Kaitie Wade

Country music in Seattle on a Tuesday night? Yes! Kaitie Wade took the stage at the Renaissance 515 to a full crowd. Performing songs from her debut EP Starts With A Song as well as unreleased music, Kaitie kept the crowd engaged. Performing acoustic and without her band, Kaitie was able to show off her strong vocals, filling the room with excitement and tunes that country fans are sure to love.

Most striking of her performance was the song “Don’t Wanna Miss.” The song was written about her home state, Washington, and love for the premiere Pacific Northwest country music festival, Watershed. The song follows the love of a fan of country music and the excitement of being free and having fun. It best resembled Luke Bryan’s “My Kinda Night.” The video of “Don’t Wanna Miss” can be found on Youtube and features images of Washington and Watershed Music Festival.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Kaitie spent the last 5 years in Nashville. Recently moving back to the area, Kaitie is helping bring new country music to Seattle. Some of her highlights this year have been opening for Russell Dickerson and performing at the Washington State Fair.

Though she is just getting settled back into the area, look for Kaitie to have a full 2018 schedule. She plans to get out and hit the road. Already, her single “Don’t Wanna Miss” is charting and receiving airplay internationally. I highly recommend catching one of her performances soon.

I was able to ask Katie a few questions:

Q: You released your Starts with a Song EP this year. How is that going? What feed back have you gotten?
A: Releasing Starts With a Song has been one of the best and most rewarding experiences yet. The lead single “Don’t Wanna Miss” has gotten radio airplay worldwide and it has truly taken me on such a fun journey. It has been going extremely well. All of my fans, friends, family, and even strangers LOVE it! I am so proud of everyone in Nashville who played a part in turning my music into a full on, well-oiled production with commercial quality. It has been so cool to let people get to know me and my story through my music.

Q: Any upcoming new music to look forward to?
A: I have been working on one or two new songs. Since moving back to the Northwest, I have mainly been focusing on booking as many shows as I can as well as networking with other artists up here. Because of this, I have been on a little writer’s block, but I know for a fact I will get another creativity spurt in no time.

Q: What does it mean getting to play back in the Seattle Area?
A: Playing up in my home state is a feeling like no other! It truly has a special vibe to it. My radio single ABOUT Washington state (“Don’t Wanna Miss”) is getting airplay worldwide, so it is super cool to come back to where it all began. The support for musicians up here is super amazing, and I never would have expected to feel THIS appreciated anywhere.

Q: Where is your favorite place in Seattle area to play?
A: Since I got here at the END of summer and have only been playing here for 2 months, I haven’t been able to experience playing festivals and fairs up here, which are typically my favorite types of shows. I guess so far my favorite venue was Steel Creek in Tacoma. I was asked to open for Russell Dickerson there a few months ago and to this day it was the most amazing show of my life so far.

Q: Goals of places to play in 2018?
A: WATERSHED FESTIVAL. My gosh, if I can play on the main stage at watershed festival, I can die happy.

Q: If someone new was reading this, how would you explain your music?
A: My music can be described as country with a classic rock edge and a pop flare.

Q: What do you want fans to take away from your show?
A: My main goal for anyone who comes to my shows or listens to my album (EP), is for them to think “Wow, I feel like we’re friends now.” My music describes me and my experiences in a way that I cannot use words for. All of the music I write is based off of my life experiences, and I always strive to bring an enthusiastic, honest, positive energy on stage with me no matter where I go. I always want to impact or encourage at LEAST one audience member per show. If I can do that, I feel I have done my job.

Matthew Lamb is photographer based in the Pacific Northwest.