Katie Trautz ready for the old time big time
CD Review
Toolbox
By ART EDELSTEIN Arts Correspondent - Published: December 18, 2009
t's been a busy year for Katie Trautz of Cabot. Earlier this year she and her musical partner Julia Wayne released "Mayfly" an album of traditional and mountain music, much of it sung unaccompanied. But Trautz is also a fine fiddler, guitarist, banjo player and songwriter. She continues to hone these skills on "Remembering," her second release of the year.
Trautz is building quite a name for herself in traditional American music circles. She seems to be constantly performing, either in Montpelier at places like the Langdon Street Cafe or in Burlington at a variety of venues. She is also a teacher of fiddle and singing at the Summit School in Montpelier, which she runs. A variety of traditional acoustic music instruments and singing is taught there and it's putting Montpelier on the map as a hot spot for acoustic music education.
At 27 years old, Trautz is becoming both an influential spokesperson for traditional music and a powerful voice in a musical style that seems to be gathering momentum in Vermont and elsewhere.
It seems the purpose of "Remembering" is to make Trautz's name more well known. I'm not sure if she's reached the level of a Gillian Welsh yet, but she is getting there.
On this album, Trautz shows she can play fiddle with the best of them. Here she explores the West Virginia style of Jimmy Triplett on two tracks. Her fiddle playing has a lot of swing to it and she is a very rhythmic player.
She contributes five songs of her own while writing music for the traditional poem "Titles." A fan of shape-note hymns, Trautz sings "Bound for Canaan," Mrs. Whitmore's Song" and "The Dying Californian."
Throughout the album, Trautz gets backing from a variety of fine musicians. Pete Sutherland, considered by many the best old-time fiddler in the East, backs her on guitar for three tracks. Noah Han and Jason Pappas handle upright bass duty, while Julia Wayne, Jeff Fellinger and Colin McCaffrey sing harmony.
According to Trautz, this album has been several years in the making. With her busy schedule and the cost of making a professional CD these days, it's no wonder the album has been a work in progress. I think the wait was worth it.
Katie Trautz is a rapidly maturing musician who should soon break onto the national scene. Old time music is gaining popularity with younger listeners and players, perhaps a reaction to all the electric noise now invading the air waves. As young bands like the Duhks show that it can be cool to play acoustic music, more college-age people will listen and Trautz will be one of the performers they listen to.
55