Spotlight On Kathy Mattea
continued....
Kathy Mattea in Sundance, UT
Story & Photos by Sue Phelps
It was the most wonderful night. To see Kathy without her band (or Bill) is really a marvelous experience. And it doesn't happen very often. But I think Sundance made her an offer she couldn't refuse! To hear the ladies talk, they were treated like Queens. They rode mountain bikes, did crafts, went on hikes, ate great food, and were kept very busy. Sounds like camp, doesn't it?
 Sundance is Robert Redford's ski resort. He started purchasing the land long before he became a household word in the acting department. The resort existed before he was able to buy it, but he turned it into the very nice get-away it is now. Its rustic but very modern and the scenery is ...well... incredible. It is small by Park City and Colorado resorts standards, but I think that's part of it's charm. The skiing is good but serious skiers usually
head for higher elevation.
Because it's so close to the surrounding cities, the clientele is mostly local. It has a very excellent restaurant, The Tree Room, where an actual tree grows and pokes out the roof. It was 100 degrees in the valley and a pleasant 85 when my daughter and I went up to Sundance to stake out a place for our friends and family in line. We had a pleasant lunch outdoors and then plopped down by the shuttle station. You see, you had to go up the mountain in a shuttle to the amphitheatre. It was straight UP. If you were a billy goat or a mountain climber you could have walked up. If the heat didn't lay you out flat.
 They decided to hold the concert in the Children's Theatre (outdoors). Nice choice, but it only seated 250. I swear between family and friends, WE made up the 250 people. There was a nice contingent of Utah fan club on hand. All eagerly awaiting this abbreviated concert by Kathy. True, it wasn't a "normal" gig....but in every way, it was incredible to witness.
Soon, all four ladies made their way out to stools arranged in a semi circle. Ashley Cleveland, Kathy, Karen Staley, and Tricia Walker. Now, Ashley, Karen, and Tricia were the original "ladies in the round" group that first appeared at the Bluebird Cafe back in the early 80s. The fourth original member was Pam Tillis. But as one of them said, "We have a little harder time getting her on the phone now". They each have separate careers, of course, but a few times a year they get together and perform as a group. To understand how really talented these three are you'd really have to hear them. And I suspect many of you haven't heard their work...except for Karen Staley. She IS country music. Take Me As I Am (Faith Hill), A Night Like This (Trick Pony), Keeper of the Stars (Tracy Byrd), and don't forget "I'll Take Care of You" (Kathy Mattea). This is just the tip of the iceburg of Karen's hits. She could have a career as a stand-up comedian, too. Ashley Cleveland is a gospel singer and has had a wonderful career in that genre. She has won two Grammys. There's really no way to describe her. She can't sit and sing...she plays really LOUD guitar....has that raspy, soulful, R&B, rocknroll voice and just let's it rip. She caught me off guard, that's for sure. By
the end of the fourth night seeing her perform, I'd been hooked and reeled in. She called me Susie the whole time. Tricia Walker is a southern gal...you can find a trace of Mississippi when she talks. Her background is more Southern, bluesy, with a hint of country and gospel. She plays the snot out of her guitar--and piano. All three were exceptional musicians and did wonderful harmony vocals. They've played together for so long that each other's songs are like their own. So add Kathy to that mix and you have an EstrogenFest on stage. Talent oozing, music flowing. They each took turns and halfway through, invited Jon, Kathy Mattea's husband, up to do a fairly new song that he has recorded on a NEW CD that might see the light of day in a few months. He'll be distributing it through the Fan Club, so keep an ear out. Sounds like a fine Christmas present.
 Sporting a new haircut, Kathy looked mahvelous. I think some of the wusses got cold last night. But I was in my element. Cool mountain air. Can't you almost feel it? And smell it? Kathy sang: Five and Dime, Till I Turn, Innocent Years (with Jon on keyboard), 455 Rocket, Gimme Shelter (with Ashley), Goin' Gone, Mary Did You Know and Where've You Been as the evening's encore.
One of the great parts of the evening was the KathyStories everyone told. Karen Staley is from WV and she mentioned that when she first came to town she didn't even know Kathy but found her phone number and called her. Kathy pulled some strings, introduced her to a publisher and Karen was on her way. Leaving a very grateful young woman in her wake. Ironically, both young women came out of WV....one wanting to be a singer (Karen) who ended up a songwriter....and one wanting to be a songwriter...ending up a singer (Kathy). Sometimes you just have to go with your strength. Then Tricia told a hilarious tale of how in the early days she was always being mistaken for Kathy. She was in a hotel once where a man was determined to make her sing 18 Wheels. She told him over and over that she wasn't Kathy and couldn't convince him. Finally she just gave up and admitted she was..... Kathy countered with a story about being mistaken for Tricia. She was also grateful that Tricia was such a wonderful person. She wondered aloud how awful it would be to have a sloppy-drunk, mean person that resembled her. Another thing all 4 have in common is a love for faith-based, gospel type music. It permeated the set. Now Ashley is a gospel singer, but the others incorporate it into their music as well. At times, it felt like a Church meeting. The stories and the jokes were as enjoyable as the music. The diversity of personalities and music was mind-blowing. Four more differrent people would have been hard to assemble. But they sure made it work.
Oh, one slightly embarrassing detail. Waiting for Ashley to tune her guitar, Kathy announced to the assembled guests that the Kathy Mattea International Fan Club was based in Orem, Utah. <thunderous applause> and that her fan club president was "right there" on the front row. She lamented that she had no CDs to purchase that night but that all her stuff could be checked out from the Orem Liberry. (I have taken great pains to see that all her CDs and all the collaborative things she's done have been purchased.) So much for the spotlight. I really would rather hide in the darkness.
After the show, Kathy came down and spent considerable time with fan club and friends. She was literally dragged out of the theatre by her hubby. It's so wonderful that Amy Kurland (owner of the Bluebird) is exporting these in-the-round songwriter experiences. I can't believe the blind luck that brings it to my hometown. Hopefully he Bluebird Cafe took root and it will flourish. They loaded it with wonderful talent.... but I can always hopethey add Jon to the roster next.
If you've a mind to, check out ashleycleveland.net (or com?); triciawalker.com and karenstaley.com (net?). It will be well worth your time...
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