Hi Kate, and welcome to BuzzMusic. We loved your cover of “Downtown”, it really did brighten our day. What about the song that attracted you to recreate it?
I grew up in New York City during the 1960s. I remember being about eight or nine years old when this song came out from London and it literally rocked my world. I bought calf length white boots which were the rage then called Karesh boots and I did the pony dance which was all the rage then and fell in love with pop music through this song Then last winter and in my last recording session before Covid, I just had the idea to record it for some unknown reason. I just think it’s a fantastic pop song and it really moves the listener into the same feeling of excitement that exists when you go downtown, which I very much look forward to doing. Can you tell us a bit about your creative process? Where do you draw inspiration from when songwriting?
I truly wish I knew. Songwriting is such a mysterious process and one thing I’ve seen since the Covid crisis is that you really have to have the freedom in your soul to write songs. I’ve been so preoccupied with what is going on and survival actually, that I have not really had the energy to write much less practice and I’m very glad that I have done so much recording so I can release many songs over the next year. But in truth, I believe that all great art comes from God and that we are really channels for this amazing creative force. Of course, we as songwriters refine the initial creative impulse but I always find that my songs begin in mystery. You mentioned your style is best described as Timely Americana, what genres do you think helped you shape your overall sound?
Timely Americana, only and in that it’s the present conditions of the world that have inspired some of my songs. I felt an urgency to educate people about some of the terrible programs that are actually happening in our world today. But mostly I would consider myself a folk, pop, Celtic, and Americana inspired musician. I’m also very inspired by the traditional sounds of Broadway!
How do you want your latest release of “Downtown” to affect others when they hear it? I want them to feel all the rush of the sounds, the sights, smells, the taste, and the vibrancy of being downtown again with each other, not in fear but in joy. I think this music is really able to give that sensation even if it’s just for the duration of the song. What are you during these tough times to keep positive and creative?
I’m so glad you asked. Again I find that connection with God is most important because we are going through possibly what I would refer to as the end times or the tribulation possibly? I am a Christian and have respect for all faiths! and I feel that it’s our faith now can turn us within to find the source of our own lives and connect more deeply with that. I certainly want to wish you at BuzzMusic and all musicians and artists Peace and courage to come out with truthful messages that can inspire us now. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my music with a broader public.