Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Kate Maki has a voice as wide and expansive as its moon-like terrain. Her music is “somewhere in the magical realm of Mazzy Star, Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, and Belle & Sebastian” (San Francisco Chronicle), and "the kind you end up with a crush on and can't wait to play driving down the highway" (Edmonton Sun). When Kate is not on tour, she teaches Special Education, Science, and French to the next generation.
With a preference for recording in experimental, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants fashion, Kate employed legendary Tucson, Arizona phenomenon Howe Gelb (Giant Sand, Neko Case) as producer for her third album, On High. Kate met Howe in 2004 at a show in Toronto where the young singer made a lasting impression on the desert rocker, very much like M Ward (Gelb released Ward’s debut in 2000) did some years back, and Gelb eventually signed Maki to his label, OWOM: “Kate’s a hardy country type of pioneer woman. Her guitar pickin rhythm is like a drum, and she can belt out, even when she is quiet, like a storm. Her music carries its own necessity of illuminating and her songs represent what the Canadians have, a real natural beauty of writing tunes that feel like a friend you’ve never met, but that you’ve known forever”.
Recorded by Dave Draves (Julie Doiron, Kathleen Edwards) at the Little Bullhorn studio in Ottawa, Ontario over a period of five days in March 2007, On High features Howe on piano and guitar, Dave on optigan and organ, Dale Murray (Hayden, Buck 65) on pedal steel and guitar, and Nathan Lawr (Royal City, Fembots) on drums. Howe, Dave, Dale, and Nathan also lent their voices to what was recently described as “an acoustic record of simple beauty. You can hear the space between the notes and the sighs between the chord changes. Sometimes this record reminds me of Neil Young's After The Goldrush in that it touches emotions with effortless sentiment and it also reminds me of Iris Dement's country-folk classic Infamous Angel. Pure and innocent as Canadian Snow” (NPR’s Bruce Warren).
The album was released in February 2008 in the United States on OWOM, in Canada on Confusion Unlimited, and on vinyl by Saved By Vinyl. In 2009, Kate will continue touring in support of On High in the spring and summer, and prepare for the release of a new album in the fall.
Kate's debut Confusion Unlimited and follow-up The Sun Will Find Us were both recognized as ‘Album of the Year’ at the Northern Ontario Music & Film Awards in 2004 and 2005. She has appeared on the cover of NOW, XPRESS, and ECHO, placed original tracks in recent films Weirdsville and Wilby Wonderful, and shared the stage with Hayden, Tegan & Sara, Great Lake Swimmers, Giant Sand, Jason Collett, Joel Plaskett, and Deep Dark Woods.
