Previously of BC’s Jakalope, Katie Rox is now all on her own and has gone solo. From a rock and roll chick to a solo artist, this lady has found her passion and is now dedicating her life to her own thing. Rox is touring all over eastern Canada, all around the Greater Toronto area then she’s taking it even more east to Quebec, and New Brunswick. This being Rox’s first time going solo and doing her own thing, she is ecstatic and ready to give it her all. With an attempt at the rock and roll lifestyle in Jakalope, Rox decided that her life was not a life of a rocker girl, but her own Albertan country girl folk style. Rox has a passion for giving her art her all. She puts her heart and soul into her music and just has fun.
 | When performing live, Rox has a blast, she is definitely an entertainer. Rox likes to be intimate with the audience; she gets to know what they want to hear and forms her show off the energy that the fans feed her. An adorable joker, Rox simply likes to have fun with what she does.
Prior to the show, I had dinner with Katie and we chatted up a storm. “I hated music at first” Rox mentioned, “but the first time I had to do the recital stuff I just wouldn’t perform and then somehow I got over it then I started musical theatre and was getting recognized and won awards then it just went up from there.” Rox took off and dove right into the music scene, “I went to college in Red Deer Alberta for Music and that helped me figure out what I wanted to do and what I really liked. I was one of those people who was not afraid of the top 40 which is rare because I’m an artist, but if you like Mariah Carey then you Like Mariah Carey. I definitely didn’t want to do or be anything that was alienating.” After a intense time at college and journey of self discovery Rox moved to the vast and beautiful Vancouver where her music career took off, “I got a job in a Recording studio there for awhile, and I really loved the singer/songwriter appeal of music” Rox mentioned, then opportunity knocked. “I joined up with Jakalope after listening to a few tracks and my impression was ‘wow I’ve never heard anything like that before.’ That experience was fun, setting down the guitar and being a rocker chick. I got to do a lot of things that I was never able to do like music videos and just living the dream. It was really fun.” After a blast being the rocker girl front of Jakalope and touring all over, Rox decided to leave the band in Spring of 2007 and go back to where her heart and soul lie, “I didn’t want to keep doing something that my heart was not really in.”
| After some time off to work on her own, Rox missed playing to an audience “I love having an audience to sing to” Rox mentioned with enthusiasm. With a need for something to take with her on the road, Rox put together her first album, High Standards “I recorded the entire album using garage band at home and that experience was really fun too.” A beautiful acoustic album with touching lyrics and moving guitar licks, the idea of High Standards for Rox is reaching a limit and putting out a big production record all on her own.
Her music is what she describes as Katie music. “I think it’s just me. Everyone sorta says that about their music, and it’s kinda cliché, but that’s what your music is right?! When I have asked people and they have put it in categories, but it doesn’t really have a definite spot that you can put it in.” Rox was adorable and lost for a definite description, “Its singer/songwriter, but anyone can write songs and be a singer songwriter. It’s folky, light hearted, I don’t really take myself too seriously, and I try to have fun in the songs I write. It’s tongue and cheek, happy, but there are some very good depressing songs that make you want to be depressed so you can relate.”
This lovely artist has never really done anything else other than music, she tried waitressing for a few months but it wasn’t her thing and she has always had a passion for music. “When you want to do something, you just do it,” mentioned Rox, “really the only thing that is ever really stopping you is you.”
When it comes to being on the road, most love to meet new people, including Rox, “what I love most about touring and the reason I wanted to do it this way is because I like the interaction, when you get to chat and find out who people are.” Rox truly loves not just the music, but being intimate with the audience, “I have made this career and this new chapter in my life personal,” Rox said, “I tend to keep it personal, write back to people, sign autographs. It’s very different, a very hectic schedule. I made my own schedule. I get to know the people personally, I get to know peoples names, because I send things out from my apartment. It feels cool to meet the people because without them you wouldn’t have a career. You want to know who is supporting you.” |  |
With much of support from both family and friends, though Rox doesn’t really know what to expect, she is ready for anything. When it comes to touring and being on the road, life can be tough, Rox mentioned, “when travelling around so much you don’t really know what to expect or what you are about to walk into, so sometimes that gets to you, and being a girl you tend to pms and get a bit more emotional over things, but you get over it.” With her heart beating hard and the adrenaline rush intensifying, it’s the beginning of the Gentlemen Prefer Blonds tour with Toronto’s Leslie Pike, they are heading all around the eastern core from Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto, Ottawa, Saint Andrews, Halifax, New Brunswick, Liverpool, Saint Johns and Muncton, then back to BC and Alberta.
She does everything on her own, from booking shows to booking flights and, yes, of course, performing. “I love singing, performing and all that goes with it,” Rox said, “I want to record another album, this one was a tester album and I want to keep going.” Promoting her first album High Standards, Rox’s beautiful vocals, soul filled guitar licks, and lovely lyrics are something that you don’t want to miss if you have the chance. An excited and adorable Katie Rox wants to keep her musical life going, “I want to build my audience, and do things on a grander scale, but I don’t it to get bigger than I am.” If you get a chance, check out Katie’s myspace for tour dates and locations at www.myspace.com/katiesoftrox.
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