Kate Mann’s songs take you on a southwestern journey of the nighttime world with snapshots of love lost and dangerous encounters. 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, atypical chord progressions, and compelling and intelligent lyrics combine to conjure comparisons as varied as PJ Harvey, Lucinda Williams, Tom Waits, and Nick Cave. A former high school teacher, Kate had an awakening of sorts in 2005 and dedicated herself to music full time. She traded in her car for a van, fixed up her mother’s old 1963 Gibson acoustic, and started touring the Western United States. Her unique brand of moody Americana has been cultivating a loyal local fan base, and she is continuing the trend regionally. Her song “Cowboys are my Weakness” was recently selected as a finalist in the Americana category of the Independent Music Awards, and she received some national airplay for selections off her most recent album. Kate has also been winning fans in Europe, where her first album has gotten airplay and positive reviews. “Things Look Different When the Sun Goes down,” Kate’s third album, was recorded at 8-Ball Studio in Portland and coproduced by Kate and studio owner Rob Stroup. The album, distributed by Burnside Distribution, takes the songwriter into new territory. Each song features Kate’s dusky vocals and acoustic guitar as the centerpieces, and she is joined by a variety of other instruments on some of the tracks including cello, fiddle, harmonica, and accordion.