Interview with Kate Voegele

On Tuesday, October 6th I had the opportunity to talk to Kate Voegele. It was the night before she kicked off the tour in her home town Cleveland, Ohio.

Candis: Hey Kate, How are you?
Kate: Doing well, getting ready to start up another tour tomorrow so I'm excited and really pumped.

Candis: Tomorrow is the first date of the tour, correct?
Kate:Yeah the first date of the tour is tomorrow, crazy.

Candis: Did you pick Cleveland as the first tour date since this is your home town?
Kate: It is my home town. It was convenient and why not kick it off in Cleveland? It's a fun part of getting the tour together. Cleveland has been good to me from the start. Figured, start this tour where it all started in the first place.

Candis: Do you get to choose the bands that open up the show for you?
Kate: Yeah no matter who you tour with you're always going to have a good experience. It's awesome to have a say in it. Green River Ordinance is a great band and a great group of guys. Kevin Hammond is super talented, really cool guy who I actually just did a duet with. He may end up putting it on his record that is going to be coming out.

Candis: What's your favorite song to perform?
Kate: I think it changes with every show. One of my favorite songs is a song called Inside Out, it's the first track from the new record. It's my favorite right now. It's upbeat, fun and the live version of it kind of has a little bit more spunk.

Candis: Do you have a pre-planned setlist, or do you change it up with each show?
Kate: Usually we have a skeleton to work from and that's where we start. We change things depending on how we feel from show to show. So it's not exactly the same every time.

Candis:What's your least favorite thing about touring?
Kate: Gosh, mostly positive stuff. Probably just being away from friends and family. Life can be crazy sometimes and you feel like your life is scattered all over the place. Definitely worth it though.

Candis: Where do you call home now?
Kate: I live in LA now but I think Cleveland will always be home just because I've lived here pretty much my whole life.

Candis: Do you still have alot of friends and family in Cleveland? Do they come to all of your shows?
Kate: Oh definitely, yeah. The whole Cleveland community is part of what makes playing here the best stop on the tour. That's what's fun about it, knowing when I play in Cleveland I'm going to get to see family and friends. It's more than just a great show in a great city.

Candis: You've opened up for many bands. Is there one that is your favorite?
Kate: You learn something from everyone while your touring. I toured last summer with Natasha Betingfield and I think that's been my favorite. I learned alot from her live show that was just amazing. They took these songs from the record and did some funky things to make them new for the tour. She is such a cool girl. Could not have been more down to earth, and was so nice. She's had so much success and is still so real, and treats her fans well.

Candis: Do you have any big plans when this tour is over?
Kate: After the US tour we are going to go to Europe at the end of November. I'm really stoked about it because we haven't played over there. It's going to be really cool to bring the show overseas. I'm going to do Europe and then who knows, it's probably going to be a busy year next year with some touring and recording.

Candis: If someone didn't know you or your music, in your own words how would you describe yourself to them?
Kate: I think that to me I am songwriter before I am anyting else so the songwriting is really the part that is most important to me. The music I write is influenced by so many different types of music. Obviously my music is mainstream, pop rock music but it is inspired by many types of music such as classic rock & blues. I want to write songs that speak to people that have lyrics that related to them. I want to write lyrics that sound catchy but are actually saying something to express a certain feeling or experience. Arists that I grew up admiring like Sheryl Crow really acheived that balance, she can have a song on the radio but it's also a song you can listen to when you really just need a song to describe what's going on in your life.

Candis: Was recording "A Fine Mess" any different than your previous album.
Kate: Yeah absolutely. I think what was different this round is when you record your first album you go in to record everything you've written in your life and this album was a collection of stuff over the last year and a half so it's all very recent. The first record I knew how I wanted to execute the songs and they were very straigt forward. With this record I went into the studio open ended. I wasn't sure what direction these songs would take. The coolest part of making this record was that Mike Elizondo (who produced the album) brought in these musicians that were amazing with their insticts.

Candis: What would you say has been your biggest challenge in your career?
Kate: I try to look at everything as a learning experience. I think the biggest challenge for me has been the fact that I have this amazing audience that is just so perfect for the music that I write. It's such a blessing. Good part of my fame came from playing my music on One Tree Hill but alot of people think that I was an actress before I was a singer. I actually have been singing and writing songs since I was 15 and just so happen to get a role on One Tree Hill, not expecting to ever get into acting. It's definitely tough to differentiate yourself, especially when you are a young girl.

Candis:Thank you for your time Kate. Looking forward to the show tomorrow night.
Kate: Thank you.

Tour Dates
7-Oct WED Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
8-Oct THU Norfolk, VA (overdrive) The Norva
9-Oct FRI Asbury Park, NJ Wonder Bar
10-Oct SAT Lancaster, PA Chameleon
11-Oct SUN Hartford, CT Webster Theater
13-Oct TUE Albany, NY Revolution Hall (16+)
14-Oct WED Boston, MA Paradise
16-Oct FRI Washington, DC Rock N Roll Hotel
18-Oct SUN Louisville, KY Headliner’s
20-Oct TUE Memphis, TN The Hi-Tone Café
21-Oct WED Little Rock, AR Juanitas
22-Oct THU Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
23-Oct FRI San Antonio, TX White Rabbit
24-Oct SAT McAllen, TX Buddha Mansion (18+)
26-Oct MON Austin, TX Stubb’s
28-Oct WED El Paso, TX Take 2
29-Oct THU Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
30-Oct FRI Mesa, AZ Mesa
1-Nov SUN Tucson, AZ Club Congress
3-Nov TUE Bakersfield, CA B Rider’s
4-Nov WED Los Angeles, CA Loyola Marymount (CLOSED!)
6-Nov FRI Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort
7-Nov SAT Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
8-Nov SUN Ft. Collins, CO Hode’s Half Note
9-Nov MON Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
11-Nov WED Lawrence, KS Granada Theater
12-Nov THU St. Louis, MO Fubar
13-Nov FRI Dekalb, IL House Café
14-Nov SAT Des Moines, IA People’s
15-Nov SUN Chicago, IL Park West