Cat Coward: News

Nothing like a trip to the islands to heal and inspire! Tim and I just got back from a wonderful break on the Big Island of Hawaii - sans enfant. I didn't realize I'd been a bit in the doldrums until I got BACK from Hawaii in such a great mood! We stayed at the wonderfully relaxing Kalani Oceanside Resort - a yoga center near Hilo, on the rainy side. How nice to relax, "yogate", meditate, eat locally grown produce... ah....

I'm back with more inspiration for the CD, songwriting, and otherwise pushing the music and the business. I had planned on recording my final vocals of the CD before I left, but got sick and had to delay. Major drag.... it takes all my discipline to avoid rushing this project. We're scheduled again to record this weekend and the next.

I finally got my list server up and running. I think it will save me tons of time, and make emailing announcements much easier. So sign up now, if you haven't already!

One big disappointment was to learn that Blythe and Gordon, who have hosted Jazz for a Cause the past 3 years, are unable to host again this year. Too much on their docket with 2 teenagers in the home. I don't think I have the energy to find another location - they were such fabulous party partners. So, it looks like Jazz for a Cause is a thing of the past. We certainly had 3 very successful years, though. I'm sorry to let it go.

But, how about that election??!! YEAH BABY. My hope in American democracy was rekindled. Whew! What a moment in history!

Another awesome gig at Maxine's this past Friday. God, I love that place.

With me were the usual suspects, Kevin, Scott and Lee. In addition, we were joined by Dirk Westfall on bass (Ray will be in New Mexico until late Spring). I've been trying to play with Dirk for 3 years now, and was thrilled to finally have the opportunity. He was better, even, than his reputation. I'm really looking forward to our next gig - November 21st, Maxine's Bistro again!

The CD continues to chug along. The sax/flute overdubs are done. Lee was really able to get the feel of all the tunes - he did a fabulous job. The percussion additions are ALMOST done - close enough that I'm going into the studio this weekend to lay down the final vocal tracks. I can't wait! It's been really fun having the opportunity to practice and perform the tunes so many times before putting down the final vocals. I'm very excited to hear how they sound when they are done!

In the mean time, I've been writing more songs, thinking about yet the next original CD. (Jeese, I can't believe I'm saying that!)

We had an outstanding gig this past Friday at Maxine's Bistro in Girdwood. I love that place! Sadly, it was Ray's last show with us until next Summer. He's off to New Mexico to study ayurvedic medicine. You go, boy! But, we'll miss you!

Next month, I've got Dirk Westfall on the bill - another fabulous bass player who I've been after for years. I'm finally going to get to play with him.

The new CD is coming along, albeit slowly. Bass overdubs are done, next up percussion overdubs. What with other musical, non-musical, family and health commitments with all band members, the project goes slowly. The upside is that I have had plenty of time to practice the vocal parts prior to putting on the final vocal tracks. We'll do that last.

I've been coaching with Peggy Monahan, a local jazz instructor and producer. She's fabulous.... I'm wondering why I let my pride get in the way for so long before being willing to have some lessons!

On other fronts, music has taken a somewhat backseat to politics (ugh). This is such a dire time for our country - my fear of how I will leave it (our country) to my 8 year old, motivates me to take action now. Register to vote. Take action. Stand up for what you believe. We CAN make a change.

It's September, and officially Fall in Alaska. Actually, it's been like Fall all Summer with all the cool, rainy weather we've had. I'm looking forward to the winter... my favorite season up here. Life settles down, it gets all dark and cozy. I love this time of year.

We've been working steadily on the CD... getting overdubs down - hopefully done by the end of this month. In the mean time, I've been working out kinks in the vocal lines, and hoping to get the final vocals completed in early October... or so....

Maxine's in August was awesome. Next week we're back there again - Sept 12th - for Ray's last gig with us before he leaves for Arizona through the winter. I'll really miss having him play with us. Dirk Westphal will be taking Ray's place in Oct and Nov at Maxine's.

Kevin, Scott, Ray and I went into the studio yesterday and the day before, and laid down the rhythm section tracks for 10 tunes.

I was very pleased with how efficiently it all went, and with how well the music is turning out so far.

Ray and Scott are really good at coming up with, and laying down, an excellent groove. The songs really came to life. We have a couple sambas, a bossa, a ballad, a funk tune, and few other surprises.

We'll keep working on all the details of the music, and then eventually come up with the package aspect of the CD (for instance, the title!)

Next up: Gig at Maxine's August 15th!!

I can't believe I'm starting a new recording project in just over 2 weeks. Yikes! I'm still getting charts together and scrambling to be ready for the band to take on my songs. Can't wait to hear them with the full group.

I just recently returned from a fabulous 3 week raft and backpacking trip to the Arctic - our annual, family ANWR trip. Fabulous adventure as always. This year we had the good fortune to run into about 20,000 of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. It was magical to be in the midst of such beautiful animals.

Next up, besides the recording, gigs in August and Sept, ramping up for the Fall. Looking forward to focusing a bit more on music as the Summer comes to a close (Alaska Summer, that is...)

Yahoo! I finally got a new website up and running that is SO much easier to maintain than my last one. AND, it looks better too. I'm very pleased.

What's happening in the world of music? Great to be back at Maxine's last month with the gang. We had a nice show, wonderful to have Lee Pulliam on board with sax and flute! I'm scrambling to get songs together to record in early August, have a private party next week, and a new show added the end of July.

In addition to all that, my husband, son, and I are hastily preparing for our annual river trip up in the Arctic. We're leaving the end of this month for 3 weeks - backpacking and rafting the Hula hula river in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. What a beautiful place! I'm looking forward to a fabulous trip.

More to follow!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've written... In addition to having lots going on, my web software has become a major pain, which leads me to all sorts of procrastination getting on here and updating! Anybody know anything about .mac webhosting?

So let's see... since writing last I've been to Mexico, China, and California. I've had 3 big gigs, plus did music for wedding's in Mexico and China. The international traveling was outstanding - China was incredibly interesting, especially in comparason to my visit there 13 years ago. They are really up and coming over there. Huge economic growth.

I just got back from a weekend in California - my girlfriend who got married in Mexico had her post-wedding-USA reception in our home town of Palo Alto. I put a band together and did all the music for her party. It was outstanding. My new "San Francisco band" were as good as I could have hoped. We played all sorts of great music, and they were ON. Lots of fun and laughter during the sets. An overall great time and great music.

Up next... gigs at Maxine's, music writing, and hopefully some recording of originals. Now that I'm done working on wedding music, and have most of my difficult charts transfered to Finale sheet music, it's time to get back to the originals. Hope to have some recording time of the new tunes this summer.

Also, I've introduced a new member to the band, sax/flutist Lee Pulliam. He'll be joining us at the upcoming Maxine's gigs. He's an excellent player, and adds so much to the music, I just had to have him! Come check him out, you won't be disappointed!

Hope to see you all out and about, and thanks again, as always for supporting live music!

There's been a lull gig-wise, but I'm certainly still busy. I bought a music writing software a few weeks ago, a piano keyboard to run it, and have been busily (very busily) getting music together for 2 weddings. We leave next week for my best girlfriend's wedding... in Mexico, followed by my brother's wedding.... in China 2 weeks later. I'm doing music for both events! Whew!

We get home April 2nd, and jump right into some major gigs... Achorage Museum, April 4th and April 12th, a big party gig in Kenai on April 5th, and down to California on April 26th for a private party gig. Things should roll back to a more relaxed "normal" in May (I hope!!).

Still working on some originals in my "spare" time, which I hope to incorporate into some near future shows.

All in all, it's still loads of fun, which my husband has to remind me of, whenever I complain about not enough time - ha!

Stay tuned for more news after the first part of April. In the mean time... happy Spring!!

Last weekend was our third annual "Jazz for a Cause" party. This year we benefitted Kid's Cafe, a program within Bean's Cafe, in Anchorage, which helps funnel food to kids in need. In spite of the difficulties this year in rallying troops, it ended up being a very successful party. We had 70 people turn out, and raised $11,000 for Kid's Cafe.

Whew! The party really did take a lot out of me, though, this year. Maybe the date was too close to the holidays, or maybe it was the slump in our economy, but it was harder to get the turn out than it was the past 2 years. Fortunately, the 70 people who did turn out all seemed to have a great time. I sure did. Well deserved thanks go out to my fabulous band, who all donated their time and talents to the cause: Kevin Barnett on keys, Ray Booker on bass, and Scott Weller on drums. (Having drums at the party was spectacular. Why had I never thought of that before??)

Looks like I'm taking an unintentioned gigging break again.... Between my schedule and the schedules of my band, I won't have a gig until April 4th! I'm very bummed, and fearful of loosing momentum, but hoping for the best. The exciting news is that I just ordered some music writing software, so I intend to spend my extra time writing out better charts and working on my originals. Still hoping to go into the studio again late Spring to start a new CD. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I'm back again with lots to report! First of all we had a stomping show this past Saturday night at Maxine's. It was so great to be back after a 10 week break. We had a huge crowd, and the folks at Maxine's were as gracious and wonderful as ever. I love playing there. Joe Eunice was back on bass, and he did an outstanding job, as did Kevin Barnett and Scott Weller on keys and drums, respectively.

We had an added treat at Maxine's when we were joined by Girdwood's own "Eli the sax player". He joined us for most of the second set. He added a lot to the sound, the groove and the fun.

I'm gearing up for this year's Jazz for a Cause party (third annual), which will be February 2nd. This year's beneficiary is Kid's Cafe, a subsidiary of Bean's Cafe. I'm hoping to beat the past two year's $11,000's raised. It's looking good - RSVP's have been rolling in and everyone's very excited and enthusiastic.

For those of you following this, I took time off in November and December to spend 25 days rafting the Grand Canyon with my husband, 7 year old son, and 13 other folks. It was a self guided trip and we were the trip leaders. What an amazing place. If there were a magic door to another universe it would be in the Grand Canyon. The geologic and anthropologic history there is mind blowing. The scenery is spectacular, breathtaking hiking opportunities abound. 25 days seems like a lot of time to be on a river, but while on the river I felt rushed. I would have loved to have been there 25 more.

My worst fears came true on the canyon when I flipped our raft with my 7 year old on it. Fortunately it was in a minor rapid and Rohan did just fine. A growing experience for both of us, I'm sure. As he gets older, I suspect there will be more and more scarey moments for us to encounter...

But back to the musical front, stay tuned for more going on with the Cat Coward Band. Looking ahead to April and the Anchorage Museum Gala on April 12th!

We had a truly outstanding gig at Bernie's this past Thursday night. It was a great way to end his Summer Jazz Series. I was joined by Kevin Barnett, Scott Weller and Nate Bersee, on piano, drums and bass respectively. We were all "on". It was a very, very fun evening.

I'm sad to say that that was my last gig with Nate - he's moving to California in December. I sure will miss his fine playing. Best wishes to you, Nate.

Lastly, I heard great news from the folks at Orthopedic Physcians of Anchorage. The party we played a couple weeks ago raised $20,000 for Special Olympics! Wow! I was very proud to be a part of that - and to have helped with the fundraising by being the auctioneer at the live auction.

Well, that's about it for now - as I mentioned in my last entry, I'll be taking a couple months off from gigging. I'm off for the Grand Canyon in about 2 weeks. Yikes! Should be an awesome trip.

Best wishes, everyone!

This Thursday night is the last of the Bernie's Bungalow Summer Jazz Series. It was a good series - we had a really nice time making music down there, esp in the true Summer months when we were outdoors on the patio!

I'm still on a high from a fabulous party this past Saturday at the new medical building for Orthopedic Physicians Anchorage. It was a combo grand opening gala and fundraiser for Special Olympics. Kevin Barnett and Nate Bersee joined me on piano and bass, respectively. We had a grand time, and OPA raised a good bit of money for Special Olympics. Yours truely stepped in as an auctioneer for the 2-item live auction - it was a hoot!

After this week's Bernie's gig, I'll be taking a 2 month gigging break. In November, I'm going rafting with family and 13 others on a 25 day trip on the Grand Canyon! The planning has been a huge amount of work, and at this point I'm just looking forward to getting on the river. Should be a fabulous trip.

In December, I'll be taking time off just to hang with my family and do the holiday thing. We'll be back gigging again in January. (See my Performances page for dates.)

Real exciting news: I've been asked to be the musical entertainment for the Annual Anchorage Museum Gala on April 5th. This is a HUGE honor, and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season this year. See you all in 2008!

Yesterday, and acquaintance of mine, and friend of my husband, died of metastatic breast cancer. Her son is a second grader in my son's class. I'm brought back to the edge - a sad, yet somewhat comforting place. It's "comforting" because it's real. Grieving seems to leave no space for falsehood, superficiality, or emotional dishonesty. It's pure. I've been driving around town running errands and realizing that the world is different today with Natalie out of it. (And I am so hugely far less effected by her absence than those who knew her well.) I am thankful that I am healthy, that my family is healthy, that everything I need I have in spades. I am thinking about Natalie's son, Dash, her wide circle of friends and family who will grieve her acutely. Thank you.

Summer is over, my son is offcially a second grader (wow!) and Fall is settled in to Anchorage in earnest. Time to put more energy into music and leave the summer play behind for another year...

Had a really fun gig at Bernie's last week. Ray Booker joined us on bass - Ray is such a great guy in addition to being an outstanding bass player. We squeeked out good weather for another outdoor show. I think Bernie's patrons really enjoyed another balmy night of music out on the patio. I know we sure did - especially since Bernie put the stage under the heaters this time! The July outdoor show got quite chilly once the sun went down.

September looks like it's going to be a busy month. I was honored to be asked to sing for a First Friday event, Arctic Sirens Cabaret, at the Snow Goose Theater. It's a monthly cabaret hosted by Anchorage producer Peggy Monahan, featuring 5 Anchorage singers, and backed up by Kevin Barnett, John Neiman and Karl Wilheme on piano, drums, and bass, respectively. I've not yet played with John or Karl and am really looking forward to hearing them. Check my performances page for details!

Also this month I'm involved in another fundraising party - this one benefitting the Trustees for Alaska, a wildlife conservation group. With me will be Kevin Barnett and Nick Putemenos on piano and bass.

Song writing is still going great. Collaborating with Kevin has been a lot of fun. He's very creative, and I think we've been coming up with some cool stuff. I may have finally won him over with some revisions to my kayaking song "Roll Me" (see entry July 25th). It's not quite performance ready, but stay tuned!

Tonight we're back at Maxine's Bistro - one of my favorite places!

Until next time, be well and I'll see you out!

What a fabulous summer we have been having. In spite of rain, we have had some beautiful days for hiking, running, kayaking, and basic summer play.

The biggest news on the music front is that I started dabbling in song writing. Challenged by Kevin, my trusty piano player, I decided to give it a go. I've written a grand total of 3 (!) tunes and am working on my forth - and you know what? They're not that bad. Two of them we performed at our last two gigs on July 19th and 20th. They went over well.

The new songs are entitled "Can This Be Love?", a slow swing tune about infatuation, and "The Day You Told Me", a samba about falling in love. My third song, "Roll Me", is about the frustrations of learning how to roll a white water kayak. The lyrics are somewhat veiled - it's the one Kevin thinks needs the most work. I think he thinks it's a bit too sensual - ha! (Can anything in jazz be too sensual?)

Stay tuned as I continue work in the song writing arena! Next shows up are August 16th at Bernie's with Kevin Barnett, Scott Weller and Ray Booker...followed by August 24th at Maxine's with Kevin, Scott and Nate Brisay. Two great shows, for sure. Hope to see you there!

The solstice is over, and now the days are getting shorter again...soon it will be snowing!

We had a fabulous solstice party at Bernie's on the 21st. The skies were bright blue and sunny, so we played out on the patio for dozens of happy, sun-loving patrons.

June 22th we played again at Maxine's. My band that night included the usual greats, Kevin Barnett and Scott Weller on piano and drums, respectively, and we were joined by Nathan Bersee on stand-up bass. It was the first time I had played with Nate, and he was incredible! I've got him signed on for a few more up coming gigs. Wait 'til you hear him - you're in for a treat!

Other news... I had a wonderful, but too short, vacation with my boy and my man. Tim and I took Rohan sea kayaking in Prince William Sound for 8 days. We rented a 3-hole kayak which worked wonders. We were dropped off in Harriman Fjord and paddled our way back to Whittier. We saw calving glaciers, sea otters, seals, a sea lion, and of-course, several cool bird varieties and tidal life. Alaska is such a beautiful place.

Stay tuned for more news. Check out my performances page for future shows!

We had a fabulous gig at Bernie's last week ~ kicking off the Jazz Thursday Summer Series. We had a really good turn out, the band played famously, and in spite of a dreadful cold, I sang really well. It was such fun.

Bernie has quite a cool lounge thing going on at his Bungalow. I expect the summer crowd to be loving his place ~ open air, light, artistic, funky with great energy and, of-course, great music. Other Thursday bands include "Diane and the Shanagans" (4th Thursdays of the month), E2 (1st Thursdays of the month), and my band every 3rd Thursday. It's a very, very nice venue. Come on down!

Other good news: You can now download my CD from itunes!

Get this great news: I scored a monthly gig at Bernie's Bungalow in downtown Anchorage, May through October! I'll be down there every third Thursday starting this Thursday, May 17th. I'm super psyched! With me will be Kevin Barnett on piano, Joe Eunice on bass, and Daren Rayburn on drums. Scott Weller will be drumming for me June - October. I'm so excited about the gig, and even more so, about the band! These guys are just awesome.

With a monthly Bernie's gig, a monthly Maxine's gig, and the occasional party, I'll have a comfortable 2 - 3 gigs per month, and can focus on singing, charting more tunes and otherwise doing music.

Other great news: I was down in the San Francisco Bay Area last week and was interviewed on KSCU radio - the college station at Santa Clara University. What a hoot that was. DJ Mike has promised to send me a copy of the recording, so I'll set it up on my site as soon as I get it. Stay tuned!

Lots of cool stuff happened since my last entry!
Last week I was asked to be interviewed for The ANC podcast. We put together a 45 minute podcast talking about the music, etc, and featuring 5 - 6 songs off the CD.
It was really fun! Click here on the link to access The ANC, Episode 47: Cat Coward

Also up, had two great shows over the weekend. April 27th was at BP for the Eagle River Nature Center Fundraiser. They raised LOTS of money, and we had a great time playing. Kevin Barnett on piano, and bassist Ray Booker backed me up.

Last night, however, we ROCKED out Maxine's. It was without a doubt my most fun gig ever. First of all, the place was packed. Second of all, my band was simply outstanding. Kevin, after only playing with me one other time, completely understood me and what I was trying to do musically with my songs. Joe, my new bass player, was simply outstanding - great energy, kept the music moving. Daren, my drummer, was fabulous - he just knew my tempos, my feels, he didn't miss a beat. Amazingly, we had had NO rehearsing - we had never played together before - ha!

What I love most about Kevin is how well he improvises and how well we play off eachother. A couple of songs we broke out into prolonged solo sections with improvised musical reparte between Kevin's piano and my scatting. Really, really fun. There were hugs all around after the show - we all had such a great time!

Check out the performances page for my next shows