Michael Farrell: Soles worn thinner than my smile!

My friend, Katey Laurel of Denver and Steamboat, Colorado is sort of a contradiction, persona and attitude of a hippie Dale Evans, which she loved when I called her, admitting to having proudly swung a Dale Evans lunch box, as a kid, despite being younger by a decade or two, of those who were truly Roy and Dale's TV family. She counters that sunny and positive vibe, with a deeply reflective nature, and a depth that is often missing in sing songwriters. She's not really a country singer, she's not a rock singer, she's a singer songwriter, who takes her craft seriously, while staying true to whom she seeks to be. I got to know her through social media, chat with her often, and she has kindly listened to some of my Musical advice, not saying she followed it, but hearing a fan tell you the same thing, producers tell you, makes it a bit harder to ignore. I'd like to see more edge, and a bit of darkness to her work, more realism, less "Happy Trails", and more "Last Gunfighter Ballad." She's working on it, but I think no matter what she does, it will have that optimism and hope,that the world needs. Katey's family includes a number of vets including her father, I believe as well, as various uncles and cousins, and I think an aunt or two. She's very active in the Denver Music scene, which is really interesting in a lot of ways. We normally think of Denver as John Denver country. Well, there was a great Tucson Country Swing band, that migrated to Denver back in the 80's, Chuck Wagon and the Wheels, now playing as Chuck Maulsby and That Band, I believe. Neither Tucson nor Denver is Music City Mountain States, but they could be. Lots of music, lots of art, lots of strong visions. In addition to her music, Katey also is an artist, and some of the premiums in her recent Kick Starter effort to fund her new CD "Up Periscope"included some of her original work. In full disclosure, I opted for the signed CD, a download and a T-shirt. She's very talented, and I will follow her work with a great deal of interest going forward. In October, Katey performed at a Wounded Warrior Benefit in Denver. This was a reasonably big deal, and the local acoustic music community, as well as some rockers, came out to help raise money, awareness, and to show the Vets and their families, that somebody not only knew what they had done, but wanted to thank them, and honor them for it.