Katie Cole

“I remember my mother buying a record, then sitting down next to the stereo with the liner notes in hand, and listening to the whole thing from start to finish, while marking her favourite tracks with a pen”, muses Australian born, Nashville-based Singer-Songwriter and instrumentalist Katie Cole. Reading liner notes isn’t the only thing that Cole got from her mother. “My mum was essentially raising my sister and I on her own. She worked a lot of part time jobs to make ends meet, but she never complained, she just did what needed to be done to make sure we were all taken care of”, she says. This lesson in sheer determination and persistence has been a motto of Cole’s throughout her journey from a working class neighborhood in Melbourne, to her current spot as keys player for the Smashing Pumpkins arena tour, along with other breakout opportunities, such as opening slots for Glen Campbell, and a recording a duet with Kris Kristofferson (“Penelope”). “I’ve always said, ‘You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it started’”, she laughs. Cole’s grounded confidence and years of hard work, shine on her new solo EP Things That Break, Pt.I.

“Time On My Hands” premiered on American Songwriter, regarding the song as “a spare acoustic ballad that showcases’s Cole’s vulnerable vocal”. It’s the first single from Things That Break, Part I and features rootsy instrumentation, weaving Americana moodiness with Cole’s own brand of soaring melodies. Produced by Howard Willing (Ok Go, Sheryl Crow, Glen Campbell), Cole is joined on the recording by acclaimed session musicians Fred Eltringham (drums), Tim Pierce (guitar), Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass) and Tim Lauer (keys). The resulting music is both personal and profound, akin to the storytelling of Patty Griffin or Lucinda WIlliams. Cole’s EP is out now. For current solo tour dates or those with The Smashing Pumpkins, visit her website www.katiecoleofficial.com.