Multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul - also known as Black Belt Eagle Scout - brings her talents to Columbus tomorrow night. Paul grew up in a small Indian reservation and says she doesn't play music to write songs, she plays music to process feelings.
Here's the full podcast:
Here's the short feature:
Indians Never Die plays...
Katherine Paul is Black Belt Eagle Scout. She sings and plays every instrument on her first full-length release, Mother of My Children. If there's a song that represents her heart and soul, it's the track Indians Never Die.
“It reflects who I am and where I’m from,” Paul reflected. “When I've been playing that song on tour, I've been thinking about my grandfather a lot and all the teachings that I've learned from him - being strong and resilient as an indigenous person in this world. He passed away when I was younger, but all those teachings will never die."
I Don’t Have You In My Life plays…
“I grew up in Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in Northwest Washington State with a musical family,” Paul recalled. “My dad and a bunch of my other family would take me from powwow to powwow, and I would dance. They would have their drum group play with many other drum groups at the powwow. Then whenever the radio was on, I was super into it and wanted to turn it up.”
Just Lie Down plays…
“The album is a piece of therapy that happened for me,” Paul said. “I was going through a rough time. When I tend to not feel so good, I play music to help me feel better. I picked up a guitar and just started just playing."
Soft Stud plays…
"I think I just want to keep creating and be able to create space for other people like me,” Paul said. “I'm seeing a lot more women of color being represented by Indie labels and booking tours around the U.S. I just want to keep creating space and platforms and visibility for women of color, for indigenous people, and for queer people of color. Being able to create music – why do I do it? I do it because I want somebody else to see me and to do it as well or to do something else that’s just as powerful."
Katherine Paul performs Tuesday May 7 at Ace of Cups. Hear more from Paul and her take on the Fast Five in the Music Journeys podcast below. Thanks for listening.
Podcast Rundown
000 – Introduction
1:07 – Katherine Paul extended feature
8:00 – Paul’s Fast Five
