Katherine Fischer is a folk singer from London, Ontario. In advance of her first tour to the East Coast, we connected to chat about her favourite albums.
Matt Carter
It’s always interesting to hear what other people are listening to and to learn what it is about those albums that make them standout. It’s no surprise that the connections we each have with the music we love are as unique as out fingerprints. Given the opportunity, it’s pretty unlikely any two people would have the exact same top five albums. After all, that’s the nature of art, right? We each find something that’s unique to our tastes, our interests and our wants.
When London, Ontario musician Katherine Fischer reached out for a little help spreading the word about her first East Coast tour which begins this week, I thought it might be fun learn what she’s been listening to these days. I asked her to talk about her five favourite albums, the five records she couldn’t live without. I was a little surprised to find out all her picks were contemporary artists. Not a single classic act in the bunch.
Below, Katherine shares her five favourite records and what they mean to her.
The Staves – If I was
The Staves are a three-piece band from England and I found them through a friend who thought that I should listen to them. I have a lot of people suggest music to me that isn’t really my thing but sometimes it works out. I instantly fell in love with The Staves. I first heard them two years ago and I still listen to them every single week. There’s a really good documentary called Austin to Boston and it’s about a bunch of bands that get in VW vans and drive from SXSW playing shows across the U.S. all the way to Boston. They are one of the bands in that film. It’s a really interesting documentary. You should check it out.
Wild Rivers – Eighty Eight
I just saw Wild Rivers live for the first time, which was super cool. This five track EP is awesome. I’m a big fan of duets and really like bands that feature male/female vocals. My favourite song off this record is probably Call It A Night because it has this line, You were in tears, I was in a red jacket, and I don’t know why but I’m just obsessed with that line and every time I hear it I have to pause whatever I’m doing and take it in.
Brooklyn Doran – These Paper Wings
I started off as a fan of Brooklyn but we’ve become really, really good friends. When I was living in Toronto I found her music on the Facebook page, Toronto Women in Music. We ended up playing a show together in between New Years and Christmas and nobody came. There were five of us on the bill and it’s what I would describe as not being a great show. But we ended up talking and bonding and becoming really good friends from that experience. This record, the sonic quality of it is so beautiful and she has a few lines that just get me every time. We played together once and I sang the harmony lines to her songs. I had listened to this album so many times I knew all the parts. Brooklyn is great and she’s someone whose opinion I really value and respect.
Donovan Woods – Both Ways
I have a record coming out in the beginning of June and there have been so many roadblocks in getting it finished. Anything that could go wrong went wrong. Dates got pushed back and things fell through but Both Ways really brought me a lot of comfort and inspiration during that time. I love Donovan’s song writing and obviously I love the duet he does with Rose Cousins.
Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
Kacey is a success story. She won the Grammy for Album of the Year this year. She’s a country artist but a songwriter first and foremost. I have heard a lot of people say they don’t like country but they like this record. I’ve been a fan of her since her first record came out about six years ago. Golden Hour is a phenomenal record. It’s got disco influences and its got folk influences too!
Upcoming Performances:
March 27 | The Tipsy Muse | Fredericton, NB (early show – 1 p.m.)
| Grimross Brewery | Fredericton, NB (evening show – 7 p.m.)
March 28 | Temple on Queen | Bridgetown, NS
March 29 | The Tare Shop | Halifax, NS
March 30 | Private Kitchen Party | Halifax, NS (early show – 1 p.m.)
| The Nook and Cranny | Truro, NS (evening show – 8 p.m.)
Learn more about Katherine:
Website / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook / BandCamp / Spotify
