“Kate Mann’s songs take you on a southwestern journey of the nighttime world with snapshots of love lost and dangerous encounters.” Jeremy Serwer singer/songwriter “November Songs” is the debut solo CD of Portland singer-songwriter Kate Mann. The album is a live recording done in a single weekend at Dancing Needles Studio. Accompanied by Bernardo Gomez (McKinley, Latin Quarter) on upright bass, Kate’s vocals and guitar work on each song capture a raw, minimalist aesthetic as her lyrics dance along the edge of the dark side. Kate grew up at the foot of the Sandia mountains in New Mexico, and the texture of the desert subtly sculpts her music. A deeply resonant, unique vocal quality, unusual chord progressions, and compelling and intelligent lyrics combine to conjure comparisons as varied as PJ Harvey, Lucinda Williams, or Tom Waits. Kate has been steadily accruing a loyal local fan base as she performs several times per week, and she is poised to continue the trend regionally. She is frequently joined by Bernardo Gomez on upright bass and Jason Mayberry on percussion, and has occasional guest appearances by respected local musicians such as Wad Martin (Lava deMure, Gina Noell) on lead guitar and Joe Powers (Rose City Kings, Conjunto Berretin) on harmonica. Her music is simultaneously quiet and gritty, reflective and catchy, somber and hopeful.