(Perkins, Okla.) In October 1999, Emily Kaitz decided to celebrate her 48th birthday by recording a live album at Melody Studio in Fayetteville, Arkansas with her Oklahoma City musician friends Mary Reynolds, and Louise Goldberg along with Elyse Angelo, and Austin friend Greg Lowry.
They all came over and went into the studio for about 6 hours. The result was the The Fayetteville Session, a live album released in 2000 featuring a combination of jazz, swing and original numbers — all recorded live in studio with no overdubs.
Reynolds and Emily had performed together as a duo when they both lived in Austin, TX. in the 1990s. And It was through Mary that Emily met Louise and Elyse, who were members of Mary’s jazz band Miss Brown To You. Louise (piano) and Elyse (percussion) were also featured on several songs on Emily’s album “Yuppie Scum.”
On June 25th, Emily, Mary and Louise will bring their sweet sounds to the Old Church Center in Perkins, a few years older, but wiser and still soulful. All three have had distinguished solo careers and it will be a real treat to catch them together again in the peacefulness of the old church.
Emily Kaitz
Emily Kaitz usually sings original, largely humorous songs to solo guitar accompaniment. Her music is whimsical, irreverent and highly entertaining. Subject matter in her songs ranges from razorbacks to tornadoes, from feng shui to her genetic background, with some unique perspectives on love and romance thrown in.“Austin’s Emily Kaitz has a wonderful knack for being funny, silly and sometimes annoying, and then turning around and being amazingly poignant.”— Stephen W Terrell, No Depression
A regular performer nationwide at coffeehouses and other intimate venues, Emily especially enjoys appearing close to home in Arkansas.
Targeting her program to different audience types, she can perform solo, with one accompanying musician, or with her eclectic trio “Outside the Lines” featuring Emily on bass and vocals, Stan D’Aubin on mandolin and vocals, and Ed Nicholson on guitar and vocals. With the trio, the repertoire is expanded to feature a variety of swing, jazz, and bluegrass numbers, in addition to Emily’s songs.
Miss Brown to You
Mary Reynolds and Louise Goldberg perform with passion, humor and total commitment to the emotional power of the music they love with their band, Miss Brown to You. They refuse to be confined to one style, one period; instead they prefer to expand the horizon of every genre they play, even while upholding the traditions of the musicians that have inspired them in the past. The musicians that make up Miss Brown to You are capable of an eclectic abandon that few other bands attempt, and they are looking for an audience that appreciates a broad palate of musical colors.
Mary ReynoldsMary Reynolds is a classically trained vocalist and instrumentalist, playing guitar or bass as required. Her compositions and interpretations were featured in the Fast Folk Musical Magazine when she lived in New York City in the early 80’s, and are archived at the Smithsonian.
“Her voice is a clarion call, a beautiful & controlled birdsong.”— Thomas Conner, Tulsa World
While living in Austin, she was a frequent performer on the Austin scene and in October of 1996 was spotlighted in a solo “Live Set” on KUT radio. She is a frequent performer at the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma. In her hometown of Oklahoma City, Mary has performed everywhere from the state penitentiary to the Governor’s Mansion. Mary’s solo recordings include patience (1998) and ohthree (“the Puppy album,” 2003).
Louise Goldberg has appeared with a wide variety of performing groups and is comfortable in any style of music: reggae jazz, rock, and folk.
“…not only an astonishingly accomplished musician, multi-instrumentalist, and performer, she is a gifted composer and song writer as well.”— John Hadley, Tree International
Louise holds a Bachelor of Music from Boston University and a Master of Music in piano performance from Oklahoma City University. She also sings, plays accordion and guitar. Louise hails from New York City and has made Oklahoma City her home since 1979.
Louise’s first solo album was released in 2003 and features her inspired interpretations of classic American songs along with her own original music.
The songbirds’ show begins at 7pm, with a 6:15pm potluck dinner open to all who want to bring a dish or just bring a hungry belly! Be sure and check out the beautiful Oklahoma Territorial Plaza, home to the old Perkins United Methodist church- built in 1892 and moved a few blocks to it’s present location four years ago. With great sound and lighting, the shows are comfy, all good folks who attend, and those who volunteer make the evening an awesome experience!
Monica Taylor — Oklahoma songwriter and touring artist herself, and long time member of the Red Dirt family — books and hosts the shows. She grew up just a mile from Perkins and the Cimarron river and is proud of her small hometown. Taylor begins the shows with a little ‘Visit with the Artist’ and invites the audience to ask a few questions.
Ya’ll come on down to Perkins, OK for this Thursday, June 25th, or any of the other Cimarron Breeze concerts this season!
