About Kate Babriela
Kate Babriela is a Canadian singer/song-writer, musician and recording artist now based in Cornwall, England. Growing up in Nova Scotia, Kate learned to play piano, guitar, bass and acoustic percussion at a young age, as the daughter of musical parents from Canadian folk band 'Mid-Life Crisis'. At age 14, Kate joined the rock band Speedshifter (1994-1996) and began organising live, all-ages shows feeding the growing, alternative music scene on Nova Scotia's South Shore.
Kate moved to London, England in 1997 where she worked at the Hard Rock Cafe and backstage at the UK Brit Awards (1998) and also at the Ministry of Sound London, before touring with international band, "Les Attractives" throughout the Greek Islands (1998). Upon returning to Canada, Kate began writing and performing with singer/songwriter/guitarist Christine Smith, in acoustic duo "Lucid" (1999-2003), and then joined the reggae band, "Verbal Warning" as back-up vocalist and percussionist (2003). In 2004, she returned to the UK and formed all-girl, four-piece, rock band, "Skirt", with British singer/songwriter/guitarist Lynne Cantrill (2004-2005). In 2005, Kate left the band and joined Newquay local, rock cover band "Long Donkey" on rhythm guitar and vocals (2005-2006). The following year, Kate re-united with Cantrill to form The Mermites (2006-2017). In 2017, Kate formed part of the four piece band, Tribo Groove, which grew to be a nine-piece, reggae-funk-hiphop-fusion jam band, touring the South West of England (2017-2019). In 2018, she also joined surf-rock band, Beachfield, on bass guitar (2018-2020) and toured with both Tribo Groove and Beachfield simultaneously.
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Kate began recording her own collection of original compositions in 2020. Her latest solo set is an earthy blend of contemporary folk and acoustic rock, with poetic lyrics and haunting melodies and harmonies that resonate with her listeners.
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Well-known for her contributions as former Stage Manager of the Dragonfly Stage at Little Orchard Cider Festival, Cornwall UK (2017-2022) (a tribute stage to honour her friend and former bandmate, Lynne Cantrill of the Mermites who sadly passed away in 2017), Kate's skills as an artist liaison and music curator should not go unmentioned.
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As an advocate for art and music as essential components of community, and as an evolutionary step forward from her previous role with Dragonfly Stage, Kate has co-launched Past Life Promotions, an organisation in support of local grassroots music initiatives, championing fair trade for original artists and musicians.
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NEW MUSIC
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Kate's 2023 independent singles 'Peace of Mind' and 'Winter Blues' can now be previewed and downloaded online.
The track 'Peace of Mind' is a modern folk song featuring acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, cello and harmonic vocals with lyrics that speak of the anguish of trauma, grief and loss, making peace with the past and the healing power of love.
'Winter Blues' has a more trip-hop/latin jazz feel with Kate on guitar, bass, keys, vocals and electronic percussion. Winter Blues is a love song, written by Kate years ago, expressing the unquenchable longing for a distant lover from across the ocean (and the loneliness and bitter cold of the Canadian winter).
These tracks are part of Kate's latest collection of songs which reflect her personal life experiences and the intimate relationships with the people she loves.
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COLLABORATIONS
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Kate Babriela now writes and performs with trio, Gutterbloom, on bass guitar, with partner and co-creator Bradley Burchill and percussionist Sam Jenkins. Their music has been described as a folk-fabrique blend of instrumental surf rock and psychedelic funk. For more info, visit the Gutterbloom website here.