Program

Sich nackt machen, im übertragenen Sinne alte Kleider abwerfen. Nackt in der Welt stehen, ohne die nicht mehr dienlichen Muster und seelischen Ballast. Diese Transformation thematisiert Kate Birch in den Songs ihres neuen Albums The Fool das am 1. April beim Label Red Brick Chapel erscheinen wird.

Laura Schuler spielt seit vielen Jahren die Geige und hat sich international mit diversen Formationen und Bands einen Namen in der experimentellen Jazzszene gemacht (Trio Esche, Laura Schuler Quartett u.A). Unter dem Pseudonym Kate Birch bewegt sie sich Richtung Indie Pop, konzentriert sich aufs Songwriting und Producing mit Musik voll entrückter Schönheit und spannenden Ebenen. Während eines längeren Aufenthalts in New York erdacht und ausformuliert, zeigt ihre Musik eine Symbiose aus diversen Welten und Electronica-Klänge mit verzaubernder Wirkung.

Nach zahlreichen Solo Konzerten (CH, DE, SWE, DK) vor der Pandemie, tritt Kate Birch nun auch im Duo mit Clemens Kuratle auf. Der Musiker aus Bern und Köln steuert seinen Beitrag am Schlagzeug, Synths und Backing Vocals bei. Zusammen gelingt es den beiden grösser als ein Duo zu klingen.

Laura Schuler aka Kate Birch: Vocals, Synths, Violin, Samples
Clemens Kuratle: Drums, Synths, Vocals, Samples

https://katebirch.com
https://katebirch.bandcamp.com/releases
https://soundcloud.com/user-790349705
https://fanlink.to/TheFool_KateBirch
https://instagram.com/katebirchmusic
https://instagram.com/redbrickchapel
https://instagram.com/clemenskuratle/
https://facebook.com/katebirchmusic
https://youtube.com/channel/UCmEy8UEnIWmewp1Qx8jz1lw

Kate Birch – The Fool

Release 1. April 2022 (Red Brick Chapel)

Facing the world naked, without the emotional burden of patterns which we have outgrown. Moving beyond the ego to embrace unconditional love. These aspirations comprise the heart of Kate Birch’s new album The Fool.

The protagonist of the title song is the fool, a human archetype who never closes his heart, no matter what he encounters in life. Although others may ridicule him for being silly or naive, the fool is wise. He gets up after each fall, loving and trusting anew. He is liberated because he has stopped identifying with his ego.

Kate Birch’s music has a message: we need more fools to survive and thrive in today’s new paradigm. The Bernese singer and multi-instrumentalist believes that the antidote to the isolation and anonymity we face is unconditional love. The fool encourages us to live openly to the maximum – a philosophy Kate put into practice in New York City, where she spends several months out of the year.

The noisy, wild and unpredictable energy of New York finds its expression in Kate

Birch’s song arrangements, all played and produced by the artist. They take shape in overwhelming bass synths, elusive beats, and airy soundscapes which appear and disappear as abruptly as steam from the city’s gutters.

Birch’s inventive and emotive music is bolstered by her background as a violinist, conservatory-trained in Switzerland and Scandinavia. In The Fool she uses her instrument to balance the accompaniment of voices and to anchor unconventional soundscapes. In this heady atmosphere, Kate Birch’s voice meanders through evocative scenarios that illuminate her home Switzerland as both a protective zone and also an artificial gold cave, rich in contradictions.

Each song on The Fool centers a unique encounter. The artist draws inspiration from deep connections with those around her, no matter how brief. Joy is inspired by an 84-year-old woman who practices drums for two hours daily. Amber Liquid was born from a philosophical conversation with a drug addict. Empty Street immortalizes the hypnotizing quietness of the first lockdown.

The recordings for The Fool were developed in Kate Birch’s home studio during the calm time of 2020. The artist spent her days in the cellar, discovering her own way into the world of production. On The Fool, Birch has managed to build a unique sound world that invites the listener in, tackling life’s mysteries with the light touch of playfulness and experimentation.

Considering the dearth of women producers and mixers, it is all the more noteworthy that Kate took the album production entirely in her own hands. With her debut, the artist presents an astonishing work which she created from start to finish all by herself.

After numerous solo concerts before the pandemic (CH, DE, SWE, DK) Kate Birch also currently performs with Clemens Kuratle. Kuratle contributes to the music in playing drums, synths and backing vocals, combining forces with Kate’s unique sound to produce a live experience that is more than the sum of its parts.