Cosmic blues and Americana singer/songwriter/guitarist Katie Skene just released her latest EP, "Toward the Tide" on Friday, May 5th, 2023. This is the second EP from the roots-rock artist. Through the prism of her evocative vocals, personal songwriting and masterful guitar work, Katie's music blends electric swamp blues with jam-band psychedelia.
Inspired by and created after moving to Ventura, CA in 2020, the music embodies the melding of her Southern roots with a decade spent on the West Coast. The core band consists of stellar musicians, John Molo (Bruce Hornsby & The Range, Phil Lesh & Friends) on drums, Brian Robert Jones (Vampire Weekend, Paramore) on bass, and Stewart Forgey (Pacific Range) on keyboards, with appearances by guitarist Sam Blasucci (Mapache), organist John "JT" Thomas (Rita Coolidge), singer and percussionist Alex Koford (Grateful Shred), singer Lauren Barth (Farmer Dave & The Wizards of the West), and percussionist Nate Ward (Pacific Range). The album was co-produced by Skene, Forgey and J.P. Hesser (Circles Around The Sun) at Castaway 7 Studios in Ventura, CA.
Currently, Skene performs with her own band, the Katie Skene Band, and collaborates with instrumental world music funk band, TV Broken 3rd Eye Open. She has spent years working with jam-band notables, including fronting jam-supergroup California Kind, and sharing the stage with legends including Bob Weir, Warren Haynes, Phil Lesh, and many more. She was raised on the blues and roots music of the south, growing up in Tallahassee, FL before moving to L.A. to study and pursue music. "Toward the Tide'' is the culmination of these experiences packed into 4-songs, blending honest, captivating songwriting and extended psychedelic improvisation into different flavors of Americana, from cosmic California country and southern fried twang to roots-disco-get-down. The music revives the spirit of bands like The Allman Brothers Band and Grateful Dead, maintaining an edgy and surprising quality that still feels familiar.
“She couples stellar guitar chops with a rich voice that ranges from a throaty blues sound to clear high notes that ring like bells.” -Rob Rushin, Flamingo Magazine
