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Kate Greenland

Saturday, November 28 at 8:00 pm
Westboro Masonic Hall,
430 Churchill Ave.N., Ottawa

Tickets: $25

Kate grew up in a music loving, singer-songwriting family. She was immersed in a song writing culture. It’s no surprise then that she has become a respected song writer in her own right.

They say: “The proof is in the pudding” and Kate’s first batch of pudding, her debut album, Longing & Dreaming, includes an original song called Patron Saint which was nominated for Best Song of 2026 by the Ontario Folk Music Association. Bravo Kate. That’s quite an accomplishment for a first effort.

Kate recently described her song writing process. She says she finds song writing to be a daunting process. Like many artists and songwriters, she has a fear of failure. No one wants to have their art rejected by others. Many artists describe their inner critic as the worst critic of all. Some see an empty page as a doorway through which self-criticism comes marching in. Kate confesses that she suffers from some of these fears but when she starts to describe the songs she has written, you can hear her love and enthusiasm come bubbling through.

Kate is far more knowledgeable than most about a wide range of songwriting styles. She’s able to draw on artists as diverse as Jimmy Rogers, Townes Van Zandt and the Carter Family. When approaching a new song, she sometimes borrows from their forms and formats. Bittersweetheart, for example, is based on a format by the Carter Family while Ball & Chain Blue Yodel follows a form used by Jimmy Rogers. These are, by the way, the first two songs that Kate wrote.

Another of Kates original songs, Concrete Cowboy, had a slow birth. She says it took her seven years to nurture it from a two word phrase to a 4 minute 37 second song, recording and video. The story tells of a young man, “his hands weathered and worn”, hunched over his guitar in an Ottawa pub. In our heroes mind, the pub fades away becoming a dusty west Texas saloon. There he sits with his concrete encrusted workman’s boots dreaming of cowboy boots and the open plains. He has dreams of breaking free, riding the range and cutting ties with past mistakes, but he remains mired in concrete circumstances and unbreakable commitments.

Kate says her song writing process “always begins with the lyrics”. She’s definite about that. No question. It might be a single word or phrase, a verse, or a chorus. She sits with the idea until it becomes a story and a song.

With the lyric in mind, Kate reaches for her guitar and searches to find a new chord progression, perhaps an unfamiliar key or rhythm, something that’s fresh and original. She says: “I look for the root chord shape such as a C or D shape to work with. I try not to be too strict with myself but the music and the lyrics must go hand in hand, and they must be suited to my voice. The parts must all fit together.”

Kate’s songwriting, singing, guitar and mandolin playing as well as her bubbly personality and sparkling sense of humour will be on full display when she takes the stage at the Westboro Masonic Hall on Saturday, November 28. Please take a moment now to order your tickets. You won’t regret it. This is going to be a wonderful concert.