Katdog - Duo sometimes trio
KATDOG is essentially 2 people, a singer songwriter piano player called KAt ,and a drummer called Wil. They have been making music together for 13 years, and have collaborated with various brilliant musicians to create bigger sounds, as well as concentrating on their own unique stripped down sound. Essentially it is a combination of celtic melody, unusually honest and evocative lyrics, and powerful African rhythms, pounding Djembe and occasionally strange percussion. Katdog regularly perform on the festival circuit and the acoustic music scene.There is one album available at present- a live one, soon to be on this site.
Kat - Singer Songwriter
KATDOG is essentially 2 people, a singer songwriter piano player called KAT ,and a drummer called Wil. They have been making music together for 13 years, and have collaborated with various brilliant musicians to create bigger sounds, as well as concentrating on their own unique stripped down sound. Essentially it is a combination of celtic melody, unusually honest and evocative lyrics, and powerful African rhythms, pounding Djembe and occasionally strange percussion. Kat has been writing music since she was 8 years old, a self taught piano player who later got classical lessons through secondary school. She went to the City of Leeds college of music, but soon left to join a working mens club band as a backing singer touring the North east rather extensively. She was also in The Armadillo Hat band, a group of college musicians, writing originals and playing Police /Marvin Gaye covers ( ?!) By 1990 Kat had moved to London where she began to immerse herself in the acoustic scene. Beginning with a trio called Pictures of Lily, which then whittled down to a duo called Sister Wicca (with Paul Hoad from Suntrap) she began a period of intensive nightly gigging. From Glastonbury to the Big Green Gathering to the Mean Fiddler to Godalming Folk Club plus all the acoustic nights, which were plentiful in London pre the new licencing laws. By now she had moved to Crouch End, North London, and met Alisha Sufitt a very experienced singer/songwriter who had some very important advice for Kat and any singer songwriters in her situation at that time. 'Don't wait for other people to record your music, you'll be waiting forever, just get off your arse and do it yourself.' Alisha Sufitt runs her own label as well as being an amazing artist, and sells her own brilliant songs. So that was how the recording started- first Sister Wicca, 'Garden of Light' , (see shop ) At this time Kat was always playing with other musicians as she felt her own keyboard skills were not enough , so when Sister Wicca split up (Paul got more folky and formed Suntrap) and Kat got less folky ‘she had to look for other musicians to play her songs. After months of looking for a guitarist, one of the interviewees asked, when shown a song on piano- 'why don't you just do it on piano?' Good question, so she did. And that was how Kat was born. She began to go out as a solo act, with a trusty M1, and revisited all of the acoustic clubs (Easycome Club,( run by the Hank-Dogs) Bunjies,(supported Jeff Buckley) Barnet Folk Club, Sidolis, Kashmir Klub,(run by the cutting crew’s Tony Moore) Orange Songwriters ( many many times hello Pam and Lisa- rubbing shoulders with LOTs of celebs- Howard Jones, Anastasia, Dylan Howes, Nick Haywood and Bonnie Raitt) ,Chats Palace, The Hen and Chickens (along with the Tiger Lilies and the Spike Drivers) Samuel Pepys, and so many more. She tried to get 'noticed', signed, whatever, but nothing happened. There was a brief flirtation with Vons studios who wanted to sign a publishing deal but the studio folded before anything was finalised. Next came more singers- first Anita then Heather, then it was just Kat and Anita , and they settled on the name Gypsie ( I know -very 90's). Anita brought a touch of soul and they carried on in the acoustic clubs and at the Orange Songwriters in Kensington. Then more musicians came, Mick Parker on bass, Steve on drums, and it wsa at this point that Wil appeared- on percussion. The next album was ‘Lost in Heaven’ recorded by Mark Hadley in a riverside studio in South London. This was 1996 and you still had to get a glass master made to burn a CD (!) The band didn’t last long as Steve went off travelling, and soon it was back to Kat Anita and Wil. This soon became Kat and Wil, and so Katdog in essence began.
