Biography

contact
Kathryn Caine:434-989-7330
kathryncogden@gmail.com
“ For years, executives, music people and everyone felt free to tell me what to do and who I needed to be. I got fed up with it and decided to cut through the noise and forge my own path. Down Home Girl is the result of that decision. I am damn proud of it.”
Kathryn Caine

"This is Kathryn Caine's fourth release and she went back to her roots of bluegrass and country. Having written all 11 songs,She was truly inspired by the musicians that recorded with her. Andy Thacker on mandolin ,acoustic and electric guitar, Darrell Muller on acoustic bass and Stuart Holme on electric bass, the amazing Nick Reeb on fiddle and multi talented James McLaughlin on drums as well as being the engineer and mixer of the record. The diversity of these amazingly talented musicians and Kathryn's songwriting and high and lonesome soulful singing, have made for a truly inspired recording. The songs are a mix of pure Country , bluegrass and folk. They range from the haunting, and sad, 'The Dream' and 'The Bad Luck song' To the footstompin good time 'Settlin Down' and 'Honeyhill', To the heartbreak of unrequited love 'Where did the time go' and' For You' to the love of the 'Workin Man' and the newgrass 'The Fall'. The opening two track 'Wheels' and 'Far Away' will have you hooked with amazing guitar and fiddle and of course, the voice! The Mandolin /Guitar arrangements are joyful, the fiddle rippin and held together with a solid rhythm section.This CD is a comprehensive piece of art and is a blessing, a heartache and a gift,"

“I am all for collaborating , yet to be put in a room with a co writer and told to follow a formula or write a song that sounds like xyz, well that did not work for me. When the crowd follows the trend, I tend to walk, run in the opposite direction. But, hey, at the end of the day, you are left with yourself and I have to go with my gut. I would probably have a lot more income if I wasn’t this way!”
Kathryn Caine

“ Art has always been a vehicle for me to connect with others. Art gives voice to the voiceless. When that voice is found, the door is opened to form your own ideas. This leads to the ability and desire to speak with courage and truth. To think for oneself through expression and creativity is the ultimate freedom. Art is life and life is art!” Kathryn Caine

I am an artist in every aspect of my life. Both of my parents are incredibly artistic, and they have encouraged and inspired me. They are lovers and collectors of fine art and “objects de art.” Growing up, I was surrounded by what I considered beauty. Art was in everything from finely crafted furniture and textiles to the architecture of our home. I grew up with an appreciation and an eye for craftsmanship and skill. Creativity was embraced in our household and music, art, philosophy, and literature were very much the norm, and this led to my passion for music and Art.
I have spent the majority of my life working as a musician. Art and writing were a way of funding my recording projects, so one form of art fueled the other. I began writing songs at 15 years old and never stopped.. I have recorded 11 Cd’s all available on digital outlets: Whiteville, The Kathryn Caine Band, Better, Down Home Girl, When I Was His Wife, Kathryn Caine’s Christmas, Kathryn Caine and The Small Band, Love and Mercy, A Very Love and Mercy Christmas, The Best of Kathryn Caine’s Christmas, The Gospel according To Kathryn Caine and Ogden Heart.
Liner Notes
Down Home Girl
all songs written by Kathryn Caine
Produced by Kathryn Caine
James McLaughlin, Engineer and mixed and mastered
recorded at mountainside Studios Charlottesville Va
Musicians
Andy Thacker, Mandolin and Guitar
Nick Reeb Fiddle
James McLaughlin, Drums
Kathryn Caine, vocals, piano, guitar
Stuart Holm Bass
Darrell Muller Bass

Review:

Ever notice there aren’t many female-oriented songs about not being tied down? I’m sure there are, but they don’t come to mind like Free Bird or Ramblin’ Man. I suppose Thelma & Louise gives the XX perspective for the movie genre, but what about something you can sing along to? Kathryn Caine, on her latest work, Down Home Girl, aims to fix that with the opening track, Wheels. From there she goes into Far Away with an explosive opening guitar run to Settlin Down , where she proclaims she’s “never been one for settling down” because “I don’t think I could survive”.

Kathryn is certainly not a one trick pony, though. There are a couple of good waltzes on the album, Where Did All the Time Go and The Dream. Honeyhill is a good old rock and roll song. The Fall is almost a pop song. It reminds me of Terri Hendrix, but it could also be Taylor Swift if you’re a couple of generations younger than me. Workin’ Man could be a Grateful Dead tune, complete with minor chords and twangy leads with jazzy rhythms.

One of the things Kathryn proves with Down Home Girl is in this day and age you don’t need a big name producer to put out a solidly recorded, engineered and produced effort. Between Kathryn herself and James McLaughlin, who also plays drums, this a clean, bright recording with nothing to hide or muddle the excellent musicianship. Foremost of which is the guitar and mandolin playing of Andy Thacker, but the entire band holds it own on every single song.

With Thanksgiving here tomorrow, many of you will be spending some quality windshield time with nothing but your thoughts and some good music. And even of those of you with kids may be blessed with the saviour known as personal DVD players. Down Home Girl is full of good driving tunes so download it now, add it to your library, and hit the road with best wishes for a good holiday from all of us at Twangville.

Review:

Kathryn Caine - Down Home Girl

Kathryn Caine is a North Carolina girl transplanted to Virginia who’s been performing regionally and on the Nashville scene for a dozen years now. With High Lonesome streaking through her voice, Caine has been a demo and backup singer as well as performing with her own band. With three albums under her belt, Caine will release her fourth, Down Home Girl, on October 31, 2009.

Caine gets things rolling with a song about the draw some people feel to the road. Wheels is upbeat, accessible and danceable without sacrificing a thing. Far Away is a song of unrequited love. The guitar work here is incredible and worth trying to figure out if you're so inclined. Caine is in fine voice, which is vaguely reminiscent of Dolly Parton's but in a lower register. Settlin' Down might just be the next big anthem of the small-town country girl. The bluegrass arrangement seems to say how things will go in a relationship; the song is an instant classic. The Fall makes for compelling listening; it's a song for cynical people on the verge of love. The Fall is well-written and intelligent with a melody that will stick around well after the CD/download ceases to play.

For You is an adulterous love song where the protagonist is plotting continue her affair while hiding it from her husband. The song plays like something from a Country-flavored Broadway Musical. Honeyhill crosses over into Rock N Roll country for an ode to the narrator's favorite place on earth. A strong melody combined with knockout vocal harmonies make this a big winner. My personal favorite song on the disc is Working Man, a well-written piece of Country/Pop, setting the stage for the closing number, The Dream. This tune is a heartbreaker about a little brother who passed away young and how he continues to make his presence felt. The song is beautifully written and if you don't have a tear in your eye by the end you probably weren't listening.

Kathryn Caine dazzles on Down Home Girl. Based in Country but dabbling with Folk and Rock N Roll, Caine's dynamic Country debut is among the elite debuts in 2009. Her voice has a classic country sound, and Caine always sounds like she's giving her heart on every song and enjoying it completely. Make sure you spend some time with Kathryn Caine and Down Home Girl!

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)