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Paul Barile Reporter/Progress Associate Arts Editor May 17, 2001 Cat Catalani sang during stops. She was, the folk singer recalled, raised in a burg where every entrance and exit through town seemed to include a long wait for a slow moving freight train. "When my father drove us to school, if we got stuck by a train, he would smile and ask me what I wanted him to sing," Catalani said. "I loved to listen to him sing." Catalani will perform the songs her father taught her as well as ones she wrote herself, at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at the Acorn Coffee Bar, in the Folk-Lore Center, Warrenville Woods Complex, 29W140 Butterfield Road, Suite 105, Warrenville. As a child, Catalani studied classical piano. However, she didn't get deeply into the music until much later in life. Despite noodling with the guitar in college, Catalani didn't give her first actual concert until she was 42-years-old. "I wasn't even sure I wanted to be a musician," Catalani said. "I was scared to go on the stage for the first time, but I knew I had to get over it." A published poet with a |
Masters degree in writing poetry from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Catalani found herself working as a proofreader for a law firm. She was supplementing the income she derived from her position as adjunct lecturer at Stanford University. "Checking legal briefs for typos is the opposite of creative," Catalani said. About two years ago, Catalani quit her day job altogether to focus on her musical career. Since, she has played any number of coffee shops, libraries, and a variety of musical venues. "My personal vision is to continue to improve as a musician," Catalani said. "I want to reach more people. I truly love when I can connect with an audience. Catalani still plays and sings | many of the songs she learned during those countless hours waiting for the train in addition to performing her own music. "I'm going to just keep stretching myself," Catalani said. "When an opportunity [to learn or play something new] comes my way, I jump to meet it." Her self-titled debut contains four songs that showcase her flair for turning a provocative, lyrical phrase. "Full-Time Job to Think About You," for instance, is either a sweet pledge of love, or a well disguised threat from a stalker. Either way you interpret it, the music is worth waiting for.
Paul Barile's e-mail address is:
prb@libertysuburban.com |
