Kath Bloom
Encyclopedia
Katherine Bloom is an American
singer-songwriter
based in Litchfield, Connecticut
, whose sad voice often accompanies simple folk
melodies.
The daughter of oboist Robert Bloom, Kath grew up in New Haven
, where she studied the cello as a child and started playing the guitar when she was a teenager. She collaborated with Bruce Neumann in the early '70s, but it wasn't until she met avant-garde guitarist Loren MazzaCane Connors
in 1976 that she started recording. Bloom and Connors recorded multiple albums of fragile, simple folk and blues melodies, the majority of which were written by Bloom herself. Their collaboration ended in 1984 with the release of their final album, Moonlight, of which only 300 copies were pressed.
Bloom stopped recording new material soon after her collaboration with Connors ended, and a period of financial hardship followed. A single mother, Bloom focused on raising her children, rarely playing shows outside of New Haven. Director Richard Linklater
discovered Bloom's music sometime in the early '90s and subsequently featured her song "Come Here" in his 1995 film, Before Sunrise
. Encouraged by Linklater's interest in her music, Bloom started writing new songs and released her first album in over ten years, Come Here: The Florida Years, in 1999.
A tribute album entitled Loving Takes This Course was released in 2009 and features artists such as Devendra Banhart
, Bill Callahan, Mark Kozelek
, The Dodos
, and Scout Niblett
.
Presently Kath trains horses and plays with her band Love At Work, which includes longtime collaborator Tom Hanford and husband Stan Bronski, offering a musical tour de force of programs for children and adults, as well as playing solo shows in the Northeastern US.
Solo
Compilations
Tribute Albums
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
based in Litchfield, Connecticut
Litchfield, Connecticut
Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, and is known as an affluent summer resort. The population was 8,316 at the 2000 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town...
, whose sad voice often accompanies simple folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
melodies.
The daughter of oboist Robert Bloom, Kath grew up in New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, where she studied the cello as a child and started playing the guitar when she was a teenager. She collaborated with Bruce Neumann in the early '70s, but it wasn't until she met avant-garde guitarist Loren MazzaCane Connors
Loren Mazzacane Connors
Loren MazzaCane Connors is an American experimental musician who has recorded and performed under several different names: Guitar Roberts, Loren Mazzacane, Loren Mattei, and currently Loren Connors...
in 1976 that she started recording. Bloom and Connors recorded multiple albums of fragile, simple folk and blues melodies, the majority of which were written by Bloom herself. Their collaboration ended in 1984 with the release of their final album, Moonlight, of which only 300 copies were pressed.
Bloom stopped recording new material soon after her collaboration with Connors ended, and a period of financial hardship followed. A single mother, Bloom focused on raising her children, rarely playing shows outside of New Haven. Director Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater
-Early life:Linklater was born in Houston, Texas. He studied at Sam Houston State University and left midway through his stint in college to work on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the rig he read a lot of literature, but on land he developed a love of film through...
discovered Bloom's music sometime in the early '90s and subsequently featured her song "Come Here" in his 1995 film, Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise is a 1995 romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater and written by Linklater and Kim Krizan. The film follows Jesse , a young American, and Céline , a young French woman, who meet on a train and disembark in Vienna, where they spend the night walking around the city and...
. Encouraged by Linklater's interest in her music, Bloom started writing new songs and released her first album in over ten years, Come Here: The Florida Years, in 1999.
A tribute album entitled Loving Takes This Course was released in 2009 and features artists such as Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
, Bill Callahan, Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek is an American singer/songwriter Producer and frontman of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters.-History:...
, The Dodos
The Dodos
The Dodos are an American indie rock band consisting of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber.- History :The Dodos began playing music together in 2005, when musician Meric Long, who had been gigging steadily in San Francisco as a solo singer-songwriter, was introduced to Logan Kroeber through a mutual...
, and Scout Niblett
Scout Niblett
Emma Louise Niblett , better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer and songwriter. Her music is frequently minimal in style, many of her songs consisting merely of vocals accompanied by either drums or guitar, which she mostly plays herself. She is known for her intimate live...
.
Presently Kath trains horses and plays with her band Love At Work, which includes longtime collaborator Tom Hanford and husband Stan Bronski, offering a musical tour de force of programs for children and adults, as well as playing solo shows in the Northeastern US.
Discography
With Loren MazzacaneLoren Mazzacane Connors
Loren MazzaCane Connors is an American experimental musician who has recorded and performed under several different names: Guitar Roberts, Loren Mazzacane, Loren Mattei, and currently Loren Connors...
- Gifts LP, Daggett Records, 1978
- Fields LP, Daggett Records, 1978
- Hanford, Bloom And Mazzacane LP (with Tom Hanford), Daggett Records, 1981
- Listen To The Blues 7" EP (with Tom Hanford), Daggett Records, 1981
- Pushin' Up Daisies 7" EP, Daggett Records, 1982
- Round His Shoulders Gonna Be A Rainbow LP, Daggett Records, 1982
- Sing The Children Over LP, Ambiguous Records, 1982
- Guitar Pieces cassette, Daggett Records, 1983
- Sand In My Shoe LP, St. Joan Records, 1983
- Restless Faithful Desperate LP, St. Joan Records, 1984
- Moonlight LP, St. Joan Records, 1984
Solo
- Come Here: The Florida Years CD, self-released, 1999
- Terror CD, Chapter MusicChapter MusicChapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. It was founded by Guy Blackman in Perth in June 1992, after a few issues of a Syd Barrett inspired fanzine called Chapter 24, that Blackman started in October 1990, when he was seventeen...
, 2008 - Thin Thin Line CD, Caldo VerdeCaldo verdeCaldo verde is a popular soup in Portuguese cuisine.The basic ingredients for caldo verde are potatoes, onions and kale . Common additional ingredients are garlic, salt, and olive oil. Some recipes add meat...
, 2010
Compilations
- 1981-1984 CD, Megalon Records, 2000
- Finally CD, Chapter Music, 2006
- Sing The Children Over / Sand In My Shoe 2-CD, Chapter Music, 2008
Tribute Albums
- Loving Takes This Course 2-CD, Chapter Music, 2009