Kathryn Jane Calder (born June 17, 1982) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

musician, who performs as a solo artist, and is a member of the bands

The New Pornographers The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1997 in Vancouver. Presented as a musical collective of singer-songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released eight studio albums to critical acclaim for th ...

and Frontperson. She is a former member of Immaculate Machine. Calder started with The New Pornographers by filling in for

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...

for live performances and was made a permanent member in 2006.

Biography

Calder is the niece of fellow The New Pornographers member

Carl Newman Allan Carl Newman (born April 14, 1968) is a Canadian musician and singer–songwriter. He was a member of the indie rock bands Superconductor and Zumpano in the 1990s. Following the breakup of those bands, he reemerged as the leader of the Ne ...

. Calder explained in a 2007 interview: "My mom was adopted as a baby and about ten years ago she found her birth family and Carl is in her birth family. At that time I was a teenager and playing in a band and didn't really know I had that family ... so that's how I met Carl." She was a member of Immaculate Machine from 2003 to 2011, releasing three albums and an EP with that band. Her first solo album, ''

Are You My Mother? ''Are You My Mother?'' is a children's book by P. D. Eastman published by Random House Books for Young Readers on June 12, 1960, as part of its Beginner Books series. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the b ...

'', was released on August 3, 2010 (Canada) and August 10, 2010 (United States), with a digital release date of June 28, 2010. The album was named after the children's book with the same name. It was recorded when Calder was caring for her sick mother, and the project was put on hold when her mother died of

Lou Gehrig's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...

. The New Pornographers' 2010 release ''

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...

'' is dedicated to the memory of Calder's mother. Calder released her second album, ''Bright and Vivid'' on October 25, 2011. Superchunk drummer

Jon Wurster Jonathan Patrick Wurster (born October 31, 1966) is an American drummer and comedy writer. As a musician, he is best known for his work with Superchunk, the Mountain Goats, and Bob Mould. He is also known for appearing on '' The Best Show'' with ...

Jesse Zubot Jesse Zubot (of Britannia Beach, British Columbia) is a Canadian musician primarily known for his unique violin playing. Zubot also works as a composer, producer and recording engineer. History Zubot's acoustic-instrumental group Zubot ...

and

Ford Pier Ford Pier (born 1970) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father is a professor of music. In addition to his solo albums, he has been a member of Jr. Gone Wild and D.O.A. as well as Roots Roundup. He has ...

are some of the guests on the album. The album was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize on June 14, 2012. In July 2012, Calder accepted an offer for a documentary about her life, called ''A Matter of Time''. It was produced by the

Yellow Bird Project Yellow Bird Project (often abbreviated YBP) is a company that collaborates with indie bands to raise money for charity, primarily through the sale of T-shirts. They approach indie bands, asking them to choose a charity and submit an original desig ...

and released in 2016. The movie touches on how she met Newman and her mother's death from ALS, as well as including some live performances from The New Pornographers, Immaculate Machine, and Kathryn herself as a solo artist. Calder donated her vocal talent to the end credits song from the film,

A Dog Named Gucci ''A Dog Named Gucci'' is a 2015 documentary film by Gorman Bechard that chronicles the story of an Alabama puppy set on fire, and the man who came to his rescue. The film made its American festival debut in February 2015 at the Big Sky Documentary ...

, in the song One Voice, which also features the talents of

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

, Susanna Hoffs,

Lydia Loveless Lydia Loveless (born September 4, 1990; as Lydia Ankrom) is an American alternative country singer-songwriter from Columbus, Ohio. Her music combines pop music, classic country, honky tonk, and punk rock. Early life Loveless was born in Cos ...

, and

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...

. It was produced by Dean Falcone, who also wrote the film's score. One Voice was released on

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

, April 16, 2016, with profits from the sale of the single going to benefit animal charities. In 2018, Calder formed the band Frontperson alongside Mark Andrew Hamilton of the band

Woodpigeon The common wood pigeon or common woodpigeon (''Columba palumbus''), also known as simply wood pigeon, wood-pigeon or woodpigeon, is a large species in the dove and pigeon family (Columbidae), native to the western Palearctic. It belongs to the g ...

, releasing the album ''Frontrunner'' that year. ''Parade'', the duo's second album as Frontperson, was released in April 2022. In 2019 Calder became the artist in residence for the City of Victoria. She is married to record producer Colin Stewart.Alan Ranta
"Kathryn Calder and Woodpigeon Are an Immaculate Machine on Frontperson's 'Parade'"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', April 29, 2022.

Discography

Solo

* ''

'' (File Under: Music, 2010) * '' Bright and Vivid'' (File Under: Music, 2011) * ''Kathryn Calder'' (File Under: Music, 2015)

The New Pornographers

* ''

Twin Cinema ''Twin Cinema'' is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on August 23, 2005. The album was shortlisted for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize. As of 2010 it has sold 138,000 copies in US and 20,000 ...

'' (CA: Mint Records; US & EU: Matador Records, 2005) * '' Challengers'' (CA: Last Gang Records; US & EU: Matador Records, 2007) * ''

'' (CA: Last Gang Records; US: Matador Records, 2010) * ''

Brill Bruisers ''Brill Bruisers'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian indie rock band the New Pornographers. It was released on August 26, 2014 and debuted at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In describing the album, A.C. Newman called it "a celebration re ...

'' (CA: Last Gang Records; US: Matador Records, 2014) * '' Whiteout Conditions'' (CA: Dine Alone Records; US: Concord Records, 2017)

Immaculate Machine

* '' Transporter'' (Independent, 2004) * '' Ones and Zeros'' (Mint Records, 2005) * ''

Immaculate Machine's Fables ''Immaculate Machine's Fables'' is the third full-length album by Canada, Canadian indie rock band Immaculate Machine. Released on Mint Records on June 12, 2007, the album was available for sale on iTunes as of May 29. Track listing # "Jarhand" ...

'' (Mint Records, 2007) * '' High on Jackson Hill'' (Mint Records, 2009)

Frontperson

* ''Frontrunner'' (Oscar St. Records, 2018)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Calder, Kathryn Living people Canadian women rock singers Canadian rock keyboardists Canadian indie rock musicians Canadian indie pop musicians Musicians from Victoria, British Columbia The New Pornographers members 1982 births 21st-century Canadian women singers Women keyboardists