Kate McDonnell - Flying High on a Lyrical "Trapeze"

Kate McDonnell has captivated audiences all over the world with her award-winning songwriting, her unusual upside down and backwards guitar style, and her crystalline voice. Kate was in the Heartland for a couple of shows in 2024 including Howard Dolginoff’s Labyrinth House Concert Series. She was kind enough to come onto my radio show during a Pledge Drive to help me raise money for community radio.

Kate comes from generations of musicians on both sides: her maternal grandfather (trumpet) and great grandfather (trombone and viola) performed with the National and Baltimore Symphonies. Kate's father sang in operettas in his younger years, and her mother continues to play anything she can hear on the piano in F#, just as her own mother did. All three of Kate's siblings have the musical gift.

Armed with her unusual guitar style and soprano voice, Kate teamed with her twin sister to perform around their Baltimore hometown during their high school and college years. After a four-year sabbatical from performance in the mid-80s, Kate returned to music by partnering with guitarist Freddie Tane, at one time a member of Bill Haley’s Comets. That duo cut two self-released albums during their collaboration and opened shows for touring stars such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Judy Collins.

In 1989, Kate started writing her own songs and began racking up serious critical recognition like being named a New Folk Finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and a finalist at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Showcase in New York State.

Kate’s latest work, “Trapeze” introduced here on the Tasty Brew was released in September 2024.

Enjoy this conversation and in studio performance with New York’s Kate McDonnell.