"It's cheesy, but New York is a major character in my story."
I hope you are ready to read one of the coolest stories to ever be told over vegan, gluten-free muffins in Think Coffee on Mercer Street on a Wednesday afternoon in October. Meet the main character of this story, Kate Yeager. Yeager has been playing music since an unfortunate accident put her swimming career on hold. She went from doing laps to plucking strings.
"I had always really enjoyed poetry and I was an angsty child. So the combination of me getting hurt and needing to do something, it formed this perfect synergy for me to channel my creative needs," Yeager said. "After I got hurt, my mom threw me on stage in a musical, in the most loving way. And that was it for me, I couldn’t go back to swimming."
Coming from a small tree-farm in Upstate New York (if you actually asked an Upstate New Yorker, they would say this is a false statement but shh...), the transition from the suburbs to the concrete jungle was nothing short of a catalyst for her music career.
Within New York City stands NYU. A student at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Yeager reflects on the other talent she was been fortunate enough to be exposed to. For an example, fellow classmate Nicholas Cianci has played and written with Yeager and as a result, she has grown in various ways as a performer, producer and writer.
"I think what it has to do with is the city. I am around so many incredible people doing amazing things in different mediums," Yeager said.
Now a resident at the iconic music venue, The Bitter End, her career at the venue did not start with her transition from a tree farm to the city that never sleeps; it actually started when she was just 14 years old (yes, when the rest of us were still trying to figure out how to tie our shoes).
Last year, Yeager went to The Bitter End's "Graveyard Shifts." Running from 12 A.M. to 4 A.M., a group of musicians would get together and play until just before the sun would rise.
"I had a 9 A.M. the next day every time I went. After a couple times of doing that, they put me in touch with the booking guy. I got my first show at The Bitter End in November of last year," Yeager said. "So this is kind of cool, because it’s approaching November and just seeing the change from that performance to where I am now is crazy."
Labelled as singer-songwriter, Yeager is constantly thinking about writing songs. She has a kept journal her entire life, documenting anything as small as a conversation overheard on the subway. She's written songs from gorgeous landscapes to anywhere as simple as her own room.
Those songs are now being produced into an EP. In November, Yeager is releasing her first, long-awaited EP, comprised of five songs. Balancing 18 credits, various other projects, and being a normal college student, Yeager never stops creating and keeping her eye on her goal.
“It’s a really empowering experience when you’re the one in the driving seat," Yeager said. “An EP was really important to me because it gave me just the right amount of the time to say just the right amount of things.”
Later that day, I ventured to The Bitter End to snap some photos of the performance, and looking back on it, it was beyond my expectations.
Yeager's severely catchy guitar licks with the gorgeous vocal runs paired with genuine songwriting was almost enough to make my brain combust. On top of that, the crowd was singing along, laughing, clapping and all in all, having a great time. Strangers looked like family, and that's what was important.
Yeager provided an escape from the midweek blues, midterm season, the boy who won't text you back, or the friend who won't stop texting you. It's a chance to feel something more than just the superficial goals we all lay out for ourselves. It's a chance to meet new friends and learn the words to your new favorite song.
Beyond her raw talent, Kate Yeager provides an outlet for people to find or lose themselves, to learn and to grow. And I think that is pretty darn amazing.
Keep up with Kate Yeager on Facebook to find out about upcoming shows and more.
