About Rachel Kate
Feisty singer/songstress, Rachel Kate hails from Nashville, TN. Its hard to categorize your unique, powerful vocal stylings and songwriting that range from southern grit to the sweet familiarity that harkens back to the sadness of Patsy Cline. Rachel Kate relentlessly tours from coast to coast, playing close to 300 shows in 2014.
"Subconsciously, I formed an idea about her based on her appearance and expected when she opened her mouth it’d be breathy, sweet, folksy. It wasn’t. The girl can howl... The biggest appeal, for me, was that she was interesting. Nothing about her style, the music, or the set was striving towards perfection. Everything was raw, all of it was real. Her voice is unpolished, ragged, beautiful, pure. She seemed equal parts sweet and evil…" -Caitlin St. Pierre, Rachel Kate @SXSW Review (Mar 20, 2014)
Rachel Kate spent 8 years exploring life in Charleston, SC. Before moving back to her hometown of Nashville, TN, she was awarded Singer-Songwriter of the Year and Rockabilly/Americana Artist of the Year in 2013 by the Charleston City Paper. One of the best qualities about Rachel Kate is that she is truly 100% herself, onstage and off. She captivates each and every room, playing her voice like the instrument that it is to convey every emotion that reflects the stories being told. Her songwriting is far from by the books.
"Subconsciously, I formed an idea about her based on her appearance and expected when she opened her mouth it’d be breathy, sweet, folksy. It wasn’t. The girl can howl... The biggest appeal, for me, was that she was interesting. Nothing about her style, the music, or the set was striving towards perfection. Everything was raw, all of it was real. Her voice is unpolished, ragged, beautiful, pure. She seemed equal parts sweet and evil…" -Caitlin St. Pierre, Rachel Kate @SXSW Review (Mar 20, 2014)
Rachel Kate spent 8 years exploring life in Charleston, SC. Before moving back to her hometown of Nashville, TN, she was awarded Singer-Songwriter of the Year and Rockabilly/Americana Artist of the Year in 2013 by the Charleston City Paper. One of the best qualities about Rachel Kate is that she is truly 100% herself, onstage and off. She captivates each and every room, playing her voice like the instrument that it is to convey every emotion that reflects the stories being told. Her songwriting is far from by the books.
Rachel kate has a shared the stage with Shovels and Rope, Those Darlins, Kaki king, Two Man Gentleman Band, Shooter Jennings, Mechanical River, Water Liars, Andrew Combs, Bob Wayne, Son Volt, The Urban Pioneers, Christian Lee Hutson, Matt Woods, Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy, The Kernal, The Calamity Cubes and many more. She has performed at festivals such as Muddy Roots (TN), the Jam Room Music Festival (SC), Underground Music Showcase (CO), and Farmageddon Records Music Fest (MT), and Moonrunners (IL). As a musician on The Unchained Tour-from the author/creator of the Moth Podcast, George Dawes Green, along side Peter Aguero, Neil Gaiman, and Edgar Oliver.
Her sophomore release is in the works and is sure to deliver just as much wit and grit as her debut album "Rachel Kate with Love and Hate". To stay up to date on the haps, feel free to join the mailing list.
Her sophomore release is in the works and is sure to deliver just as much wit and grit as her debut album "Rachel Kate with Love and Hate". To stay up to date on the haps, feel free to join the mailing list.
// PRESS //
“Rachel Kate stands on her own as a charismatic and inspired singer, almost larger than life, even. The whole affair oozes individuality and even her nominal affiliation with folk really has nothing to do with the current bureaucracy of modern folk singers and its sometmes rigid definitions.” Sean Knight - South Carolina Music Guide
“The 10-track Rachel Kate With Love and Hate features an eclectic blend of feisty folk, grungy blues, and classic country.” Kalyn Oyer - Charleston City Paper
“Much of Love and Hate is intensely emotional and stressed. Lyrically, Gillon’s characters (and she’s often her own protagonist) are strained and under pressure, emerging from damaged relationships, battling life’s cruel twists and disappointments. Several songs find their way out of the hate and into something more positive. It seems Gillon plucked the heart from her chest, tore it open, dumped the contents, and reassembled them with bleak honesty, wit, and love.” Ballard Lesemann - Metronome Charleston
“The album reflects the absolute best of Rachel Kate–her versatility, passion, and ever-abundant soul are felt in every note sung and chord struck. There’s something for everyone on this album” Emily Haney - Scene SC [Softcore Sessions]
"You should know Rachel Kate. She is an outstanding songwriter with a voice that stretches easily from folk to blues queen. Inevitably, at least once in her set, I’m wiping a tear away – because goddamn, that woman has rivers of wonder and pain in her voice." -Patty Templeton
“Rachel Kate stands on her own as a charismatic and inspired singer, almost larger than life, even. The whole affair oozes individuality and even her nominal affiliation with folk really has nothing to do with the current bureaucracy of modern folk singers and its sometmes rigid definitions.” Sean Knight - South Carolina Music Guide
“The 10-track Rachel Kate With Love and Hate features an eclectic blend of feisty folk, grungy blues, and classic country.” Kalyn Oyer - Charleston City Paper
“Much of Love and Hate is intensely emotional and stressed. Lyrically, Gillon’s characters (and she’s often her own protagonist) are strained and under pressure, emerging from damaged relationships, battling life’s cruel twists and disappointments. Several songs find their way out of the hate and into something more positive. It seems Gillon plucked the heart from her chest, tore it open, dumped the contents, and reassembled them with bleak honesty, wit, and love.” Ballard Lesemann - Metronome Charleston
“The album reflects the absolute best of Rachel Kate–her versatility, passion, and ever-abundant soul are felt in every note sung and chord struck. There’s something for everyone on this album” Emily Haney - Scene SC [Softcore Sessions]
"You should know Rachel Kate. She is an outstanding songwriter with a voice that stretches easily from folk to blues queen. Inevitably, at least once in her set, I’m wiping a tear away – because goddamn, that woman has rivers of wonder and pain in her voice." -Patty Templeton