Kat Parsons

Kat Parsons is an American pop singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist. She has won a multitude of awards/competitions, including the grand prize in the Acoustic Live Competition in Los Angeles and the GuitarGirls.com Songwriting Contest. She also placed as a semi-finalist in the Pantene Pro Voice contest. Her music has been featured in United Airlines' "Hear it First" programming. Kat currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Early life Kat Parsons was born in Vienna, Austria to parents Darrell and Julie Parsons. Her father was an opera singer at the Vienna State Opera, and her mother, also a professional musician, released a solo album in 1977 titled Piano Lady as well as a vinyl dance single with her group Foxxfire in 1988. Due to Julie's notoriety in Austria, Kat's birth was announced by Kurier, a major Austrian newspaper. Kat's aunt, Patty Parsons, was the lead singer for Marin County based folk rock band AnExchange, and her other aunt Carolyn Campbell toured internationally with the Continental Singers.

At a young age, Kat moved to Hyattsville, Maryland, United States and spent much of her youth there. Often in her youth, Kat would sing as part of a quartet with her parents and her brother Jon.

Music career Kat released her debut album Framing Caroline on Chicago, Illinois based Waterdog Records in May 1999. The album was produced by Ralph Covert, lead singer of Chicago-based indie rock band the Bad Examples. Online music publication Celebrity Cafe awarded the release "album of the day" for December 17, 1999.

To finance the production of her next album, Kat Parsons reached out to her fanbase, offering various rewards for fan donations. With fan support, she secured the money necessary to record and release 2005's No Will Power, which was distributed by Cleopatra Records. The album was produced by Paul Maylone and Geza X, and features performances by musicians who have recorded and toured with Sarah McLachlan, Liz Phair, John Mayer, Steve Vai and Junkie XL. Thematically, Kat has stated that the album "chronicles the unraveling of a romantic relationship at its every stage." The album also received positive reviews from Allmusic.com, Collected Sounds, and Indie Music Magazine, among other publications. The song "Go Find Her" was a finalist in the Pop/Top 40 category of the 2005 International Songwriting Competition.

No Will Power was a runner up in the "album of the year" contest at the 2005 DIY Music Festival, and she was asked to speak on a panel at the affiliated DIY Convention in 2006, alongside other figures in the world of independent music including musician/engineer Chris Vrenna and Derek Sivers, the founder of CD Baby.

The song "Miss Me" was chosen by One Way Magazine to be included in their issue 13 CD sampler alongside artists such as Pat Metheny, Marianne Faithfull, and Aqualung.

Also in 2005, Kat recorded a cover of Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" with Jennifer Batten. The song was produced by Grammy Award winning producer Bob Kulick, and was featured on a compilation of Cher covers called An All Star Tribute to Cher which also included contributions by Lisa Loeb, Cherie Currie, and Sheila E.

Upcoming Releases

Kat Parsons has confirmed that she will be releasing three new EPs in 2012, and launched a successful campaign on threshold pledge system website Kickstarter to finance the recording and release of the EPs. The first, titled Talk To Me, was produced by Warren Huart will be released on April 3, 2012. One song from the EP, "Fall For It", was co-written with Travis Howard, known for co-writing songs with Miranda Lambert. It was chosen as a semi-finalist for the 2011 International Songwriting Competition in the Pop/Top 40 category. Another future release includes a song co-written by Matt Miller of the band Graydon. Kat also recently recorded a song with well-known songwriter and record producer T Bone Burnett, which has not yet been officially released.

In 2010, Ourstage held a competition to have a song produced by Mike Flynn of Epic Records, known for production work with well-known artists including the Fray and Sara Bareilles. Out of 1,408 entries, Kat won, and had the opportunity to have a song recorded and produced by Flynn, which will be featured on a future release.

Live performance

Kat Parsons is known for her dramatic and emotional live performances, which have been critically praised. In live reviews, John Clarkson of Penny Black Music called her singing style "acrobatic and feisty" and Patrick Foster of the Washington Post stated that while performing live, "her songs possess a fiery folk-rock spirit." In the March 2004 issue of Music Connection magazine, reviewer Scott Perham described her as an "artist who sings straight from the heart." Kat has toured with or performed on stage with well-known artists including Billy Corgan, Sara Bareilles, Maria Muldaur, Jim White Dave Mason, Jonatha Brooke, Lori McKenna, Shannon McNally, the Fixx, the Knack, Ryan Cabrera and Charlotte Martin. She has toured internationally based on the strength of her live performances, including dates and residencies in Europe, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Australia, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

In the early 2000s, Kat toured the United Kingdom as a backing vocalist for singer-songwriter Doug Hoekstra. In reviewing one of these performances, Triste Magazine journalist Steve Wilcock noted that Kat's voice "provided the soul and grit needed" for Doug's bluesier songs.

In Media As a musical artist, Kat has been endorsed by several musical instrument & audio manufacturers, including Yamaha, AUDIX, and Parker Guitars. Kat and her band also appear in an episode of the Food Network series FoodNation with Bobby Flay. She was featured in a television commercial directed by Mark Goffman for Baldwin Piano Company/Gibson in which she can be seen singing and playing piano. Her music has also showed up in several television series, including Style Network's Giuliana and Bill, VH1's Audrina and Venice: The Series. She has performed live on several talk shows and morning shows, including KTVK's Good Morning Arizona and Chicago's WGN Morning News.

Kat's music has been played on many radio stations, including KCRW in Santa Monica, WBEZ in Chicago, WRNR-FM in Maryland, and KLOS in Los Angeles. Her songs reached the top of the "most played" charts for XM Satellite Radio's UnSigned station (now called The Verge).

Discography

+ Albums Title Album detailsFraming CarolineReleased: 1999 Label: Waterdog RecordsNo Will PowerReleased: March 29, 2005 Distribution: Cleopatra Records

+ EPs Title Album detailsKat ParsonsReleased: 2002 Self-releasedTalk to MeReleased: April 3, 2012 Self-released

+ Compilation Appearances Title Album detailsNiteskool Project 1999Released: May 1999 Label: Niteskool ProductionsSongwriters Cafe Volume 1Released: October 2000 Label: Yew Tree RecordsTrunkstock: Artist Sampler Volume 1Released: November 2000 Label: Trunkstock Music GroupAn All Star Tribute to CherReleased: 2005 Label: Cleopatra RecordsAn Extraordinary Tribute to Fiona AppleReleased: 2006 Label: Tributized RecordsAbrazos 2007Released: 2007 Label: Full Forward RecordsSongs for HaitiReleased: 2010 Label: For Lenore Music

+ Vocal Contributions Title Album detailsDrinking from the Water Clock by Rebecca's StatueReleased: October 2000 Label: Livin' Live RecordsAround the Margins by Doug HoekstraReleased: March 2001 Label: InbetweensDoug Hoekstra Combo Live at Sal's Music Emporium by Doug HoekstraReleased: May 2001 Label: HinahComing Home by Chuck CheesmanReleased: 2001 Label: Chuck CheesmanBeyond the Foggy Highway by Chris OppermanReleased: 2005 Label: Purple Cow RecordsThe Lionheart by Chris OppermanReleased: 2010 Label: Purple Cow RecordsGraydon by GraydonReleased: 2010 Label: GraydonA Musical Journey of Christmas Classics by The Three Jazz MenReleased: 2010 Label: Man Alive Music Productions