“Like the best country singers, alt or otherwise, Maki's voice is conversational yet somehow self-contained, as if it'd be quite happy talking to itself sitting on an open plain, or whistling to itself behind a wheel.” - Mojo “She can sell a song with only her voice and an acoustic guitar.” - Pitchfork “Daydreamy songwriting - somewhere in the magical musical realm of Mazzy Star, Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, and Belle & Sebastian.” - San Francisco Chronicle “In her own way, Maki rocks as hard as the fiercest metal band.” - Chartattack “A wild and wondrous depth. A Canadian iconoclast.” - LA Weekly

Two Song Wedding Release Date: January 12, 2010 (album credits/liner notes are posted here) Recorded and mixed in Tucson, Arizona on April 14 and 15, 2008 at the influential WaveLab Studio with members of Giant Sand, Jonathan Richman, Arcade Fire, and Calexico, Two Song Wedding is Kate Maki's fourth solo record. As with her previous albums, the recording took place live off the floor on two inch tape, but not all of the process was familiar for this project. "I had a few days off in Tucson while touring in support of On High, and I decided to spend it in the studio. I was not sure what to expect. I am used to recording with friends at night in below freezing temperatures," Maki laughs. "It was over 95 degrees and sunny and I was playing in a foreign country with people I had just met. The songs were also new to me and the direction of the record was unknown. I was nervous and shy, but I think the anonymity and the unusual surroundings played out in my favour. I knew I was in good company, so I relied on instinct instead of blueprints." With an open mind and an impressive group of musicians, Maki's introverted assortment of songs took shape quickly and naturally, encompassing everyone's raw interpretations, and the result is striking, captivating, unclassifiable. Some songs are bare with minimal instrumentation, but most consist of drums, upright bass, organ, piano, and Kate's electric guitar and vocals. There is an overall candidness, and the album progresses like the soundtrack to a short film or theatrical performance. A random mix of Maki's early and recent influences including Led Zeppelin, Leonard Cohen, Portishead, and Cat Power manifest themselves throughout. "The songs I brought to Tucson had been accumulating for about two years, and had never been played for anyone. Sometimes I play my electric late at night in the basement and sometimes I play my acoustic upstairs in the sunshine. As you might expect, these different scenarios generate contrasting songs - downstairs is usually more experimental and upstairs tends to be more straight ahead. It just made sense to record the strange, unexpected songs in the desert." Oddly enough, an unforeseen circumstance cut the studio time short. By the end of day two, with eight songs recorded and mixed, Kate had completely lost her voice. An unusual occurrence for the singer, but business as usual in the desert. "I am slightly perplexed by this event. From the very first take, my ability to sing and talk gradually disappeared. The locals suggested that it was simply the desert operating in its mysterious ways, and I think they might be right. Months later, I revisited the songs and attempted to re-sing the lead 'losing-my-voice' vocals, add other instruments, and re-mix, but in the end, it became clear that whatever had been recorded and mixed during those original two days was better left as is. And so it was. This whole experience has felt beyond my control. It's bizarre." Back in Canada, and still a couple songs short, Maki spent a day in December 2008 at Hallamusic in Toronto, Ontario with members of Fembots, Cuff The Duke, Minotaurs, Hylozoists, and The Pinecones, and added two songs from this session to the eight songs from the desert to complete the record. Two Song Wedding was released January 12, 2010 digitally and on CD and LP by Confusion Unlimited in Canada, and OWOM in the United States. Background Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Kate studied neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and graduated from Teacher’s College in 2000. After the passing of a close friend in 2002, she quit her full time teaching job and travelled across the country performing her first few original songs. Since then, she has released three solo albums, Confusion Unlimited (2003), The Sun Will Find Us (2004), and On High (2008), all of which have been recognized as “Album of the Year” by Northern Ontario's Music & Film In Motion. In 2005, inspired by Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Revue", Maki collaborated with fellow Canadian songwriters, Ruth Minnikin, Nathan Lawr, Dale Murray, and Ryan Bishops on two cross-Canada adventures called "A Midwinter Night's Dream" and "A Midautumn Night's Dream". For each tour, the musicians recorded a special compilation album, and took turns performing each other's songs on stage. Kate has appeared on the cover of Now Toronto, Echo Weekly, and Ottawa Xpress, and has received enthusiastic reviews from Mojo, Uncut, Harp, Exclaim, Pitchfork, and LA Weekly. Her songs can be heard across North America on CBC Radio, College Radio, and NPR, and across the ocean on the BBC and select stations in Belgium, France, Italy, and Germany. She has placed original tracks in the Canadian films Weirdsville, and Wilby Wonderful, and in the CBC television series MVP, and has toured extensively in North America and parts of Europe with Great Lake Swimmers, Howe Gelb, Joel Plaskett, M. Ward, Hayden, Tegan & Sara, Jason Collett, Deep Dark Woods, and Fred Eaglesmith. When Kate is not on tour, she divides her time between substitute teaching and managing her independent record label, Confusion Unlimited.

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