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1.) We’re happy to spend a little time today with talented and respected Folk singer-songwriter Katie Barbato; greetings and salutations, Katie! Before we dive down the proverbial rabbit hole, how has your 2022 been treating you thus far?
Thank you! 2022 has been an interesting and challenging year so far. I am very excited to release my new album, play shows, and spend time back out in the music community. I am trying to practice more mindfulness and “stay in the day”. I am trying to be courageous with staying open- hearted to help spread kindness. Our world is in need of tremendous healing right now. I am trying to listen more and be present to those I come in contact with each day.
2.) We’d like to congratulate you on a brilliant forthcoming album entitled The Trail of Us which is set to hit record shops and all self-respecting digital outlets this June 10! What was the genesis of The Trail of Us? Is there a Secret Origin story you could share with us?
The Trail of Us is my third album working with producer/engineer Brett William Kull. He is a talented multi-instrumentalist and creates the most beautiful soundscapes. My first album I did with Brett was The Art of Falling and my second was Long Night Moon. We have been on an extraordinary journey together making music and the new album’s title is a thank you to him and testament of our friendship. I had just moved to a new town and into half of an old farmhouse by myself when the lockdown hit. I was completely alone with my guitar and piano for 4 months. I didn’t have a tv. I started writing and just couldn’t stop. It was the perfect distraction from the fear and sadness I was experiencing due to the pandemic. I reached out to Brett once I demoed the new tunes. We decided to meet up and start working on the new album. He really came to my rescue.
3.) The Trail of Us reminds me of those classic albums from the likes of Led Zeppelin or Joni Mitchell in that no listener goes away hungry: There are fourteen glorious tracks on your new album, a full-course meal if ever we’ve heard one! In an age where it feels like so many albums go to the light side of track count, was it your intention to deliver an album that would be this substantive?
Wow. Both Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchel sure do fill up the soul! I hope to do the same. I didn’t set out to make a 14 song album but each of the songs could stand strong on their own but somehow they needed to be together at the end of the day because of the way they wee written. They ended up weaving the story of the past couple years. There are about 5 other tunes that didn’t make the album. Maybe I will release a B-sides.
4.) The sound on The Trail of Us is not to be beat. Can we ask who the other talented musicians were who contributed to the new album?
Brett really did an amazing job producing the album. Michael Ronstadt (a talented songwriter who comes from a very musical family!) on cello, Jeremy Beck (Rise Twain) on piano and backing vocals, and Jordan Perlson (Becca Stevens, Snarky Puppy, Kaki King) on drums. I sang, played guitar, and some piano. Brett (Grey Eye Glances, Echolyn, Rise Twain, Francis Dunnery) engineered, produced, and mixed the album. He played electric and acoustic guitars, piano and keys, textures, percussion, glockenspiel, synths, and backing vocals. It was a small, intimate production. Kim Rosen (Knack Mastering) mastered the album.
5.) Do you have a favorite tune on The Trail of Us, or is asking you that akin to Sophie’s Choice?
It forever will be Tightrope.
6.) We’re big fans of Tightrope which is off of The Trail of Us. How did this brilliant song come into being?
Ahhhhh! It your’s too! Thank you dearly. I had the chorus kicking around for awhile. One day while walking out in the woods near my house, I was balancing on a log walking across a creek, and I sang the first lines. When I returned from my hike, I sat down at the piano and the song just wrote itself right into the chorus I had been holding on to. Brett helped me write the glorious outro (which he thinks epitomizes the album) that makes me cry still to this day. It is so hopeful and helps to relieve any heart ache you may be having. A journey of love and courage even when life can feel sometimes like a giant balancing act.
7.) You recorded The Trail of Us at Chateau Fornance and Catapult Sound between 2020 and 2021. What made these two studios feel like safe haven for the recording of this extraordinary album?
The Chateau is Brett’s personal studio and I have been recording there for several years so it already felt like home. Brett also works out of Catapult Sound. William Schwartz and Jason Murray are the owners and have to be some of the kindest, most generous, and loving people you could ever meet. I especially felt safe working in an environment that I felt secure in during the pandemic.
8.) Who was your producer on The Trail of Us and what was your collaboration like in the studio?
Brett William Kull produced the album. We have grown as music collaborators over the years. He pushed me harder on this album than the other albums before. Because our trust and our friendship had grown, there was more honesty and comfortability in being open about the creative process and capturing a performance. If you have good director, it’s ok to fail cause you can just keep on trying. It was very free flowing and natural to work with Brett.
9.) What do you hope fans walk away feeling after listening to The Trail of Us?
I hope that listeners will take the time and listen to the album in it’s entirety. The album will take you on journey through all seasons of the year and all the seasons of emotions. I hope the album will instill hope in the listener’s heart, whether turning it up on a road trip or cooking breakfast in a sunlit kitchen on a Sunday morning.
10.) Can we look forward to seeing you out on tour this summer? What do your touring plans currently look like?
I have some release shows planned for summer 2022 and I am planning to play shows on the East coast for Fall of 2022. I have some wonderful music videos I am releasing to accompany the album. I am also busy composing songs for tv/film as well as a new collaboration with Brett we are heading into the studio to record.
11.) The Trail of Us marks your tenth album. How is your new music similar to what has come before? How is it different?
I feel like “The Trail of Us” is fully formed and my most aware songwriting to date. I have been working hard at my craft over the years and hope that I have grown as a songwriter and I absolutely love this art form. It is magical.
12.) Is there anyone on the current day music scene who inspires you?
Brett and Jeremy have an amazing band called Rise Twain. They are signed to Sony and their second album will be out this next year. Jeremy is one of the best singers on the planet right now. Ray Weston is another stellar vocalist and songwriter. He continues to inspire me with his band Echolyn. I love Rufus Wainwright’s Unfollow the Rules, Daniel Rossen’s You belong There, and Andy Shauf’s Neon Skyline.
13.) You’re a respected composer for both film and television. What fascinates you about that form of making music?
I love how a song can stop you in tracks and make time stand still. I feel that adding a piece of beautiful music to the visual picture of a film only helps the audience to be fully immersed in the moment. It allows us to time travel, feel the depths of our emotions, and become part of the experiences we are witnessing. The music in film time stamps your heart.
14.) Final – SILLY! – Question: Favorite movie about the music scene – Almost Famous, That Thing You Do or This Is Spinal Tap?
I loooooove That Thing You Do. I am going to watch it right now!
