Drawing on the concepts presented in Matt's book, Hooks: Lessons on Performance, Business, and Life from a Working Musician, Kat Edmonson joins Matt to discuss
- choosing the right environment to spark and capture inspiration,
- coping with criticism and expectations in high-exposure performance opportunities,
- gaining strength through improvement, perseverance, and creativity,
- realizing one's authentic aspirations and pursuing a new path, and
- finding meaning and balance that transcends the public persona.
Kat Edmonson is an award-winning songwriter and singer "with an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret, and vintage cosmopolitanism pop" (The New York Times). She has been featured on Austin City Limits, Tiny Desk Concerts, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Late Show.
The New York Times describes her music as "fresh as a spring bouquet," while NPR says, "Hearing Edmonson makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen."
Kat holds a deep and longstanding commitment to creating the highest quality recordings possible, working with multi-GRAMMY®-award-winning producers and audio engineer legends Frank Filipetti, Fernando Lodeiro, Ed Cherney, Phil Ramone, and the recording giant Al Schmitt (24-time-GRAMMY®-award-winner) who said of Kat, "She is a tremendous talent … with a style and charm that reaches fans in the worlds of blues, rock, pop, and beyond."
In 2013, The Songwriters Hall of Fame awarded Kat the Abe Olman Scholarship Award for Excellence in Songwriting. "Intuitive about melody and handy with a turn of phrase (The New York Times), the songsmith has been writing since she was a little girl, having published over 40 songs. JAZZIZ magazine says, "…her lasting contribution might very well be her songs." NPR says, "She's a savvy student of '60s film soundtracks, jazz-pop stylists, and Brill Building songcraft, nodding to her influences at every turn. But her take on those stylized musical languages is so fresh and fluent that the referencing never feels cumbersome." Her original song "Lucky" was featured in the Coca-Cola "Footprints" ad from the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The Texas native began crafting her signature sound while performing in Austin's local club circuit for years before releasing her debut LP, Take To The Sky, in 2009. In addition to her headline tours, Kat has gone on the road in support of Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Gary Clark, Jr., Jaime Cullum, and Shawn Colvin and has opened shows for Smokey Robinson, George Benson, Amos Lee, Michael Kiwanuka, Asleep at the Wheel, Nick Lowe, and Willie Nelson.
Kat Edmonson lives in New York.
In winter 2022, Kat made her theatrical debut in "The Hang,": a new jazz opera by Taylor Mac and Matt Ray. Upon its opening, the off-off Broadway show received "Critic's Pick" in The New York Times, highlighting Kat's "extraordinary artistry." About her performance, Vulture praises the burgeoning actress for her "weightless, soaring scat arias," The Wrap says, "Kat Edmonson emerges as the Teresa Stratus of off-off-Broadway." "The Hang" imagines the final hours of the life of Socrates as he asks his friends to use every moment left to think on virtue.
Matt Wilson gained national exposure as the "Piano Man" in the First National Tour of Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's Tony-award-winning musical Movin' Out. In 2005, the Texas State Senate honored Matt with a resolution for his achievements in Fine Arts, and he was accepted to the 2016 - 2018 Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster. Matt continues to tour with his band, headlining numerous public, private, and social events.
In 2021, Matt released his first book, Hooks: Lessons on
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