An Evening with Kitty Coen at The Basement

Tucked away on 8th Avenue South in Nashville, TN sits a music venue hidden almost under the street it sits on. It’s almost hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for. With immediate parking for ten, and larger parking lots adjacent it, The Basement in Nashville is one of the most intimate venues around. I would guess the entrance foyer, stage/standing room and bar to be around 40’x20’. There is also a private area to the rear for artist’ staging. Seated at the front door, you’ll be asked to show tickets and ID’s prior to entering.

I was in attendance because my friend and fellow Ballad Contributor Mike Bengo hooked me up with Big Hassle Media signee Kitty Coen. She was on the fourth stop of her Hellcat tour showcasing her new album by the same name. Also in attendance were Slow Funeral, Kelley Cole, and fresh-out-of-their-first-festival Mary and the Matrix. It’s easy to see the women controlled the evening! Everyone had ties to Nashville in one way or another.

Kelley Cole went on first, then Mary and the Matrix followed. I think most everyone played songs that were unreleased or those that had yet to make it in the mainstream pipeline. There were more than a few notable moments for the evening, and Cole brings something to the table the others cannot. One standout moment for the night was an almost blues rendition of “Before He Cheats” by Mary and the Matrix. Lead singer Mary Malú has a voice you want to put in your ear all day long, unlike anything you may have heard before.

After a brief intermission, Kitty Coen stepped on and closed the evening down. Sporting a red cowgirl hat with lace lapels, she started in with her new albums lead track, “Center of the Sun”. With her own distinctive voice and style, the Nashville-native has been gaining attention with appealing melodies and relatable lyrics. Love, heartbreak, and stories of vivid self-discovery tend to dominate her repertoire. Second in line for the crowd was “Everything’s A Mess”, then “El Paso”, and lastly “Cadillac”. For her latest album and in her own words, she channels “witchy-rock”, a genre unlike any other, and uses it to showcase her personal struggles and societal issues, weaving in elements of pop and rock with a country foundation. “Country Gothic” would be the best description of her style, speaking of both her stage presence and lyrics. It is a mixture you won’t find anywhere else, and keeps you coming back for more. Her tour is moving up the east coast with stops in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, PA, and NYC coming up soon. Visit her instagram tagged below to find out where to see her next!