You know, life is a funny thing. Last year on this date I was also at Schubas, but I was there to see Sister 7, a band from Austin Texas that I love dearly. Last year, just like this year and every other year, Sept 2nd is my B-Day. So last year I was partying with Sister 7(and I have the pictures), and this year I was reviewing Kat Parsons.

So why am I sharing this with you? Well, I was looking for an opening and this was the best I could come up with, and besides - it’s the truth. I first heard about Kat at CHaT (ya I know that rhymes), but I did meet her at CHaT. Kat gave me her CD and asked me to come out to see her live. Well that was a year ago and, after seeing her live at Schubas, that was a year wasted. The term singer-songwriter is one that is often over used, but in the case of Kat Parsons, it’s one that fits her like a well-tailored suit. At their best, singer-songwriters have the ability to give the listener a window into their world through their lyrics. Kat tells her stories of love won and of love lost, but does so in a fresh and somewhat unique way. One thing that I found unique was that Kat performs with a Cello player (Martha Larson) and a Guitar/Hand sonic player (Johnse Holt).

It's this combination of instrumentation that gives Kat Parsons a new voice in what is already a crowded field. Along with her voice itself, which is both powerful and at times graceful, Kat breathes life into every word with her sincerity. There are some very wonderful and talented young women out there right now - Casey Chambers, Patrice Pike of Sister 7, Chicago’s own Ellen Rosner, and Tristen - to name just four in what seems to be a ever growing list, and a list that Kat should be on. Kat's vocals are versatile enough that she can sing a balled or a rockin' blues song, as she did in her closing number "Hurt So Bad" by Tom Hambridge. Kat is also a very fine songwriter, I never found myself looking away from the stage, but rather listening, listening to her voice and to her words.