy Center, Hillside Festival and London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush. For her third album, Grenades(October 2018, Folkways/acronym Records), she took a decidedly different direction, choosing to lean into a wider array of sounds and styles, in order to convey a wider array of emotions and topics, most notably her paternal ancestry. Grenades has been nominated for a 2019 JUNO award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year.
“Grenades…represents Kater’s breakthrough moment as a vital roots storyteller.” – Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone
“At twenty-five, banjo player and songwriter Kaia Kater is one of folk music’s most promising storytellers…” – Dacey Orr Sivewright, Garden & Gun
“Kater is rapt, inquisitive, straining for intimate, embodied understanding that transcends mere familiarity.” – Jewly Hight, NPR
“In today’s landscape, Kater’s voice isn’t just timely, it’s necessary. Being young, black and female makes her a triple threat of relevance. But being excellent is what makes her an imperative.” – Bao Le-Huu, Orlando Weekly
Other American Roots Concerts (Fall 2022):
- Sunday, September 11, 4:30pm-6:30pm: I Draw Slow
- Sunday, October 2, 4:30pm-6:30pm: The Revelers
Thanks to all our sponsors:
