Event
Fall Folkfest at the Wolf House
Bella Luna Studios at the Wolf House proudly presents Fall Folkfest at the Wolf House featuring Cathie English, the MPLS Ukelele Army and Katy Vernon.
Join us for an Autumn evening of beautiful music and collective harmonies.
Doors at 6:30
Performances start at 7
$12 advanced tickets, $15 at the door.
Advanced purchase highly recommended. There's very limited seating at this magical, intimate home.
CATHIE ENGLISH is a folk singer/songwriter that dwells in Central Minnesota where the winters are long.. . writing beautifully crafted songs accompanied with her distinctive American fingerstyle technique .
Woven through her music is a reverence for nature and the honest storytelling emblematic of the folk genre. She's performs at festivals and venues throughout throughout Minnesota.
Sharing the stage with several national acts including Peter Mayer, Martin Zellar ( of the Gear Daddies) and Jim Brandenburg.
Most recently doing a recording with Emmy winner Michael Monroe
Cathie released her first CD "Mary's Garden" in January of 2014.
Founded in 2017, the MINNEAPOLIS UKULELE ARMY is a community group of uke players, who are at all levels, but believe in spreading peace and joy through the power of a tiny instrument. Their motto is Peace Begins with Uke. They have performed at the Greenway Glow, Hook and Ladder, and Como Lakeside Pavilion.
Katy Vernon has done something its not easy to do: sustain country roots, go pop, and be distinctly original at the same time.
Who is KATY VERNON? Singer of sad songs on a happy instrument!!
Katy Vernon is a Minneapolis / St. Paul based singer songwriter. She grew up in London, England and has been writing and singing as long as she can remember.
Seeking a new way to find her voice led a singer of sad songs to a happy instrument. Katy always poured herself into her lyrics but sometimes found it difficult to share some of her most personal subject matter with an audience. Despite her inclination towards the melancholy, Katy has always been a natural entertainer. Finding that balance of musicality and expression led her to the ukulele. Not simply as a novelty toy or even as an increasingly popular jam band instrument, this little Hawaiian guitar opened up Katy's songwriting and allowed her to take herself a little less seriously and in turn got her taking her music career a lot more seriously.
Its been the way she can get out some pretty serious personal notes about the loss of both her mother and father when she was a child.
After my mom passed away, it became a more serious outlet for me. Instead of journaling, I would write songs, Vernon said. You either want to scream or you just want to sing.
She pours not only her grief, but also her dreams and desires into her songs and used that as a way to communicate and connect. Theres nothing much that beats that feeling of singing a personal song and seeing how it can translate to another person. This has taken many forms as Katy has grown as a writer, from people dealing with loss, to people with other challenges and struggles. Rather than shy away from that feeling of exposing her inner most feelings, she has worked in the past few years to explore that further. I always felt a slight sense of over indulgence, or embarrassment to be that open, that miserable! In front of people, I think its a very English thing to try to and pretend everything is fine, but thats just a part of who I am, and the kind of connection I want to have with the world. I wear my heart on my sleeve, take it or leave it!
She eventually moved to the US after meeting her future American husband on a train from Amsterdam to Berlin. This was a chance to start over. A chance to choose family and happiness and re-invent her life. The very definition of an American dream!
She spent the first few years getting to know Minneapolis and playing with several bands. Most notably as lead singer of The Camdens with another English transplant, Scott Walker. During this time Katy wrote many of the bands songs. One of those was nominated for Song of the year at the Minnesota Music Awards.
In 2010 Katy picked up a ukulele and this led to a whole new direction for her writing and performing. This was a turning point after a lengthy break from performing while she started a family. It was also the beginning of her embrace of taking the central role in a band as more than a vocalist. Learning how to play a new instrument and performing solo re-charged her in every way.
Katys heartfelt lyrics add a weight and poignancy to this happy little instrument. Im a singer of sad songs on a happy instrument,
"As soon as I started to play around on it I started writing. The song Five OClock was the first one I wrote. After years of staring sadly in frustration at my guitar I realised I just needed to play a different instrument! Now I like to switch back and forth between guitar and uke and it helps give the songs a different feel from each other."
In 2012 Katy put together a band and released her debut solo cd Before I Forget. This was both a tribute to her parents, but also an embrace of the new found joy of playing the ukulele. A follow up is scheduled for release Fall of 2015. Katy Vernon performs regularly at venues such as the Aster Cafe (Which sold out for her Third Annual Uke-Fest!), The Amsterdam Bar, 331 Club, Icehouse, and Lees Liquor Lounge. She has also been featured at The Guthrie, The Cowles Center with the James Sewell Ballet, and even the Fitzgerald Theater with Garrison Keillor! Katy also enjoys playing outdoor shows and benefits.
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LocationBella Luna Studios at the Wolf House MPLS (View)
3359 Tyler Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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