Kate Maki

Kate Maki opened for Great Lake Swimmers and if you read my last post you know how much I loved GLS. But I must say there is always something delightfully exciting when an opener beats the band you came to see. Simple Kate Maki, with her school teacher outfit (she actually is a grade school teacher), kind hearted sarcasm and unbridled cool confidence projects all of this into her music. If I could compare her to a hybrid of musicians I would say M.Ward, Emily Haines and Neko Case. I guess you’d call it M.ily Weko Caines. She is blues, she is folk, she’s old-timey at moments, pure and makes you smile. Definitely the type of folk the world needs more of.

And I want to say something really quickly… I said I was sick of folk last entry. That was dumb, obtuse, even criminal. I love folk, but folk that is made for the sake of folk, for the sake of emitting a feeling or telling a story. I love folk with a traditional tie, that transcends time. I think that is one of the best things about music, it can put us places we can’t ever physically go, more so than any visual medium. So incredibley profound I know… I am just sort of within a tangental struggle trying to understand what I don’t like about certain styles of folk. I love Bon Iver, and he is lo-fi folk… which initially I thought is what I don’t like about Sufjan Stevens (but not all Sufjan) and Great Lake Swimmers. Maybe it’s the vocals, because I don’t like Elliott Smith either. Girly whispery sad boy voice. I guess that’s it.

Well thanks for sticking through my thought process… I assure you, in real time I would have lost you at the beginning of the second paragraph. Back to Kate Maki… She is brilliant! So awesome I even bought her vinyl and I don’t even have a player. I recommend checking out her myspace and loving her as much as I do