Biography
Edmonton-based guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Kat Danser throws down funky, laidback rhythms and thought-provoking lyrics. Her Swamp Blues style, steeped in early roots and blues traditions, is delivered by her deep, resonant vocals and backed by the soulful sound of her Weissenborn lap slide guitar.
Currently in production on her third full-length album Passin'-A-Time, Danser wrote the material for it while on a research and study trip where she immersed herself in the music of the Mississippi. Much like a long stretching railroad track, her music draws a direct line from the Canadian prairie to the Mississippi Delta.
Danser distills a refreshing approach to roots, blues, and gospel music for the 21st Century. She reveals a new take on centuries-old premises, and is adept at taking jabs at modern-day cultural phenomena. As well as an excellent tunesmith, Danser is a multi-instrumentalist, playing the Weissenborn Hawaiian lap slide guitar, a vintage acoustic Gibson, National steel resophonic slide guitar, a tack head banjo and the Zydeco scrubboard.
This acoustic artist’s second album, Somethin’ Familiar, released in 2007 and distributed by Outside Music, was nominated for Outstanding Blues Recording of the Western Canadian Music Awards and the lead track, My Baby, was a semi-finalist for Blues Song of the Year at the International Songwriting Contest. Indeed all song selections are a richly textured exploration of 'sin' and 'salvation'; featuring west coast guitar phenom Steve Dawson (Zubot & Dawson) and the legendary Linda Tillery. It continues to be a steady presence on radio charts, placing #40 of CKUA's top 100 albums and #13 on !earshot (national college radio).
A national touring artist, Danser has performed at the Calgary International Blues Festival, Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival, Calgary Folk Festival, Saskatoon Blues Festival, Lethbridge Roots & Blues Festival, Stir Crazy Festival, Tucson Folk Festival, Saltspring Island Jazz & Blues Festival, Island MusicFest, Juke Joint Festival and CBC Festival of Lights.
Positive media reviews include CBC Radio, Global TV, Halifax Chronicle, Vancouver Georgia Straight, Edmonton Journal, CKUA Radio, Winnipeg Free Press, CTV, Edmonton Sun, Toronto Blues Society, Blues Matters!; with highlights being interviewed for the film project Blues Women in Canada and her recent debut directorial film release titled Rails & Rivers: Searching for the Heart of the Blues.
Born in Saskatchewan, and raised to the sound of her mother playing autoharp, Danser came into this world armed with a deep love of and respect for music. Her Polish Catholic family upbringing instilled a strong work ethic in her, balanced by time spent in front of the radio to hear the early roots music of the day. At the age of 5, Danser's uncle gave her a button accordion and a family friend taught her to slap the spoons to Acadian rhythms.
Danser, an Ethnomusicology graduate student at the University of Alberta, is currently in pre-production with film maker Michael McDonald for a new documentary project titled Women in Blues: Turn the Page.
