When the bio says an artist is Grenadian-Canadian, and performs the music of Appalachia, you’re not sure if it’s OK to lead with questions like, “Tell me about what it’s like growing up as a person of color, in Canada, with a Grenadian parent, and how does West Virginia fit into all that?” I decided to lead with a different question, but Kaia Kater, singer, songwriter and banjo player, whom The Guardian referred to as “where bluegrass meets Nina Simone,” steered me right where I wanted to go in this Q&A. Don’t miss her November 3rd at Arden Gild Hall.
INWilmington: Tell me about your upcoming album, Grenades.
Kaia Kater: Grenades is an album filled with completely original material. I am a banjo player, so it’s rooted in traditional Appalachian music. This album goes exploring into personal things in my life and family history.
My father, Dino, comes from a small island in the south Caribbean, Grenada. This album represents my return to that country and the exploration of my roots.
I grew up in Canada, and moved to the states when I started college in West Virginia. It was a combination of luck and scholarship that led me to play music there. I was interested in that type of music. I spent four years there and came home, and the last few years of being home changed things for me, zooming out a little bit. When you’re a kid you are going from thing to thing. Upon coming home I had a chance to think about themes of immigration and familial history and what our past has to say about our future.
IN: So West Virginia was not just out of nowhere?
KK: I spent a number of weeks in West Virginia as a youth, so I was interested in that music. When I was 18 made the choice to pursue it.
IN: Bluegrass has been said to be the only original American music, and is referred to by some as American roots music. I think it’s interesting that roots is a term that is commonly applied to music from the West Indies, of which Grenada is a part. What do you think about those parallels?
KK: Roots is an interesting word. Folk music serves the delineation better. I grew up with a lot of folk music in my life. It’s classically thought of as 50s musicians like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. I refer to folk music as much more broad – folk means person – music made by people for other people has a certain grassroots connotation. Not intensely or overly artificially manufactured and often acoustic. Heavily American traditions. Moreso than West African and West Indian music.
IN: Would you mind talking about your family background a little?
KK: I went to Grenada some as a kid. Then I went again at 24. There was a huge gap in my visits.
I went at an age when you’re trying to figure out who you are, and how you want to mold yourself as an adult. The process of going to Grenada, for me, was an example of another step in the direction of figuring out who you are. Positive but also challenging. A lot of people who have hyphenated identities, children of immigrants, experience that. There’s often a history that’s rooted in a lot of pain and also in a lot of joy.
The songs on this record are nascent expressions of that. A lot of the way I see music is as a commentary on my own life; my own imagination and creativity. I use it as a tool that I hope can be translated to other people. When you listen to someone’s song, you sometimes feel like they’re your best friend, but also you at the same time.
IN: The Guardian compared you to Nina Simone. What was your reaction when you read that?
KK: I was flattered. My total idol.
If you look at who is able to express themselves, Nina was born in a time when there wasn’t full scholarship – once they found out she was black, they revoked her scholarship. She was suppressed. Also not conventionally beautiful and I think she plowed on and said the things that she wanted to, influencing continuing generations, including mine.
She’s the foremother for a lot of black women who are pursuing music and being bad-asses on their instruments. It felt good.
IN: What’s life like in Montreal for a woman of color?
KK: I had a pretty good childhood, as I can recall. Montreal is multicultural city. Pretty good. Not an easy time, but I came away with a relatively bright outlook on race and culture because I had all sorts of friends. I learned about Islam and Judaism early in life.
Blackness and biracial identity and being a woman of color in this world and era, it’s an evolving thing. As you get older, you develop more tools to look at yourself as fully human. I think in a lot of ways, the only people who have been regarded as fully human and fully complex in their humanity are white men. So when you’re born of a different race or gender or nonbinary, you’re seen as sort of a novelty or maybe not a true citizen.
The founding fathers wrote into the Constitution that people of color were only three-fifths of a person. That’s antiquated now, but has still permeated the social relations. We’re self-policed. Control your emotions and don’t get too angry; don’t show yourself as a full person.
Music is a way to transcend that, and a way that I could fully express myself. As an artist I can socially be allowed to do things I’m not allowed to do in the world. That was the appeal to me.
IN: What’s it like being on tour?
KK: This tour is 3 days. It’s a mini tour. I feel like I’m perpetually on tour. At a maximum, I tour around three to four weeks, then come back home, and then I make weekend runs.
My last tour was 18 months, but I was not completely on the road for the whole time, actively playing. I took one month off to go to the Caribbean.
Recording happens between the times I’m on the road. April to May was my recording time and at the end of June, I started more touring.
IN: Are there any tour stops this year that you are especially looking forward to?
KK: I’m playing Carnegie Hall in March. Huge bucket list item. I’m looking forward to playing Delaware and Baltimore and Frederick, Maryland. I have a good amount of friends on this route.
I’m glad to get this album out. I’m touring as part of a trio for the first time. It’s usually a duo. This time, we are bringing an electric guitar, upright bass and banjo.
IN: Are there any collaborations you’ve done / would love to do?
KK: I’ve got a few irons in the fire. I’m hoping to do a lot of collaborations with women and especially women of color.
The Arden Concert Gild presents Kaia Kater w/ Richie and Rosie on Saturday, November 3.