the whole story...
Ever wonder if you
could change your life overnight? Wonder where all the time goes?
What, exactly, is on the other side? What if you were adopted,
or an identical twin? Wonder how you might say "topless"
in French?
Inquisitive singer-songwriter
Kathy Hussey has a serious case of Wonder-Lust. That is, she
has an unwavering sense of wonder fueled by a passion for insight,
travel and exploration. Nowhere is this more evident than on
her new progressive-folk recording, "Moments of Wonder".
Travel has always been
a central part of Hussey's life, based on her family's constant
relocation to accommodate her father's "corporate nomad"
occupation, but her history of displacement actually began with
her very first breath. Hussey and her identical twin sister were
born in Chicago to teenage parents and given up for adoption
immediately after birth.
Her adoptive parents didn't think twice about the double-blessing
and welcomed the girls to their new family. Growing up with stints
in Dallas, Houston, St Louis, Cleveland, Arizona, Massachusetts
and New York, Hussey was repeatedly cast as the "new kid",
searching for ways to maintain her unique identity, while somehow
managing to blend-in to each new situation.
That search dictated
Kathy Hussey's career path, relying on music from a very young
age to find her place in the world. Finally settling in Nashville,
TN, Hussey diverted from her Hamilton College focus of Ceramics
and Anthropology to fully immerse herself in her life-long preoccupations:
playing guitar, singing, performing, and writing songs.
Applying a modern twist
to the folk song tradition, and motivated by the "fit in
but stand out" mentality of the consummate new kid, Hussey
writes songs that are accessible, honest and completely free
of cliché. Her influences include Jonatha Brooke, Shawn
Colvin, Patti  Griffin, Elton John,
Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, the Grateful Dead and the "countless
brilliant under-appreciated artists and writers I share the road
with everyday." Her contemporary, full folk-grass sound
is complemented by her observational songwriting style and attention
to detail. She says, "I have a sort of chronic fascination
with people and their stories my study of Anthropology
in college and the way I observe and develop characters in my
writing now, are both part of that same curiousity."
Honing that observational
process helped to establish Kathy Hussey's music career with
two self-released acclaimed CDs (2002's "Stranger Than Fiction";
1998's "If Wishes Were Horses") and a flurry of songwriting
awards. She continues to share her discoveries on her new album,
"Moments of Wonder" (2005) a vibrant collection
of stories with authentic characters and universal emotion.
The vignettes on "Moments
of Wonder" present both still-life and animated images that
uncover and illuminate nuances most of us are too busy to notice.
From the quaint melodic call of a French ice cream vendor ("La
Bonne Glace" - written & performed en Francais) to the
wistful "love-lost" metaphor of a Colorado sunset ("Sunset
on the LaGaritas") and the underlying greed in a fight over
water rights ("This Water"), Hussey reveals the hidden
magic of the commonplace, the little mysteries of the mundane.
"I think being repeatedly dumped into new situations with
people I didn't know, making judgements about them and then being
proven wrong, over and over again, was a huge gift to me as a
songwriter. There really are no safe assumptions.
What I took away from all that is to mistrust stereotype and
wait for people to reveal themselves in their own way. It is
much more interesting, as a storyteller, to look for the unique
in the context of the ordinary."
It is that exploration
of the ordinary and a need to differentiate that led Hussey to
ponder the universal idea of finding one's place in this world.
"Emily" presents the true-life story of a dead-end
bartender who dreams of owning a café and tells herself
"that it won't be too long until you are free" (Emily
quit the bar and made her move the day after hearing this song!).
In "The Same Mary", the subject is in life's twilight
while mentally remaining "the pillow fight champion of the
world/catcher of lightning bugs/bull frogs and garden slugs/climber
of sky-tall trees." The song is punctuated with an effectively
time-shifting, cinematic, dream-like guitar riff. And recognizing
the re-cyclical nature of life, Hussey sings, "Love may
come and love may go/life may ebb and life may flow/remember
me when I am gone/sing my memoryin your song" ("Sing
My Memory").
Hussey's focused examination
of the mystery of human experience is as crystal clear as her
pure vocal delivery. Her unflinching acknowledgement of her own
regrets and foibles prompts the listener to look within as well
as around. With a nod to to her roving childhood, Hussey apologizes
to old friends that she was "raised to leave behind"
("Out of Sight, Out of Mind") but also muses that "a
goodbye can't help promising hello" ("Other Side of
that Hill").
With music ranging from
pop-tinged folk to bluegrass-hued hip-hop, and the occasional
suggestion of Celtic influence, "Moments of Wonder"
appeals to the intelligent listener. The new collection was produced
by Nashville session drummer (and husband) Bob Mater, engineered
by Grammy-winner Bil Vorndick (Alison Krauss, Peter Rowan, Jerry
Douglas, Ralph Stanley) and features Mike Henderson, Byron House,
Tim O'Brien, Bryan Sutton and Andrea Zonn.
Dirty Linen Magazine
declared Kathy Hussey "a songwriter to watch." Other
recording artists and peers agree. An award-winning songwriter,
Hussey has earned top honors in the Kerrville Folk Festival's
New Folk Competition (Winner 2003; Finalist 2002); Mountain Stage
Newsongs Contest (Top 5 Winner, 2003); Suwannee Springfest Song
Competition (2nd Place 2005); and recently won the Grand Prize/Smith
Vinson Award at the Gum Tree Songwriters Fest (2005) in Mississippi.
Her songs have been recorded by Carmel Sheerin and the Bluegrass
Ravens ("Sing My Memory"); E.G. Kight ("Skin Deep");
Natalie Cote ("If Wishes Were Horses") and Tejano artist
Anna Roman ("Whatever Happened to Us?"; "American
Dream").
On stage, Hussey's warm
energy, honesty and humor inspire audiences to listen with their
hearts, and frequently share their own life stories with Kathy
after the show. She performs most often as a solo act as well
as with a full band or as a combo, has opened for Blues Traveler,
Phish, Steppenwolf, 10,000 Maniacs, among others, and continues
to perform with Dead Set, [a Grateful Dead cover band] when her
tour schedule permits.
When the ever-ambitious
Hussey is not on the road performing, teaching, or presenting
her insightful tunes at songwriting competitions, she's hosting
her writer's night in Music City USA which began more than a
decade ago. It's a distinct departure from the typical Nashville
writer's night and has earned a devoutly loyal following. "We
do all kinds of fun things...there's the title of the month exercise
called Debut Tuesday, Campfire Circles, and Circle Work (a group-write
where everyone contributes one line at a time around the circle).
Considering Hussey's
down-to-earth warmth and her innate curiousity, it's no wonder
that she has a strong affinity for kids, and they for her. Hussey
has declared it her personal mission to "inspire, enrich
and elevate" young people by encouraging them to express
themselves creatively. She continues to meet this challenge working
as the Director of Camp Summersong (Nashville, TN; since 1999);
and teaching songwriting workshops for both kids and adults (Perry-Mansfield
Performing Arts School and Camp - Steamboat Springs, CO; Creede
Arts Council Creede, CO; Country Music Hall of Fame Words
& Music Program Nashville, TN, Kid Pan Alley - nationwide).
Additionally, Hussey indulges in her love for the outdoors and
horses as a trail guide, and an avid backpacker. She also shares
her infectious creative spirit with hundreds of young women enrolled
in Girl Scouts of America via her tie-dye workshops, earning
her the affectionate title of "The Tie-Dye Lady."
Hussey's enthusiasm for
life is exactly what inspired the title of her new album. In
the lead track ("We Are The Day"), Hussey sings, "we
are morning and twilight/we are darkness and highlight/ we are
silence and thunder/we are moments of wonder."!.
Hussey continues to anticipate
whatever journey lies ahead and to write lyrics that remind us
it is the questions themselves, not necessarily the answers,
that provide our greatest moments of wonder. So, CAN you
change your life overnight? What IS on the other side?
According to track #9 of this latest CD, "What's on
the other side of that hill? I don't know. But that's why
I have to go". With any luck, your town is on the
other side of that hill, and you'll find Kathy Hussey there one
of these days, sharing her stories, and gathering some new ones.
(By the way, "topless"
in French is "les seins nus", literally: naked breasts.
Kathy sings about hers in the song "La Bonne Glace")
Discography
If Wishes Were
Horses (1998)
Stranger Than Fiction (2002)
Moments of Wonder (2005)
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