Catie Curtis has always been a pop-leaning writer in folk clothing. This seems to be a growing breed in acoustic music. More and more performers who make their bread and butter by playing folk music venues are now being heard by alternative music fans. Catie’s vivid songwriting combines insightful lyrics with soulful strumming and energy. Much of her music entails emotional narratives that the audience can relate to. She has written about domestic violence, corporate greed, religion, homelessness, peace, international adoption, and gay issues. Unlike artists whose careers are generated by one hit song, Curtis has garnered a fan base through word of mouth, without music industry hype.

Catie has been a constant key member of the Boston acoustic music scene for five albums worth of material thus far. Not many people can claim to be awarded the title of “folk-rock goddess” by a storied publication such as the The New Yorker. The Boston Globe’s review of her CD “Dreaming in Romance Languages” notes that Curtis ties her intimate landscapes to broader themes of spirituality, community, and lasting love. Bay Windows dubs this album Catie’s best since her first. They assert that in this particular collection of tunes Curtis “assembles a lively sequence of relationship flip-flops, intersplicing cautions of impending disconnects with jubilant tales of love’s successes.”

All of Catie’s recordings, along with her engaging live shows, have garnered rave reviews, numerous awards, and a solid touring career in the US and Europe. Her songs have been featured on “Dawson’s Creek,” “Felicty,” “Alias” and “Chicago Hope” as well as in several independent films. She’s toured with Dar Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter and as part of Lilith Fair. This commitment to touring has resulted in a devoted, grassroots fan base. These days, Curtis is on the road playing 100 shows a year, both solo and with her band. In fact, a movie about her touring life is in the works. Independent filmmaker Robert Millis shot footage and interviews of Catie and assorted colleagues and friends for a film entitled “Tangled Stories.”

A reviewer noted in the Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange: “[Catie Curtis’s] voice is so completely engaging and so uniquely different, that it is instantly recognizable the moment one of her discs is put into play.” Curtis is known for her signature voice-crack and uses it to great advantage in top-notch tunes such as “Cross Over to Me,” which was co-written by Curtis and one of Nashville’s most talented singer-songwriters, Beth Nielsen-Chapman. This same music reviewer goes on to say: “Perhaps we need to follow Japan’s example and officially proclaim our artists and musicians national treasures. Catie Curtis is a gift.”

Curtis’s newest recording, “Long Night Moon,” is one of her most personal efforts to date. It’s an intricate work of stripped down modern folk. A more mature Curtis mingles reflections on motherhood, cold New England winters, and delayed gratification (“Long Night Moon,” a song written about waiting for the belated arrival of her adopted baby daughter) with the unflinching dedication to social issues that has long characterized her strongest work. “Long Night Moon” features the track “People Look Around,” for which Curtis (along with co-writer Mark Erelli) was honored with the Grand Prize in this year’s International Songwriting Competition (out of 15,000 entries from 82 countries). “People Look Around” addresses the human toll and the divisive political landscape that arose in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Liz Carlisle

Liz Carlisle will be opening the show at the Me&Thee. Twenty-three year old Carlisle has already achieved several career milestones as a young independent that elude far more experienced artists. Her debut studio release, “Five Star Day,” garnered considerable airplay on commercial country stations in her home state of Montana, while also ranking 13th on the folk-dj list, which surveys public radio around the world. The CD was one of five nominees for Best Country Album in the Independent Music Awards, and the single, “Montana,” was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. In addition, Carlisle was one of five nominees for Best Emerging Artist in this year’s Folk Alliance Awards. She has toured relentlessly to support her new project, with stops at the Kerrville, Falcon Ridge, New Bedford, and Great Waters Festivals as well as several British festivals and openers for major country and acoustic acts. She’s currently in the studio recording her new CD, so the Me&Thee audience will get a sneak peek at her newest work.

 

 

Curtis's songs are beautifully and deceptively well crafted, her production tastefully understated, and her singing so heartbreakingly pure, pained, and devoid of artifice as to suggest she knows not only your secrets, but your soul. Alanna Nash, Amazon.com

[Liz Carlisle’s] is a kind, unaffected, come-right-on-in type of voice — one that manages to be pretty without being too cute, and earnest without taking on weight. It is a voice that simply puts you at ease, which is no accident. . . Carlisle soothes with a cache of original songs that cull the twang and heart of country music, the soul-searching of folk, and the lift of pop. Denise Taylor, Boston Globe