Katharine Key Music

This year on November 27, Baha'is around the world will commemorate the centenary of the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha and reflect on his contributions towards a more just and unified world. 'Abdu'l-Baha was the eldest son of Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith. In honor of this occasion, we have put together a short musical devotional video, consisting of three original songs whose lyrics are based on his words. Two of these songs, Servant of Glory and Boundless, are new, and one, Lights and Suns, is from my 'what the fire is' album. To facilitate their use, we are also providing each song as a separate video, without the introductions. Lyrics and sources for each song are in the details below each video on YouTube.

Full-length devotional video
Servant of Glory
Boundless
Lights and Suns

In October of last year, I promised that "soon" I would release the second of two songs in honor of the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb (see https://bicentenary.bahai.org/the-bab/ for more information). Well, it took a little longer than expected to finalize the mix, but it's not too late! And boy, does 2020 need this prayer! I wrote the music to this prayer years ago, but now seems like the best time to be releasing this recording. I hope you love it and sing it! I hope it uplifts your spirit and reminds you that no matter what is happening, God can remove our difficulties.

You can purchase it at https://katkeymusic.bandcamp.com/track/remover-of-difficulties as well as find it on all of your favorite digital platforms.

You'll be able to view our ceremony and DJ dance party HERE on April 11, 2020 at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (Washington, DC time)

Dear friends! 

I am excited to announce that in the honor of the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb (see https://bicentenary.bahai.org/the-bab/ for more information), I am releasing new settings of two well-known and well-loved prayers of the Báb. The first one is available today, and the next is forthcoming. These will both be part of a project called 19 - Songs from the Letters of the Living, for which one new song by different artists will be released every Baha'i month over the next year in honor of the Bicentenary (the first one, by Elika Mahony, is available today). You can find these songs at https://19songs.bandcamp.com/. 

While my songs have not yet been released through this project, for today and tomorrow only, you can download the first of my songs, God Sufficeth, for free at https://katkeymusic.bandcamp.com/track/god-sufficeth

Eventually both songs will be available for purchase through all your favorite digital platforms.

warm regards,

Katharine

Sometimes, when you don't have the words, you write a song. It's taken me a while to record and post this.

Julie skipped town 
Can't say I blame her  
Everyone's mad  
That she left them behind 

Everyone says 
"Why didn't she listen  
When we told her 
That everything's fine?" 

Her loved ones they said 
They knew she was suffering 
If only they'd known 
The right words to say 

But Julie skipped town 
You know I don't blame her 
Cause sometimes a soul 
Has to go its own way 

She left like a bird left a cage 
She left all the sorrow and rage 
She finally, simply turned the page 

Julie skipped town 
After living her life 
Caring for people 
And loving her wife 

She hid all her pain 
So that no one could see 
It was a surprise 
For people like me 

Julie skipped town 
I wish I could join her 
They say that she'll suffer 
For leaving that way 
​
But I don't believe it 
I pray that she's happy 
For the first time 
In a long time, today. 

Have I mentioned I love my life? 

Since September I have given musical presentations in living rooms in Cape Town, South Africa and Mbabane, Swaziland. I have another one lined up soon in Kampala, Uganda, where I also hope to visit the Mother Temple of Africa while I'm there.

I've been to this temple before. The first time I visited, there was only one other person inside, and I was moved to start singing prayers. The acoustics in that place are incredible! My lone lowly voice suddenly sounded like an entire chorus of angels.

There's nothing I love more than meeting Baha'is and having an opportunity to be of service through music during my travels in different parts of the world. What joy! Here's love an gratitude to my new friends in South Africa, Swaziland, and soon Uganda!

So it's been a while. Since my last post, I joined a local original rock band as a keyboard player, practiced with them for seven months without ever performing, and got kicked out for having a "bad attitude." I figure I should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for getting kicked out of a rock band for having a bad attitude. ;-)

While I really enjoyed the music and the bandmates, the end of that project came at the perfect time, as shortly afterwards I was invited to lead the development of the musical program for the DC celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah, which is coming up October 22, 2017. This is a pretty big undertaking, as we are trying to come up with some new songs and arrangements for it, and we need to pull the performers together, including a gospel choir! I am scared!!!! Less than 4 months to go. But I am also super excited to be able to work on this event. The Bicentenary Celebration (as we are calling it) is an opportunity for us to reflect on and communicate the significance of Baha'u'llah's life and teachings for the transformation of individuals and society.

I've put most of my other projects on hold for this, but I'm still finding myself performing in homes and at Baha'i Centers and other venues pretty regularly. For example, if you're in Raleigh, NC, you might hear me at Sunday morning prayers or the Martyrdom of the Bab Celebration on Sunday, July 9.

I want to write a song about "outrage fatigue," about how we see horrible thing after horrible thing on the news and social media and eventually go numb. Some of it is noise and some of it is life or death. How can we keep our broken hearts together and still keep our humanity? Going to use this space as a notebook and work on it here.

------
comes a time when you gotta shut down
when your heart is just down for the count
your brain plays tricks
so that everything's fixed
sees reality calls it a movie

it's good that we just can't ignore
news that wouldn't have reached us before
but how many times
can you read the same lines
'fore you skip them for kittens and babies?

I forgot the mail
I broke a nail
I busy myself
with my own small concerns
and I rot in hell

outrage fatigue
outrage fatigue
​

Hey, 2015 was kind of a bummer of a year for me. But 2016 is starting out great, and I'm back and up for more music! My friends want me to record my originals I've written since my last album, "what the fire is," came out, so I'm thinking about how best to get that done. Always looking for new collaborators! And even though I haven't posted about it, I've been giving concerts in living rooms, cafes, and Baha'i centers around the world. One lovely new friend in Colorado gave me a free photo shoot to show her appreciation for my music! Check this out.

I'm getting so run down by the barrage of bad news. Another young black teen killed by police. Police killed in NYC & politicians using it as an excuse to blame the protestors. And on and on. This song is a prayer for hope and strength to keep going, and for us to be fueled by love and unity. I wrote it and recorded a rough demo this morning.

there’s blood in the sky now
there’s blood in the streets
another child dies now
at the hands of police
there won’t be no Christmas
for his mother today
and no power on Earth
can erase her pain

meanwhile next door
another mother prays
that her sweet loving husband
will come home today
he’s one of the good ones
a good daddy too
but people don’t know that
when he’s wearing blue

i’ve gotta turn off the news
facebook and twitter too
i can’t take another minute
of a day without love in it
i’ve gotta hang on to hope
justice, peace they ain’t no joke
gotta rise up in Your name
cause in our hearts we’re all the same

chorus
keep me anchored closer to life
soothe the anger and calm the strife
show me the beauty of each new day
i lay down my heart, Lord, You lead the way

it’s time for healing
it’s time for truth
it’s time for justice
led by the youth
we can’t let another
red day go by
we can’t let another
child have to die

brothers and sisters
let’s say as one
Thy Kingdom come now
Thy Will be done
God never wanted for us to fight
lay down your guns now
and sing to the night

chorus