NewTown
NewTown features five artists demonstrating a vast array of acoustic music styling. Based out of Lexington, Kentucky, NewTown accurately cites their obvious local musical influences. The band is able to journey into a realm of their own while still maintaining the spirit of the legendary bluegrass and “Newgrass” sounds created within the walls of Lexington’s Red Slipper Lounge during the mid 70’s.
The band was started by Kati Penn, a talented fiddle player and vocalist from Frankfort, Kentucky. Kati is unique in her ability to maintain the philosophy of a band of equal parts.
Jr Williams complements his wife, Kati, with amazing high harmony and lead vocals along with persistently tasteful banjo and guitar playing.
James Kee, of Chattanooga, Tennessee is featured on the mandolin, lead, and harmony vocals. James
sings nearly any part thrown his direction and is also very accomplished on the guitar and banjo as well.
On guitar is C.J. Cain, a Lexington native and graduate of the University of Kentucky. C.J.’s guitar style exemplifies an eclectic musical background and desire to reach outside the box.
Terry Poirier is the band’s newest member, recently relocated to Lexington from New Brunswick, Canada. Terry has become the backbone of the band’s groove and is exceptionally gifted in the art of music and recording. Together, the band blends their vastly different musical influences to deliver a sound of their own.
Kati Penn and NewTown create their sound as a cohesive musical unit with a tangible diversity to which all listeners can relate.
Kati Penn - Fiddle & Vocals
Kati Penn started playing the fiddle at the age of ten; by the time she was twelve, she was playing and singing with the Young Acoustic All-Stars that included an almost-as-young Josh Williams. “I was in a little over my head,” she says with a laugh these days, but while that may have been true at the start, it didn’t take long to overcome. I can’t recall exactly when or where I first heard her—it was maybe ten years ago, while she was still in her mid-teens—but I can easily remember my reaction: “This girl is good!”
Kati went on to work a stint with the New Coon Creek Girls that lasted through a transformation to the Dale Ann Bradley Band and followed that with a stab at a country-oriented career that produced an outstanding but sadly overlooked album called Crazy Or Not. But though it might sound simply trite, that’s not where her musical heart was, and when I would run into her, as I did from time to time, she’d always be with a bunch of bluegrass pickers, fiddling and singing and looking pretty happy about it. It’s not surprising, then, that’s she’s come back to bluegrass—and done so with an album that is just too good to be overlooked.
Together with producer Rob Ickes—recommended for the job by her husband, NewFound Road’s Junior Williams, after the stellar job he did producing that band’s Life In A Song—Kati painstakingly assembled and recorded, over a number of a months, the songs for [My Turn to Cry]. It’s a great set that marks her as an interpretive artist of substance and originality, yet also one with an intuitive grasp of how substance and originality can remain unmistakably rooted in bluegrass tradition.
There are a few of the many pleasures to be found here that bear highlighting. One is the quality of the arrangements—again, the product of a joint effort by Kati and Rob. Whatever its source, each song is treated in a way that does it justice, bringing out essential melodic elements and underlining the lyrics of songs like “Bare Hands,” “Crazy Love” and “I’m Going Home” with an unerring sense of their singular emotional contents.
Second, the musicians here play with an apparent conviction that goes above and beyond the call of duty. It’s an interesting bunch, anchored by the Ickes-Leftwich-Pomeroy trio that occasionally performs and records genre-bending music under the name Three Ring Circle, but with the savvy addition of Junior and Bryan Sutton on guitars and, especially, banjo man Aaron McDaris, who stretches out here in a way that will surprise those who know him only as one of the hardest-driving pickers around. Together, their support is supple and tasteful, yet expansive in a way that offers plenty of delight.
Yet—and this is ultimately the most important thing to note—the ultimate spotlight is always on Kati, not just as a singer, but as a player, too. That her singing is what draws the ear most is, of course, by design, but it’s justified; still plenty young, she sings with the depth of feeling, command of tone and phrasing and pure confidence of a mature artist. She more than holds her own on the fiddle, too, especially—but certainly not only—on the album’s lone instrumental, a nifty romp in which she’s accompanied on the tune’s melody by each of the players in turn. In lesser hands than hers and Rob’s, her fiddle might have disappeared from the project altogether, replaced by that of one of Nashville’s many fine players; it’s to their credit that instead, she’s simply playing with her peers.
It’s sometimes said that the transformation of recording technology from the high dollar province of the few into a tool available to the many is one of the best things that’s happened in the music world over the past 15 years—and one of the worst, too. Certainly there’s a virtual flood of albums pouring into the market these days, most ranging from the simply awful to the mostly mediocre. Yet from time to time, something truly outstanding comes along that makes one realize the truth of the first part of that observation. Such is the case with [My Turn to Cry]. In another era, it might never have been made, for there are certainly stronger self-promoters and more eagerly ambitious musicians out there than Kati Penn. But this much is clear: there aren’t many who can play and sing with more skill and more feeling. And in the end, if you listen to this album, the odds are way better than even that you’ll say the same thing to yourself that I did years ago, and did again the first time I listened to My Turn to Cry: “This girl is good!” And I’ll bet Kati will be pretty happy with that.
-Jon Weisberger, Cottontown, TN, August, 2008
Jr Williams - Banjo & Vocals
Jr Williams: Growing up in a baptist preacher's home, Jr learned early how to sing and play
Learning guitar at age 6 and singing since age 5, Jr is already a veteran in the music business. Spending a total of 10 years with the gospel group, The Bishops, playing 5 instruments.
The retirement of The Bishops opened a door for him to get into bluegrass. Jr was a founding member of the bluegrass band, NewFound Road, of which he spent 7 years as banjo/guitar player, and lead and tenor singer.
Circumstances at home beakoned him to come off the road and just as luck would have it, there was another band that could use his expertise. He moved into the role of partner in his wife's band, Kati Penn & Newtown, taking over as banjo/guitar player, lead, and harmony vocalist.
"I'm having the time of my life! These are incredible musicians and singers, and I am so grateful to be in this band! I look forward to MANY years on the road with them!"
CJ Cain - Guitar
C.J. Cain is the guitarist and senior member of Newtown. He makes his home in Lexington, Kentucky.
C.J. was originally drawn to the guitar by the blues. He inherited his mothers love for the music of men like; Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, and Duane Allman. So at the age of thirteen with his Les Paul in hand C.J. began his musical journey as electric guitar player. He studied and practiced for a few years but his goal of becoming an accomplished rocker proved to be frustrating to say the least.
C.J. had all but given up on the guitar when he decided to attend a bluegrass music festival with his father Charlie. It was there that he was first exposed to the sound of the Seldom Scene. Their performance at the Festival of Bluegrass in Lexington captivated C.J. and sparked an obsession with bluegrass music—a genre he had previously disregarded. That weekend was a life changing experience for C.J.
With a renewed interest in the guitar he soon began studying the styles of Tony Rice, Chris Eldridge, Tim Stafford, and Clarence White. His electric guitars have been gathering dust ever since. C.J. was fortunate enough to cut his teeth amongst an amazing bluegrass music community.
There were many individuals that influenced not just his musical style but his attitude towards music as a whole—people/bands like; The Bluegrass Collective, Charlie Cain, Oscar Thomson, Eric Cummins, Wendell Cox, John and Rebecca Frazier, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Scene, and especially Planet Bluegrass and the Planet Bluegrass “Family”.
C.J. recently graduated with finance degree from the University of Kentucky. He enjoys old Martins, musical conversations, and a well told story.
James Kee - Mandolin & Vocals
The second most tenured member of Newtown, James Kee plays mandolin and sings lead and harmony parts.
Born in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, James Kee grew up in a hot bed of great local musicians. At an early age, James expressed a special interest in music, singing in school and church choirs as well as the Chattanooga Boys Choir. It was here that James had his first experiences on stage.
Inspired to play by his banjo-playing grandfather, he grew to love bluegrass music at a local show called the Mountain Opry on Walden's Ridge near his hometown. Starting with the acoustic guitar and working his way to banjo and mandolin, James became competent on several instruments and by age 13 was playing in local bands and at local events.
James attended Notre Dame Catholic High School in Chattanooga, TN and it was here that he was first exposed to theater and acting which helped him further hone his showmanship and stage skills. He largely participated in several plays, and musicals- acting, directing, building and designing sets, and spent a total of 4 years juggling theater with music before turning to music full-time.
After establishing a firm reputation as a solid local musician, James began touring at age 18 and was privileged to make music with some of the best in the business where he has traveled to almost every state in the US. In November of 2007, James teamed up with Kati Penn and he has remained ever since.
Aside from playing on the road or playing music, James owns a landscaping business in Chattanooga, specializing in commercial and residential installations and lawn maintenance. Also during the warm seasons, James can often be found on his boat on the Tennessee River. To add to his busy schedule, James is also a full time college student at UT-Chattanooga where he is pursuing a degree in Environmental Science.
Terry Poirier - Bass & Vocals
Originally from New Brunswick Canada, he is the youngest son of legendary Bluegrass music pioneer Eddy Poirier, has been playing music since 5 years of age. He has been playing upright bass and singing in the Poirier Family band since his childhood days.
Several times, as a youngster and pre-teen, he appeared on the Canadian ATV television series, "Up Home Tonight" show.
Terry is very much in demand as a studio musician and has been featured on recordings by Eddy Poirier, Ray Legere, Ivan Hicks, Bernie LeBlanc and many others. Terry has performed the duties of sound technician on several recordings and serves as a reliable soundman at numerous Bluegrass festivals.
Many times, he is called upon to conduct upright bass workshops at festivals.
Terry has also had the opportunity to jam with many artists such as Mark O'Connor, Nashville Bluegrass Band, The Del McCoury Band and Ronnie Bowman. He's graced the stage with Bob Paisley and The Southern Grass and also Rhonda Vincent on one occasion just to name a few Bluegrass professionals. Over the years, he has been part of several Bluegrass bands. Terry has also played as a fill-in jazz bassist on numerous occasions.
Besides playing in the band, he fills in as a sideman as his schedule permits. He has also been busy behind the scenes at the World Wide Bluegrass as DJ, Webmaster and Station Music Librarian.
He and his wife Holly were happily married on September 30th, 2007 and resides in Lexington, KY.