Catherine Orland was trained until age twelve as a classical pianist. When she was eight, she began attending a hippie camp which instilled in her a love of '60s folk music accompanied by as many acoustic guitars as possible. At this same Vermont summer camp, at age twelve, she saw Ani DiFranco perform and thought, "that's what I want to do." Quickly she realized how perfectly matched she and the acoustic guitar were. She took guitar lessons for a year, but gave them up in favor of less formal self-instruction. She is fond of saying that she learned more on guitar in a week than she learned on piano in eight years.
Composing songs came to her naturally--she used her voice and guitar to express in song what she could not express by any other means. Often writing a song would be a therapeutic and cathartic process for her: it would enable her to resolve or re-imagine an issue that had been preoccupying her. Maturing both musically and personally brought about inevitable changes in perspective, however the therapeutic purpose of songwriting in her life has never altered. Catherine has continued to draw on her emotions for material and strives to connect with people by writing with honesty and freedom.
Catherine's influences span a wide musical gamut. She was raised on Ella Fitzgerald, but later worshipped artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Her angsty teenage years were heavily influenced by Pearl Jam, and Guns 'n' Roses. She is also influenced by Classic Rock (Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin). New favorites are Susan Tedeschi and Robert Randolph.
Catherine is a dynamic and soul searching singer/songwriter. She plays a near jumbo cutaway Washburn Cumberland electric acoustic guitar, known for its full bodied sound. Her music can best be described as aggressive folk rock: her lyrics are bold and candid, her melodies easily incorporate falsetto shifts and throaty growls, and her guitar work is strong and precise. Her delivery is confident but intimate, while her guitar style ranges between picking patterns on individual strings, calming chordal strums, and unrestrained, explosive, hard-hitting climaxes. She regularly breaks Fender Heavy picks. Above all, in each song she writes or performs, Catherine's attempt to convey her emotional message through maintaining a constant sensitivity to the balance between lyrics, melody, tonal quality and attitude results in thoughtful, multi-layered, and refreshingly honest compositions.
Catherine has performed throughout New England, Colorado, California and CBGBs in New York City. She hopes that her music will make people think about who they are and how they behave. She also seeks to further her activist goals through music: to establish peace through equality by ending sexism, racism and other interlinked oppressions.
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.catherineorland.comTrack List:
1. Ruphies
2. How Many Times
3. No Noah
4. Right Kind Of Breed
5. Who's With Me?
6. Best Years Of Your Life
7. Vulnerati
8. Carved Up The Plains
9. Middle of The Night
10. Noho Song (Its Here)
11. Lucky
12. How Its Gonna Be
13. Judgement Day
14. Without Fear
15. Rosie The Riveter
16. Big Storm
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