Kaitlin McGaw: News

An exceptional review from Blogcritics Magazine!
"I'm glad I didn't read The Simple Things' press kit before listening to their music. "Imagine McCoy Tyner, Rickie Lee Jones, and James Jamerson coming together..." Sure, imagine those people...and then think about their opposites, and you might get something like The Simple Things. What we have here is a collection of spacious chamber pieces, feather-light yet highly focused. Singer Kaitlin McGaw alternates between a controlled wail ("Eyes For Me") and an affectless Liz Phair delivery ("The Moon Is Torn"), both effective in their own ways. The music behind her is subtle piano and organ from Michael Gallant and tasteful, precise electric bass from Raymond Ruiz, who has a penchant for bass chords. The result is a very modern but accessible sound, contemplative and easeful but rewarding careful listening as well."

After listening to our album, Bumpskey Internet Radio graciously added The Simple Things to its library, stating "Good work."
Always good to hear, thank you.

Alooga Media, an independent organization of djs & music lovers based in Germany, featured The Simple Things on its October 12 podcast! Danke!

The Simple Things got great reviews from the listeners of Laughing Dog Radio. DJ Mutts and Sherry thanked us and "will continue to play them on our playlist."

The Simple Things has been so lucky to have been supported by several podcasters from around the world in the last few weeks, and I'd love to point them out so you can check out their creative musings (and hear us on their shows!)
Here are the podcasts (in no particular order):
Radio Orphans Podcast - "The Moon is Torn"

Ed's Mixed Bag - "Flying Horses"

Accident Hash - "Gone, Gone"

Suffolk and Cool - "The Moon is Torn"

The Spud Show - Flying Horses, Gone, Gone, & The Moon is Torn

Thanks you guys! I love all the creative ways that people share their views in podcasts - it's also a great way to discover new artists.

We were also so pleased to be reviewed by Wildy's World - he gave us 5/5 stars! Check out the review here.

The Simple Things got a great review by the podcast Accident Hash. "Wow is about all I can say. I instantly fell in love with the voice and the vibe. The perfect chilled out tunes that I need sometimes. You guys are destined for great things and I'm looking forward to playing more on future episodes of my show. "

Wildy's World, a blog dedicated to identifying INDIE, unsigned, and up-and-coming musical talent, gave The Simple Things such an amazing review and we are truly grateful!
"Straight from the art galleries and dinner parties of San Francisco come The Simple Things. Their self-titled debut may be one of the more intriguing releases of 2008. Eschewing drums and guitar, The Simple Things go with vocals, piano and bass. In the world of popular music this would be considered either gutsy or foolish. A lot depends on whether a band has the chutzpah and talent to pull it off. The Simple Things do.

The Simple Things started out as the duo of Kaitlin McGaw (vox) and Raymond Ruiz (bass). In 2007 Michael Gallant brought his jazz and classical based piano talents into the now burgeoning trio. The Simple Things as we hear them now were born. Gallant and Ruiz seem to have found a musical chemistry that creates a perfect base for the glorious alto voice of Kaitlin McGaw. McGaw is part Natalie Merchant and part Margo Timmons (Cowboy Junkies) but manages to sound like no one other than herself.

What The Simple Things possess more than anything else is a penchant for gorgeous, sometimes heartbreaking melodies, and a minimalist approach to instrumentation. Having realized that silence is also a musical note, The Simple Things speak musically only when necessary. The result is a collection of 10 starkly beautiful and longingly passionate songs. If you are a fan of The Brothers Creeggan (Barenaked Ladies side project) you will love the musical arrangements here.

My favorite track on the disc is Cold, a sultry jazz invitation that is the ultimate answer to Barry White. McGaw gives every ounce of her voice on this song and melts some speaker wire in the process. What's Good For Me is a theatrical jazz/soul statement of terms that drips from the heat. The Simple Things turn more plaintive on tunes like The Moon Is Torn one of the quieter and lovelier moments on their debut. Other highlights include Flying Horses; Gone, Gone and It's Still Light Out.

I can't recommend this disc highly enough. The Simple Things aren't going to see pop radio or charts, but I would suggest that in the jazz world and on XM and NPR they'd build huge followings. For music purists it doesn't get any better than this. The Simple Things is a gorgeous and deep debut, a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc, and one that I suspect will be on my regular personal play list for some time to come. If you give them a listen I'm sure they'll be on yours too."

We'd like to thank Mister G of Green Arrow Radio for the great review and for mentioning us in his blog. Describing the album as "fiery" Mister G goes on to say "Look forward to checking out as many albums you'd like to have considered for airplay."

Thanks Ed!
Ed's Mixed Bag

Brendan of The Spud Show featured 3 songs by The Simple Things . The show is presented in the Irish language and features independent and unsigned female artists and female fronted bands.

What a night!

We hadn't been back to the Utah in months, and it was great to be back in the scene, and run into old friends & make new ones. Great place, great food, good time. I was so pleased to have so many amazing friends there for the show... Justin & Joe, Jimmy & Jonathan, Andrew, Sheila, Alejandro, my best bud Beth, Dave & Jerry, Santoshi and friends and the great sound engineers Robert Gatley and Scott McDowell... I know I'm missing a ton of people but it was so nice to see everyone there.

To get it started... we got everyone snapping along, though sometimes this can be a rhythm workout when our music is sparse and open :)

We got into it during Cold... a turning point for me personally, this song always digs out the pain. My favorite moment in the show was stomping along to What's Good For Me in my 3 inch blue high heels. I was feeling it. I know Jay was too, down in front, shouting and hollering right back at me!

Great times with Santoshi, Leann and Jay. I'm so glad you all came out.

My personal favorite moment?
Meeting our sister band, "The Simple Thoughts."
Well... they are not a band yet... but were in perfect location for a disinterested band photo. All they need now is a myspace page.
After our performance, Killian from Gun & Doll Show performed his new songs with a killer rhythm section known as "The Last Men on Earth". They had a blast up there, you could tell! I love working with Killian on shows. He's one of the most positive and hard-working musicians in town and always inspires me.

The night closed with Jorge of the Cuban Cowboys. His wife is about to give birth at any moment (or may have since Friday's show) so we were relieved he could still come out to perform. Beautiful performance, and a stunning person.

Without having officially released the CD, we've sold over 60 copies. It feels great to know that people want to hear the stories and songs of The Simple Things. Looking forward to the CD Release party in a few months.

I am excited to announce the launch of my new site. Hope you all enjoy it! It feels like me - curvy, fun, and oh-so-sophisticated. Plus I feel that I'm able to show more about my relationship to both Alphabet Rockers and The Simple Things - my muses.

I'm also going to be blogging a lot more, because there seems to be a ton going on, between developing the Alphabet Rockers show in both San Francisco AND Boston... plus releasing The Simple Things CD. Tons. All good and inspiring developments!

Last week was my last week at "the day job." For 2.5 years I worked for The Recording Academy in San Francisco, producing events for musicians and young musicians. It was exciting and fun - and so most musician friends I know are asking me why I would walk away from a post like that? (Followed by the "you must have really made some great connections." Well, yes. I made connections. You can make connections wherever you are. The people I've met - and I'm thankful to have met several awesome people through my work - I'll stay in touch with them for life. But sometimes when others ask me about connections, it makes me think about the way you can be fake and try to impress people wherever you are. Which I skipped out on.)
As to the why I would leave?
Two realizations.
1.
Early one morning, I was driving up to perform Alphabet Rockers for a preschool. It was about an hour drive, so I left at 7:30 in the morning, and had a lot of time to think. On the road I started reflecting on the work performing for children. How exciting it was to see their faces light up with the songs - and how wonderful it was that in only a few months I'd managed to get a band up and running, performing our songs around the country. In that same excitement I realized that I was only just beginning my efforts. That if I was to truly throw myself into it full-hearted, the way I was able to 9-6 every day at the job, I could really create something much more impactful in our world. That only my efforts were going to make my dreams come true... Perhaps it was the wake of turning 30 and realizing that I didn't want to wait anymore to actualize my dreams.
This realization was exhiriating.

2.
My dearest friend always comments about doing what scares you - and always pushing yourself to learn and grow. When I looked at my position, I realized that someone else in the world would LOVE to do my job. It's fun, you learn a ton, it's multifaceted and requires you to use many skills at once. I was ready for the next challenge - to be scared again and to face the unknown. Another parameter I looked at was six "human needs" - and the need to have elements of all in your job, career, life as a whole.
1. Certainty
2.Uncertainty - variety
3. Significance
4. Love and Connection
5. Growth
6. Contribution
I realized that pursuing Alphabet Rockers and The Simple Things really embodied all of these elements to a degree that felt right for me. Yes I realize the money is less certain. but I've lived unemployed in San Francisco in the past, and got by making something out of very little. I'm not going back to that world, but I know that if you really ask the world for what you want, you can start identifying where to get what you need.

This is essentially day one of working for myself, and pursuing music full-time. I am excited!! It definitely has crossed my mind what's going on at the old job, and how everyone is fairing. And for my current life and goals, I'm setting up a new regiment of training and so forth as a singer, writer, and business owner. Thus far, yesterday my CD with The Simple Things got the final mix. Our album artwork is nearly finalized... mastering is on deck. I kicked off the day playing piano for an hour. It feels right. I know it's a risk. But it feels great to push myself to opportunize more and more for my musical goals.

Beth Trifilo is bold and wild, and debuted her original "un" cabaret show at Mama Calizo' Voice Factory the first two weeks of May.

I was so happy to be a part of it, as her guest artist!

I sang "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys and "Lady Stardust" by mr. David Bowie. Beauty. All that on just piano and vocals, with Reuben Maness...
Here's to more post-punk lounge performances...

What an amazing night. The Simple Things performed Saturday night at the College Avenue Presbyterian Church for "Music That Cooks" - to raise money for meals for the homeless and for helping us finish our album production.

The concert itself was really beautiful. With guest performances and the special recording skills of Michael Winger, we had a very special night.

A few shout-outs:
Nick Phillips - You are wonderful. Amazing trumpet on What's Good For Me, Gone, Gone, and Just My Imagination - from one of the Bay Area's best jazz producers.

Corinne, Erin & Rachel - Thank you all for singing gorgeous harmonies with us.

Al Hussain - Thank you for having us back and helping put the show together!

And to everyone who came out and supported us with pre-purchases online and at the show, THANK YOU! We raised enough money to finish mastering the album. ($800!)

It's a huge undertaking to self-finance a CD release - and I'm so thankful that I asked for help - and that people were so willing to get behind us! The official CD release will be in September, but preorders will receive advance copies in a few weeks. I'll also include our Live Concert CD as a thank you!
You can preorder your CD at The Simple Things website.

Okay. So my awesome coworker and I got a little excited by the pro-photo sessions they set up on Union street and decided to take photos on our lunch break.
We flew!

What an awesome day we had at Dolores Park. Thank you everyone who came out!

Special thanks to Daily Candy for highlighting it as the event to check out for the weekend!

There must have been around 250 people there to support the Dolores Park Playground Association and enjoy some children's music.
Joey, Miko, Stefanie and I had a great time sharing our songs with the crowd.

Midset, Joey's records actually started melting in the sun! Man. That was unexpected.

Stefanie was fantastic on the mic, beatboxing and getting all the kids excited.

Thanks to everyone - especially Mary for reaching out to us!

Well, it's not actually raining but I swear the wind in San Francisco rivals the fog for most identifiable weather feature at times.

Things have been good here lately. Dawn and I are deep into the writing process for our second Alphabet Rockers CD - which is definitely going to rock! I'm not giving away any secrets just yet, but you can bet it will be just as awesome... Hopefully out this fall.

The Simple Things recently finished a photo shoot with Steve Jennings, and should have our new photos up soon. We actually just launched our website as well, http://www.wearethesimplethings.com We've been writing new songs and prepping for our album release. Ray has been on fire with the photos as well, documenting our behind-the-scenes experiences. Most of that is on our blog on myspace, you can get each band member's perspective.

Other news, I'll be a guest performer at Beth Trifilo's Provocateur, the Un-cabaret the first weekend of May. This is an amazing show she's been producing for the past year, featuring social activism and passion - beautiful song and story. I'll perform a few post-punk gems with the talented duo, Reubenesque. More on the shows page.

More exciting news to come. Big show this weekend with Alphabet Rockers which I'm thrilled about! Live in Dolores Park for amazing children's entertainment. Can't wait.

The Simple Things was selected to perform at the Hard Rock as a part of their coast-to-coast fundraisers for Musicians on Call - an organization that brings live music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities.

I realized the morning of the show as I settled into my desk at work that it was Good Friday. Growing up, that was a day we really took for reflection and meditation. Even as a little girl... separate from the religion, it was the day my mom shared with us how to empathize. How to think about the various experiences one can go through in their life, sometimes even in a year -- from being one who has faced a lot of suffering, to one who might be the source of someone else's suffering. For some reason, this time of the year it was always important to me to take a minute to mentally experience both, and then release.

This year I didn't take the day off, didn't meditate, and didn't have much space or time to myself to reflect. But I had my show for Musicians on Call with The Simple Things, and I decided to put my heart into that.

Before I left, I checked the daily poem from NPR Writers Almanac. Called "The Shelter" - just breathtaking poetry. The images and concepts shared in the poem made me realize how sometimes I just get caught up in my head, and in the problems of my friends and this and that. And then I step back and look at how many things I have to be grateful for. This poem just reminded me we are all working to learn how to focus on the good things in life -- to silence the setbacks and amplify the potential -- to see the garden you can grow.

The show was lovely. Thanks to Bob and Tamra for their production and welcome to the Hard Rock... and to Amanda and Barbara for bringing over our new merch! Check it out:


Here's a photo post-performance with the lovely Amanda and Barbara.... I love these amazing gals.


And it was really wonderful to have Ian and Joanie out to check out the band. Apparently this was their first time actually hearing me sing, after all these years! So wild. It meant a ton to have them there.


I had special surprise visits from Jonathan James, Horus Tolson, Alessandro & Thy.... and the most special of all, having Natalia, Derek, & Rachel onstage with us to sing Just My Imagination. That was great. Amazing vocals!

I just loving performing with The Simple Things. Our performances are really times for complete raw emotion and storytelling. Next up I think is going to be with our freshly mixed CDs. Can't wait to hear what the engineers will have discovered.
*K

Just got home from an amazing evening in Albany, recording a song called "Pretty Bad" written by Killian Macgeraghty. If you haven't heard his songs before, they are super unique. He has a special phrasing and use of time that makes each song stand on it's own dimension in the contiuum of sound. So when he called me last week to sing one of his songs, I had fun listening to it over and over (cool how mp3s can play within the email programs now).
Tonight I came into the studio, run by James Boblak, and got ready for our vocals. Killian had written the song for a female vocalist, but after the first attempt at singing it in the original key, we decided to transpose. From C to Ab. Lovely. I love the key of Ab, fyi.
After a round of warm-ups, I put on the headphones and got ready to sing. Somehow, everything started falling into place. The words and my voice just came together, and the story started forming. The song came alive! It was really such an honor to sing someone else's song, and to have the opportunity to share my perspective with him in the booth. We tracked for only 2 hours, then it seems like all was right, harmonies, etc.
It was an amazing night for me. I feel like I've come so far since my earlier days of recording, where my lack of confidence literally would stand between me and my performance, and my worries would stop me from singing full voiced as I should and can do. After recording The Simple Things album all fall, I feel like I've found my groove in the booth. Can't wait for the next opportunity, and to hear how James tears it up on the mix. Hear that he's quite stellar.

Here's James and Killian doing some thinking and such.

After the session