"My main goal as a songwriter is to make something that inspires people. To write things about my life that people can relate to." said singer-songwriter Kate Voegele. "Whether it's a whole record or just one song for someone, I hope it can do that for them. Knowing that I have the ability to do that is inspiring to me!" The Twenty-Two-year-old kicked off her tour with Texas rock band Green River Ordinance this October, making a stop at The Norva on October 8th.
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The vivacious Voegele is not simply a singer. She is also an actress. She plays the part of Mia, a musician, on the popular television show One Tree Hill. As if full time musician and part time actress isn't enough, Kate has another part time job. She's also a college student.
"I'm working on my psychology degree right now with the University of Phoenix." she explained. "Psychology is perfect. I'm studying the same things I write about as a song writer, human emotions and behavior. "
Voegele says that she's been taking one class at a time while on the road sharing her music and in turn, University of Phoenix has been extremely supportive, sponsoring her tours.
"We help each other out. I tell their story. Things are crazy and I'm so busy, but I'm still able to manage taking classes. That's what University of Phoenix is for!"
She admits that balancing life as a musician, actress, and student wasn't easy to manage at first but says that she enjoys the challenge.
"It's not that I would get bored, if I wasn't doing all these things, but there are just so many things that I'm curious about."
Juggling three careers at once is not an easy task, but she proves adept at the job.
Kate Voegele has a flair for attempting to do the impossible. If you tell her that something cannot be done, she'll treat it like a dare that just can't be refused.
"I can lick my elbow." she laughed. "I know that's supposed to be impossible, but I can do it!"
Kate has been singing for as long as she can remember, but began to write her own songs and play guitar during her freshman year of highschool.
"I never thought then I'd be doing what I'm doing now." she said. "At my highschool, being on the girls soccer team was the cool thing to do, but that was definitely never going to happen for me so I played music. Not because everyone thought it was awesome, but for the love of it."
She realized then that music was going to be what she did for the rest of her life.
"It was a release, a way of dealing with life because everything's a big deal when you're 15. School, clothes, boys. So I channeled all these things into writing and singing."
Seven years older, Voegele is signed to Interscope Records and playing her music for the masses.
"Being on the road is like a campout." she said. "I'm the only girl. The guys in my band are like my big brothers. It's definitely an adventure, but it can be a nomadic lifestyle."
She says that the songwriting process and performing are both intriguing in different ways, but that songwriting is her true love.
"It's good to get in the studio to write songs and build the projects that you are going to tour around."
Voegele transforms her life experiences into song; sometimes lyrics begin with a pen and a napkin. She says she is inspired by everything around her.
"Everyday life. Touring, traveling and meeting people. Touring is not always glamorous, but it's so cool. You're not always playing in big cities and a lot of times you're in these hole in the wall places. The every day adventures are inspiring, not just the crazy, earth shattering ones."
The pen and the guitar aren't the only instruments she uses to craft art. She loves to paint while traveling on the bus.
"I have a couple of canvases I'm working on. I went to college for two years for fine arts, so I think I would be doing something artistic if I wasn't singing or acting. Everything I do comes from my artistic background."
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Kate Voegele at the Norva
Voegele's role on One Tree Hill came as a complete surprise. She had no previous acting experience, but her manager prompted her to audition for the part.
"I said, "I'll do it. I'll try anything." I think that's why I got the part. I wasn't nervous because I didn't think I had a shot." she said.
Since then, the show has exposed her music to a larger audience than she would have been able to reach with the release of her record alone.
"One Tree Hill is the paramount reason that I can play big crowds like I do now."
Her character was only supposed to appear on a few episodes, but they kept her around when they realized that she enhanced the show.
"I'm really lucky. All my preconceived notions were completely shattered. Nobody's too 'hollywood'. We're all friends. Everyone is really cool."
Voegele says she would love to do more acting in the future, but only if she connects with the roles that she's offered.
"I want to be in front of people no matter what the avenue, but I think primarily I'll just always be a songwriter and a musician. But who knows!"
Green River Ordinance (GRO) has been charming crowds with their mesmerizing melodies and honest lyrics since they were in highschool. Since then they've opened for Bon Jovi, Mutemath, David Cook, Needtobreathe, Collective Soul, Hanson, and many other well known bands. Their debut album, "Out of My Hands" released in February 2009 and reached #10 on Billboard's Heatseeker's chart.
Jamey Ice, guitarist of GRO, says their music sounds like "Tom Petty and U2 had a baby."
He also says that he wants to wrestle an alligator and if he wasn't in the band he'd be living on an island treasure hunting.
Ice is thankful for the band's opportunity to play music with his best friends for a living.
"God constantly opens doors and has always taken care of and provided for our band. You make a lot of sacrifices being constantly on the road. Its hard to keep up with friends and family. You miss out on a lot at home, but you are getting to do something beautiful and exciting." he said.
Josh Jenkins (Lead Singer of GRO at the Norva).
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