Kat Mills
Kat Mills has always wanted a time machine. As a young child her mother was already calling her a "throwback". Like a movie character frozen for 40 years who suddenly wakes in modern America, Kat Mills embodies a sound, look and vibe of a previous era, but with brand new material. Kat is a natural woman, wife, mother, activist and seeker with a warm alto voice and a vintage Martin guitar. Audiences find themselves singing along, closing their eyes—transported. Remember when poetry and wit counted? When you listened to the whole album, start to finish, reading liner notes as you let the stories sink in? Fans continually walk up to Kat Mills and say, "You remind me of...". Put aside the busy and let yourself travel. Kat Mills is currently based in Blacksburg VA and tours throughout the east.
Kat has proudly been involved in Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival (NY), Floyd Fest (VA), Solar Fest (VT), The Takoma Park Folk Festival (DC) and other events lining up with issues of social justice and environmental responsibility. Favorite opening sets have supported Levon Helm, Dar Williams, Dori Freeman and Sarah Lee Guthrie. Songwriter series, in-the-rounds, and house concerts have been a mainstay. But Kat Mills is equally at home on a theater or café stage, having played notable songwriter venues including The Towne Crier, Rosendale Café, The Lyric Theatre, Caffe Lena, Jefferson Center, and Kirk Avenue Music Hall. She was a finalist in the 2015 NewSong/LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, has had original song placements in film and podcasts, and appears as a back-up vocalist for other artists, most recently with super-group "Reelin’ in the Years: A Tribute to Steely Dan" at the Bearsville Theater.
Kat recently released her fourth studio album, SILVER, produced with award-winning engineer and long-time collaborator Scott Petito in Catskill NY. The A-Team session band features David Spinozza (Paul Simon), Clifford Carter (James Taylor), Marc Shulman (Suzanne Vega) and Zak Alford (David Bowie). It spans the wider folk landscape, from personal to political, with tastes of soul and r&b, but always with Kat at the helm. SILVER was supported by a successful fan-funding campaign on PledgeMusic, and is making its way to the world on her own label, Sweetcut Music.
Kat Mills believes in the power of folk music, now more than ever, to transport and transcend. A troubled day, or world, can be soothed by a song. At a time when we have almost forgotten how to be still, to listen, to reflect and then engage, Kat Mills helps us remember.