Performance: Summerfest 2008 - Modesto, California (June 14, 2008)
Performance: Rams Head Live! - Baltimore, Maryland (June 17, 2008)

With the release of this phenomenal debut record and armed with more pipes than an Alaskan oil line (think Christina Aguilera without the yodel or Alanis Morrisette without the crazy), Kate Voegele is ready to ascend to her rightful position as the Queen of Teen Music. But to throw such a jejune and inaccurate label on this wonderfully talented artist would unfairly diminish the maturity and depth of this thoughtful collection of well crafted songs. Don’t Look Away (MySpace / Interscope Records) is an assemblage of “pick yourself up by your boot straps” empowerment songs that are delivered with remarkable soul and passion.

Her astonishing and sudden rise to fame was assisted by MySpace founder Tom Anderson, who was on the lookout for talent to start his MySpace record label. At the same time producers for the television show One Tree Hill were doing the same thing to support a musical story line that they were introducing to the show. They were so impressed, not only by her music but with Kate herself, that they auditioned and ultimately chose her to play the character Mia (an aspiring singer) for an episode arc on the show. Timing, as they say, is everything, and after her first appearance on the show, her album gained a 2000 percent increase in sales as well as concert promoter interest.

The album’s title, Don’t Look Away, reflects Kate’s own take on confronting life’s inevitable challenges directly. The delicate “It’s Only Life” is a surefire hit that helps to convey that mantra with a pinch of fatalistic sarcasm. “Wish You Were Here,” a song already made popular from its One Tree Hill exposure, successfully wordplays the sometimes crushing difference between one’s desire and inescapable reality with the line, “I’m still in love with who I wish you were/ and I wish you were here.”

“Kindly Unspoken,” the album’s closer, has a gospel inspired piano/vocal that showcases Kate’s powerful range and an uplifting message of resilience. But it’s not all woulda-shoulda introspection and remorse. Bonafide rockers like “Chicago,” “One Way Or Another,” “Devil In Me,” “No Good,” and “I Won’t Disagree” keep things moving along quite nicely and help to spotlight a voice that’s been described as a “religious experience” by the multitudes of her loyal and expressive fans.

Inspired by a love of ’70s folk and alt-country music, Kate’s music has an earthy texture to it but also a sophisticated and polished craftsmanship that separates her work from many of today’s singer-songwriters. “Only Fooling Myself” is the first single released and the reason for that selection was probably because they couldn’t find a thirteen sided coin to flip. There are actually so many potential hits here that showcasing them all properly to the public just might delay her sophomore release a bit longer than originally intended.

Kate Voegele is poised to become one of music’s brightest talents, so keep an eye on her and “Don’t Look Away” for a moment because that’s how most shooting stars are missed.

Kate is currently on tour supporting Don’t Look Away with Natasha Bedingfield and The Veronicas.

Source: ink19.com

Public Appearances: Leaving Regis & Kelly Studios - New York, New York (June 18, 2008)

A few weeks ago I posted a story about submitting your fan questions on a thread at FanBolt forums for an upcoming interview my friend Emily was having with Kate Voegele (at the Atlanta VIP show), and it finally happened and is posted below! Emily got to personally ask Kate a bunch of fan questions (including a bunch from me) that haven’t been covered in any other interviews that have been released! Check it out below! Also, the image on this post was taken during the interview, click here to see the rest of the photos from the interview! 

We had the honor of recently interviewing Kate Voegele on the Verizon VIP Tour. We joined her tour bus to ask a few questions about her singing career, her fashion tastes, and of course her role on One Tree Hill. Here’s what she had to say:

Do you have any plans yet for your next single? And do you know if there will be a video for it?
I’m sure we’ll end up releasing another single and doing another video. At this point, I’m not really sure. The video for “Only Fooling Myself” just came out a couple weeks ago, the song definitely still has legs, and we’re trying to make it our song of the summer. But I’m sure soon enough we’ll all sit down and talk about what makes sense as the next single. That’s what is fun about it, you never have everything mapped out, what opportunities are going to come, or what song you’re going to write. So I’m looking forward to figuring it out, but it’s kind of a day at a time thing.

What is the craziest fan experience that you’ve had?
People are so awesome! It’s the coolest thing in the world for someone to be like, “I made you this!” People get so creative, and I get so many colorful, decorative letters and cool stuff. It’s awesome to know that people care, and that they’re inspired by your music enough to do that.

Crazy fan stuff though… I mean my fans are awesome, but my little sister did say she saw a fan lick the bus. Which that was… I mean I got to say, the outside of the bus, like any car or moving vehicle, you don’t want to lick it. It’s just not something you want to put your mouth on.

How has touring with Natasha Bedingfield been different than touring with Hanson?
They’ve both been such amazing experiences. It’s just great being on the road with people who are genuine, and Hanson… those guys are just some of the most real, cool guys you’ll ever meet. Natasha and The Veronicas are the same way… super down to earth and just so much fun.

It’s cool though because this tour has been like totally girl power with 3 female acts. Even though they’re are both girls and guys in the crowd, I think it’s cool for the girls to see young women pursuing their dreams and making it happen. It’s cool to have a tour with 3 strong female acts rocking it every night. Everyone is different enough musically, but it still works well together. It all flows well.

Definitely! Do you have any plans for any of your old EP’s to be available on iTunes?
You know, what’s funny about the old EP’s is I made them for the main purpose of showcasing for record labels in high school. I just wanted to get the right record deal and make a record that would be nationally released and distributed. I kind of cut my teeth in the spotlight in a lot of ways. I learned how to open up for a major act, by opening up for a major act. I didn’t practice very much playing coffee houses. I fell into all of this very early, and I gave my demos to everyone around Cleveland. My dad helped me put them together, and they just fell into the right hands. And then I was getting side-stage gigs with Counting Crows. But I’d never really played live before, so it freaked me out.

So yeah, I had all of these EP’s that got a lot of national attention, but they weren’t really intended to be released nationally. A lot of them are the same songs that are on my record, but it’s kind of a fun thing for those that were there from the beginning. I did sell them at my first shows. It’s cool for those fans to be like, “Hey I got the first version of Kate’s single!” And it’s really cool when fans come to the show, and they bring that EP. I’m like, “WHOA, you’ve been around forever!” Either that or they went on eBay [laughs].

I’m sure I’ll end up releasing a lot more music in my life, some old EP’s that weren’t on this album, maybe I’ll redo them and release them with the next album. I don’t know, but not the existing songs probably.

Yeah, a lot of people love “Where The Sidewalk Cracks”.
Yeah, that’s like an example. Maybe for my next album, I’ll decide that’s one of my stronger songs, and I’ll bust it out again, reproduce it, re-sing it… because I was 15 then, I sound like chipmunk on there [laughs]. It’s so funny. But yeah, it’s a definite possibility. It may be 15 years down the road. You never know.

Now do you have any plans for a second album yet, are you still completely focused on this one?
I definitely have plans for one. I’ve been writing like crazy. I’m never not writing. For me, writing comes from experiences and everyday life. And I’m having such an interesting everyday life right now that I can’t not be inspired. So I definitely have plans, but considering this one was just released this year it will probably be a little ways down the road before I go into the studio again. I’m pretty pumped about being on the road and touring and everything at this point.

How long have you know the members in your band? It seems like you’re pretty tight with them.
Oh yea. They rock. They’re like my brothers and sister. Sam, who is my lead guitar player, played on my first EP I did in Cleveland with a local producer who happened to play in a band with Sam, so that’s how I met him. We became really good friends, we grew up like 15 minutes away from each other, so we knew a lot of the same people.

Mark, my bass player, went to high school and church with me, so we’ve known each other for a long time too, but we had never really gotten to hang out because he was 3 or 4 years older than me in high school. After high school, you can be 20 and hang out with someone who is 30, and it just seems like you’re the same age. But in high school, it’s very much like “I’m a freshman, and these are my freshman friends!” So we just started playing music together, maybe 2 years ago.

Justin, my drummer, and I had been on tour together since the fall, he was playing with the Carry Brothers when we were on the Matt Nathanson tour and then the Ben Lee tour. He wasn’t playing with me, but we were all on the same bus together, so we got to be good friends. I got him to come be my drummer, and it rocks! And he was good friends with Jen, who is my keyboard player. I had always wondered what it would be like to have a girl in the band, because I’m a guy’s girl. So I was unsure, but Jen is the coolest chick in the world. She rocks, and it’s great to have the female backing vocals too. We had just met in March, but it’s been awesome. I feel like the whole band has really come together, and everything really vibes together.

What kind of music do you listen to?
Oh, my tastes are all over the map. I’m a huge fan of a lot of Alt-Country. I love Patty Griffin. She’s probably been my biggest influence. She’s just unbelievably talented. Ryan Adams, Wilco… I also loved Arcade Fire’s new album, and Stars.. I love Indie music. I love the new Against Me record, which is like totally different from all of that stuff. I just picked up the MGMT record, which is really cool… MIA… I’m like addicted to that MIA song right now. That crazy paper plane song! It’s crazy, but it’s so good!

I’m all over the map, but I think that creative people like to have a lot of different inspirations. If you just listen to the same genre and the same type of songs all the time, you’re going to get into a rut. I like for my inspiration to come from everywhere.

You always wear the coolest outfits.
Awe. Thank you!

You’re welcome! So I have to ask where do you shop?
I shop everywhere! This whole district is so cool (referring to Little Five Points in Atlanta, Georgia). We were walking around, and I was like, “Alright, I can’t spend any money.” In Atlanta, it’s great. In some cities that we go to there’s nothing around. So I can go a little shop crazy [laughs]. I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes, because at this point it’s kind of dumb. I love vintage clothes, thrift stores, and eclectic things that everyone else isn’t going to have. I also really love American Apparel. They have awesome basics and great colors. So I like stuff like that. I’m also a sucker for Betsey Johnson. She’s like… omigod [laughs]. Just crazy fun stuff like that. I also like Tory Burch, she’s got a really great taste for color and design.

I’m kind of all over the place honestly. That’s what is fun. I love boutiques and then random vintage stores. I love vintage boots. I have this pair of red cowboy boots I got in Haddam, Connecticut… 30 bucks… AWESOME red leather cowboy boots! I’ve worn them in so many significant times in my life, and I’ve only had them for a year. But I’ve had so many adventures in those boots. That’s what I love about shopping in different cities, you’ll always find something that reminds you of something, you know?

Do you like acting or singing more?
It’s a tough question because they’re both totally different things even though there are a lot of similarities, but I think that I will always primarily be a musician. I can’t imagine not writing songs, making records, and touring. So I think that will always be my main gig. But when I read the sides for One Tree Hill, I was like ‘omigosh, I have to get this role.’ It just really felt like me, so I think if the right role comes along again, I’d love to do more acting.

Are you going to be doing any more with One Tree Hill?
Right now they have time off, because they’re not shooting season 6 yet. They’ll start shooting again here in a couple months, so I’m sure I’ll be back doing more episodes. I’m so excited for them that they got another season.

How did you land that role?
It was this basically kind of out of nowhere thing. It was very random, and I think a lot of things in my career have been. Some of the best things are. I just went to a casting call. My manager thought that I really should go, they were looking for a female singer/songwriter/actress to play this role, and I told him he was crazy. I wasn’t an actress, I write songs, what are you talking about?! So I went, and I think it’s part of the reason I wasn’t even nervous at all, because I thought it was ridiculous, and there was no way I was going to get this role. However, they ended up finding what they were looking for and a couple weeks later I was shooting my first episode.

It was cool though, because I had to earn it. A lot of musicians just get things handed to them from their management from people who want to work with them, but it was cool to have to go in and audition. I would have never thought that I could have done that.

So that was your first acting experience?
Yeah pretty much… aside from stupid stuff in high school with musicals… you know stuff that doesn’t count at all. So yeah, I had no idea I could act [laughs].

What team are you on, Team Brucas or Team Leyton?
[Laughs] Well I have to say, because Mia is like best friends with Peyton, that’s she’s definitely Team Leyton. She’s the closest to Peyton on the show, she kind of took her in, and signed her to her label. They always have a great chemistry, they do a great job of writing their scenes. So yeah, definitely Team Leyton. Brooke Davis rocks, but I’m going with Peyton.

Did you really bond with any of the cast members?
Oh yeah, they’re all so awesome! It’s not like I expected them to be stand-offish, but I didn’t expect to make great friends. These are people that have been working together for 5 years, and I just expected them to be like, “Hey… there’s the new kid who has NEVER acted before.” But they were so welcoming and so cool! Hilarie really showed me the ropes, because I had no idea what was going on. So her, and Joy too were really sweet. I had a lot of scenes with them. A lot of the new characters too. Michaela McManus, who played Lindsay, became one of my really good friends. I loved Torrey DeVitto, who played Carrie. Everyone hated Carrie, but Torrey is such a sweetheart in real life. Lisa Goldstein, who plays Millicent, is awesome. Lee Norris is awesome. Sophia is like the sweetest person I’ve ever meet in my life. They’re all just like regular people. It’s really refreshing you know, being from the Midwest, I just appreciate normalcy. No one has gotten caught up in all of it. It’s very cool.

Did you ever watch the show before?
You know, I’d definitely seen it. I was familiar with it, because I grew up in that whole generation that was addicted to One Tree Hill, but I was so busy in high school that I never had time for TV. I caught it once and while though. It was one of those things where you would get addicted if you started watching it. So obviously, it was surreal for me to get that role and be on the set and see how it was all put together.

It was funny though because when I got the role, I was like I have to do my homework. And seriously, for like a whole week straight before I went to shoot, my friends would call me and be like, “You’re not still watching One Tree Hill are you?” And I was like, “I just got to see if Lucas and Peyton are going to get together, because he and Brooke are kind of on the rocks right now..” And they were like, “Wow.. seriously?”

It’s addicting though, it’s very well done. It’s a great show. So I’ve seen pretty much every episode, because I figured if I was going to be apart of the show, I needed to get into it. And it helped a lot, to know all of the characters and what all had happened.

Kate Voegele performed her latest single “Only Fooling Myself” on Live With Regis & Kelly this morning!
Watch the performance below! She rocked!

Video brought to you by Kate Voegele Online!

Kate Voegele will be appearing on Total Request Live (TRL) on MTV on June 23! TRL airs at 3:30 EST/PST on MTV! Check your TV listings for your local MTV channel! Don’t miss it!

June
16 - Philadelphia, PA - Verizon Wireless Store (2220 W Oregon Ave) - 3:30pm
17 - Annapolis, MD - Verizon Wireless Store (2562 Solomons Island Rd) - 3:30pm
18 - New York, NY - Live With Regis & Kelly - Check Local Listings
25 - New York, NY - Verizon Wireless Store (Unknown) - 3:30pm
30 - Denver, CO - Verizon wireless Store (Unknown) - 3:00pm

July
7 - Anaheim, California - Verizon wireless Store (Unknown) - 3:30pm
10 - San Francisco, California - Verizon wireless Store (Unknown) - 3:00pm

 Click here for the full list of Kate Voegele’s appearances & tour dates!

Exclusive Photos

- The Pageant: June 8, 2008 - St. Louis, Missouri
- US Cellular Coliseum: April 18, 2008 - Bloomington, Illinois

New Albums

- Pheasant Lanes Mall: June 13, 2008 - Nashua, New Hampshire
- House of Blues: June 10, 2008 - Dallas, Texas
- Kidd Kraddick in The Morning Radio Show: June 10, 2008 - Irving, Texas
- WHHD 98.3 Radio Show: May 22, 2008 - Augusta, Georgia
- Behind The Scenes: “Only Fooling Myself” Music Video Shoot

Updated Album

- Knitting Factory: February 25, 2008 - New York, New York

Kate Voegele has had quite a whirlwind of a year. The singer/songwriter from Cleveland, Ohio has found musical success at only 21 years old. From appearing on the hit CW TV show “One Tree Hill” as a singer to hearing her songs played on such shows as “Ghost Whisperer” and MTV’s “The Hills,” this young star has been on a “cool adventure,” so far.”It’s been an insane year,” Voegele said in a phone conversation from Cincinnati where she was preparing for a live performance. “I’ve been all over the place … sometimes I get to a place and I say ‘Oh my God, where am I?’”

The talented singer always had an interest in music growing up. Her father played the guitar and influenced her to pick it up as well.

“I grew up in a musical family, so I was exposed to all that stuff when I was little kid. I started playing guitar when I was a freshman in high school .. but it took me a while to decide to do this as a career. At first I was just doing it for fun,” Voegele said.

Voegele was named an “An Artist to Watch in 2008″ by Billboard. Her debut album, “Don’t Look Away,” had a huge increase in sales after her guest appearance on One Tree Hill where she sang some of the songs from the album. She will be performing — in support of her album, Don’t Look Away — at The Fillmore at TLA in Philadelphia on Monday, June 16 with British pop singer Natasha Bedingfield and The Veronicas.
Voegele didn’t think she would get the part on One Tree Hill. She went into the audition thinking it was a long shot at best.

“I never had any professional acting experience,” Voegele said. “I sang at the audition and read my lines. When I was finished they said ‘Kate, you could do this for a living, you know.’ I thought that was pretty awesome.”

The show gave her the exposure she needed and she describes it as a great experience. She enjoyed working on the show and felt welcome by the cast and crew right away. Voegele played Mia, a young artist not unlike herself trying to make it in the music business.

“She was such a great character to play. I think the audience really identified with her,” Voegele said.

With so many things going on in her musical career, Voegele had to put college on hold for a while, but recently she decided to study online with the University of Phoenix to get a degree in psychology.

“I went to college for two years and I had to stop because of my career. I was kind of bummed out about it because I love studying and going to school,” Voegele said. “This school makes it flexible to be a student. I’m able to work around my schedule.”

The singer, who writes all of her own songs, was influenced by singers Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow early on because of the “intelligently written words” in their music.

“Listening to them made me want to write that kind of music … mainstream music with a lot of heart. I think it’s really important to have words that people can really relate to,” Voegele said.

And what’s next for this talented musician after her amazing, breakthrough year?
“I will always mainly be a musician … I can’t picture not doing it,” she said. “But if something else came up in the acting world I would definitely do it again.”

If you go: Kate Voegele will perform at the Fillmore at the TLA on 334 South Street at 8 p.m. in Philadelphia with Natasha Bedingfield and The Veronicas. Tickets are $25. For tickets visit http://www.livenation.com/

Source: blog.nj.com