Katie Powderly

Katie Powderly Live by the Song Die by the Song release announcement (924 × 924 px).png

Katie Powderly My Mourning Dove out now (924 × 924 px).png

Katie Powderly Tobacco out now (924 × 924 px).png

Katie is a songwriter + bluegrass bass player who has performed on PBS & NPR affiliates…

….and has toured from New York to Colorado, Texas to Tennessee.

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Her singing and harmonies have been compared to Emmylou Harris (The Alternate Root Magazine) Gillian Welch and Aiofe O’Donovan, (Americana UK) and Gram Parsons (City Paper, Rochester, NY.)

She was also voted Best Country/Bluegrass Performer in her home city of Madison, Wisconsin, in the Madison Area Music Awards.

Read Katie’s Bio

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Image of Katie Powderly vinyl album "Live by the Song, Die by the Song" on a wooden table.

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“...inhabiting the same musical geography as Gillian Welch and Aoife O’Donovan, fiddle and guitar combining to create a sublime bluegrass ambience.”

- Graeme Tait, Americana UK

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Recent Press

...Powderly possesses a singing style similar to Gillian Welch, Natalie Merchant, and Emmylou Harris in its soft sensual delivery.”
Lee Zimmerman, The Alternate Root Magazine
“...inhabiting the same musical geography as Gillian Welch and Aoife O’Donovan, fiddle and guitar combining to create a sublime bluegrass ambience.”
Graeme Tait, Americana UK
“Katie Powderly's "Live by the Song, Die by the Song" is a puzzle you put together by listening.”
Wildfire Music + News
“Celebrating the beauty of simplicity with stripped-down, acoustic instrumentation, [Live by the Song, Die by the Song] features a blend of acoustic guitar, haunting vocals and occasional touches of mandolin and fiddle, bringing the spirit of the mountains to life. It showcases 10 songs that demonstrate Powderly’s evolution as a songwriter and a reflection of her experiences living in Appalachia.” - Lauren LaRocca
The Frederick News-Post (Frederick, MD)
“Appalachian ballads, the outcrop of a summer affair that turned sour, are all allegories, opening in smoking style with the fingerpicked tumbling and fiddle coloured 'Tobacco' which pretty much lays out the emotional backdrop....

The last of the five, graced with poignant forlorn folksy violin 'Love Me One More Time Before I Go' is also perhaps the loveliest and most heartbreaking and glows with the warmth of a traditional American folk ballad.... She's most definitely now on my radar to flag up future releases. She should be on yours too.”

-Mike Davies
FATEA Magazine
“When it’s just you, your voice, and your guitar, there isn’t much to hide behind, which is how Katie Powderly likes it.

The singer-songwriter shines brightly on her latest release, the five-song EP Live by the Song, Die by the Song… Powderly utilized a stripped-down approach, relying predominantly on her talents as a songwriter and vocalist. And it’s those talents that are very apparent, with a collection of powerful, heartfelt tracks.

They will get you thinking, but the answers, those you will have to seek out for yourself. Her powerful lyrics and bold, honest approach lend a cathartic quality to these songs. Impressively and sincerely, Powderly packs a lot into five tracks.”
– Christopher Gonda
V13 Magazine