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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Well, Roundtablers, we are here.

[0:11] Robert Bannon: We have a very, very special guest.

[0:13] Robert Bannon: I put on my Merry and Kind Tie-Dye Christmas shirt just for her today.

[0:18] Robert Bannon: We are so happy to have on the Roundtable Kat Edmonson. Welcome, Kat.

[0:22] Kat Edmonson: Thank you.

[0:23] Kat Edmonson: I'm so glad to be here.

[0:26] Robert Bannon: You know, sometimes when you see an album like this, I'm like, this is so exciting. Kat has her new holiday album, Christmas album, coming out.

[0:37] Robert Bannon: The single's out today, right? It's Snowing, the first single?

[0:40] Kat Edmonson: Yes.

[0:41] Robert Bannon: That's so exciting.

[0:43] Robert Bannon: And the name of the album is Have a Merry Christmas with Me.

[0:46] Robert Bannon: And can I just say, I love that. Can you tell us a little of how you came up with the title of the album?

[0:51] Kat Edmonson: Well, actually, the title is named after the title track.

[0:57] Kat Edmonson: I wrote a song called Have Your Merry Christmas with Me, and it seemed like the perfect invitation to listen to a holiday record.

[1:08] Robert Bannon: I love that. I love that so much. You know, it's so funny. I'm a big holiday person, you know, Halloween and Christmas and Fourth of July and all those things I love to decorate.

[1:15] Robert Bannon: But there's just something special about Christmas. I think it just, it brings families together, it brings friends together.

[1:24] Robert Bannon: And when you have an album, you know, so special as this, you know, with the jazzy undertones and everything, it's really, really exciting. I'm very excited to hear about it.

[1:36] Robert Bannon: And you're going on a national tour starting November 27th. How excited are you about that?

[1:41] Kat Edmonson: Yes, I'm very excited. I'm going to go share all of this music with everybody.

[1:43] Kat Edmonson: And this is my second Christmas album, actually.

[1:52] Kat Edmonson: I put out the first album entitled Volume One, because I knew that I'd be making more.

[2:01] Kat Edmonson: But I had yet to write my own songs, my own Christmas songs, if you will.

[2:07] Kat Edmonson: So this is an exploration of that.

[2:10] Kat Edmonson: And I should follow up and say that Have Your Merry Christmas With Me is a coy, flirtatious, kind of understated invitation to someone that you really want to spend the holidays with but you don't know how to ask them.

[2:31] Kat Edmonson: So it's, the song goes through the motions of, you know, how cute can I be to appeal to you to want to spend Christmas with me?

[2:43] Kat Edmonson: And the whole record really runs the gamut of all kinds of fun and joyful feelings around love and romance during the holidays.

[2:58] Robert Bannon: That's so great.

[2:59] Robert Bannon: And I love that it's like a cute, fun, flirty way, because I am a married woman, but I do remember, you know, back in the day when it was like, oh, you know, I kind of like you.

[3:08] Robert Bannon: And yes, I'd like to spend, you know, do some holiday fun things with you. And it's like, how do I do that?

[3:14] Robert Bannon: I love that so much. I think that's really, really fantastic.

[3:19] Robert Bannon: Can you tell us a little bit about the first single, It's Snowing, and why that was important to have on this album?

[3:27] Kat Edmonson: Well, yes.

[3:28] Kat Edmonson: In fact, I was driving across the country last year from New York to my new home in L.A., and I was listening to an NPR station that was playing Terry Gross and, what's Terry Gross's show called?

[3:49] Kat Edmonson: Fresh Air.

[3:50] Kat Edmonson: And it was an old interview with Alan Toussaint.

[3:55] Kat Edmonson: And It's Snowing is actually a song that Alan Toussaint wrote called It's Raining.

[4:00] Kat Edmonson: He wrote it for Irma Thomas in the 60s. It's a fantastic tune, a fantastic recording.

[4:06] Kat Edmonson: And I don't know, I just heard it, and I love Alan Toussaint, and I made a voice memo to myself at the time, record It's Raining as It's Snowing, and put it on a Christmas album.

[4:20] Kat Edmonson: And I completely forgot about it.

[4:22] Kat Edmonson: And then, when I was looking for, I throw all my ideas into my voice memos, because they come to me throughout any given day, and I just speak it into my phone, and I went back to see where all my Christmas notes were when I started making this record.

[4:39] Kat Edmonson: And it was like finding, you know, five dollars in your pocket. I was like, oh, yes, this is so great.

[4:45] Kat Edmonson: So I really got to pour my heart into it.

[4:49] Kat Edmonson: It's a song about longing, and I think I took it a step further in tone and mood than Alan or Irma did, and I really brought the feeling of what it feels like to be sad and missing someone on Christmas.

[5:11] Robert Bannon: Oh, I love that.

[5:13] Robert Bannon: That's such, oh my gosh, again, I love all the behind the scenes of, you know, how these things come to, and you being a phenomenal singer and songwriter, I love that so much.

[5:26] Robert Bannon: That's super, super great.

[5:28] Robert Bannon: Now, how do you, I mean, I know this is your second Christmas album, but when you know this is what you're going to do, how do you prepare?

[5:36] Kat Edmonson: You know, when you're like, okay, I want to do another Christmas album, how do you prepare for that? What are some things that you do yourself, besides writing the music, of course?

[5:45] Kat Edmonson: I just have to find my, you know, my way in.

[5:48] Kat Edmonson: I look for the easiest step first, and in this case it was, what songs would I want to do?

[5:56] Kat Edmonson: And, you know, I started with those few songs, and then I just started collecting other song ideas, and the excitement comes when I have an arrangement idea for a song, and then I can really imagine the feeling, and for me, I'm also an actress, so I create a setting, if you will, that I know that I can emotionally explore once I'm in the studio.

[6:26] Kat Edmonson: I actually don't really plan much of how I'm going to approach the song until I get to the space, to the studio, and I'm in the booth, but I get a sense and a feeling for the emotionality of the song, and I know, something clicks inside of me, I know, okay, I know I can do something with this, and then I can just run with it, so, and then it becomes a logistical mess, you know, of like, the hiring and the production and all of that, but I just, I throw myself into it, and just get it all done in some haphazard kind of way.

[7:13] Kat Edmonson: I know people don't really understand, like, when you're creating an album, like, there is a lot that goes into that.

[7:19] Kat Edmonson: I know when my cousin Robert, you know, he's done his as well, and he's a big Christmas fan also, you know, it's a lot, like, people do not realize, like, so many things have to come together to create, you know, this wonderful thing, but it's a lot of hard work.

[7:34] Kat Edmonson: You know, I have friends that aren't musicians, maybe aren't artists, and they ask me what it's like, for instance, you know, to put on a tour, I think it's the same thing for an album.

[7:44] Kat Edmonson: I tell them, you know, for those of them that have planned big weddings, I'm like, remember what it was like to plan your wedding?

[7:51] Kat Edmonson: I was like, that's what it's like to plan an album, to plan a tour, I mean, if it gets that finite in detail, and you really are, you know, miring through, like, every little decision to be made, and it's a lot, and it's not as glamorous as one would like to imagine making a record is, but the moment that you can walk into the studio and actually perform the thing and make the thing, that's your reward, and everything else is in support of that moment, I believe, as a musician.

[8:31] Robert Bannon: Yeah, it's got to be, and then when you, I think, you know, like, when you get that one good take, and you're like, yes, I did it, like, it's, that's got to be, like, a euphoric dopamine moment where I'm like, okay, and then you're probably like, all right, on to the next one.

[8:44] Kat Edmonson: Yes, yes, because, you know, you're on the clock, time is rolling.

[8:50] Robert Bannon: Now let's talk about this tour.

[8:52] Robert Bannon: So the national tour, it kicks off on November 27th, and can you tell us a little bit about it?

[8:58] Robert Bannon: Don't give too much away, but we want to be able to sell some tickets, especially in the ARC in Ann Arbor.

[9:04] Robert Bannon: I know Robert is very excited, and he wants

[9:09] Kat Edmonson: Absolutely and first of all I love playing the ARC. I've played it many times and I love returning to Ann Arbor. Every time I'm there it's one of the cities where I think I could live here. It's such a cool place. It really really is. Yeah and what a great crowd that comes to the ARC. So I'm gonna be performing many of the new songs from the record and introducing those. I'm gonna be performing some of the songs from my previous holiday album and I'll be singing songs from my older albums as well. Not Christmas music. I'll just be sprinkling everything in and it will all feel holiday appropriate of course. But we're just gonna bring everything into the show and it's a very intimate show it's very in the moment. There will be laughing maybe some tears and a lot of fun in between.

[10:11] Robert Bannon: Oh I love that so much. That's that's so so great. See and I'm I'm a very I will say I'm an emotional person and I really enjoy like when I'm on like a long car ride or what have you and like I just hear a certain song and it just hits me or it brings me back to like a memory with like my grandparents or even you know like my mom or my dad or my sister my brother or sister like I just think music holds memories if that you know makes sense at least for me. You know especially with Christmas music I'm like I remember you know my grandparents you know would pull out a record and put it on and and it's just it's just something about Christmas music I think I you know just those traditions that you hold try to hold so close.

[10:50] Kat Edmonson: I agree I love the nostalgia of Christmas and and the tradition it's ritualistic it's something that anchors us we know we can expect it at a certain time in the year and it there's a feeling of safety and security in in the traditions and and a return to joy and familiarity and the ones that we love. I really think it's you know quite indicative of the soul of us that we we always want to return to it and highlight it every year.

[11:30] Robert Bannon: Yeah definitely it's it's such I'm already planning by like I was like okay what about this decoration and that and this and my husband's like you just put up Halloween I was like I know but Christmas there's so many more decorations. Are you kidding I have a Christmas record coming out I already have a stack of presents wrapped for all of the promo videos that I'm filming and I'm I'm soon to put up my tree and I'm soon to release another single this month and I'm just telling everyone you think it's Halloween but I think it's Christmas.

[12:10] Kat Edmonson: You know what I love that so much I love my sister would have she is a huge she loves loves Christmas it's her thing she lives she's a dean of students down in Florida and she just loves Christmas. We actually we're also big Hallmark fans so we also go to New Jersey she comes up we spend the weekend we do the Christmas con and you know all that kind of stuff and we're already like what what sweatshirts are we wearing what sweaters you know we like to plan ahead because and I think it's just Christmas is joyful Christmas is fun and it's yes if you have lost someone and you know that it is hard sometimes you know and we try to even growing up as a family my mom instilled in us like if there was a friend you know of ours or someone that we knew you know young or old and and they were alone it's like hey come on over you know we always had that open door and I think Christmas can bring people together even when they are you know alone.

[13:01] Kat Edmonson: Absolutely it's so fun to reach out to people and include people you know chosen family if you will I love that.

[13:08] Robert Bannon: Oh yeah without a doubt. Now you wrote two original tracks for this particular album can you talk a little bit about those?

[13:18] Kat Edmonson: Sure, Have Your Merry Christmas With Me the title track and I mentioned it's a flirty invitation particularly to that certain someone and I did have someone in mind when I wrote it but just you know I I don't know how you feel about it do you like me maybe you you would spend Christmas with me and it's it's very clever intentionally so and there are some fish puns in the song with the character of the song is essentially trying to be as clever as possible to woo this person into wanting to spend time with them and the other song is called hush there's a falling snow and it's a very contemplative beautiful almost meditation about being present for a snowstorm so I don't know if everyone has experienced this I didn't until I moved to New York City but when there's a big snowstorm there's this it feels like there's like a blanket of snow that quiets the entire city and and everything becomes completely hushed and you feel like you're in a sort of like a padded room and and there's a very little motion and the world feels still for a change and that's it's quite rare in New York City but I wanted to describe that experience and I can honestly say we did it I think we really accomplished it in the studio and and also in the writing of this song so that's what it's about.

[15:11] Robert Bannon: I love that and I complete I live in New Jersey so I completely understand and we live up upper Bergen County and you know we have a big open yard I have a golden doodle so like you know when he has to go out at like 10 o'clock at night and that fresh snow just came down there is that quietness that silence of the snow and it is and it is very very rare you know especially in the tri-state area and the East Coast where you do and especially New York City where you do hear the silence if that makes sense but oh I love that yes yes I love it too and I started writing it during a snowstorm in Brooklyn in 2018 and I finished it sitting poolside in Los Angeles.

[15:59] Robert Bannon: Do you have anything like favorite things that you like to have when you're on tours or any like good luck charms or do you have like you know a favorite pillow or blanket or something that you bring with you?

[16:15] Kat Edmonson: Hmm you know I bring my journal so that I can write I like writing in a physical journal.

[16:23] Robert Bannon: Me too.

[16:23] Kat Edmonson: And other than that I I just try and pack like the most sensible clothes that will be comfortable and and I pack like the most minimal amount of clothing just because there's so many decisions to be made on tour and plus I'm getting dressed up every night that I like to keep everything as simple as possible and I'm on the road I like to take as little as possible with me but having my journal and having those few key items that I feel really like cozy and comfortable and that's you know that's grounding for me.

[17:06] Robert Bannon: I love that that's so great I'm a big journal or two I love and I love like physically writing in a journal it just it helps just when you have those you know thoughts like just get them out on paper and poop I feel so much better I love that and and it's true you're gonna be in these beautiful beautiful dresses and costumes you know for the show and it's like I want to be comfortable when I when I'm done like I love that I think that's so so great I'm an overpacker oh I love I would love to be like you where I don't have to pack that much but I I love that I think that's so and that's important to you so that you can do your best when you're out there performing for all of these wonderful amazing fans um Kat Edmonson thank you so much everyone roundtablers please her new album have a Merry Christmas with me is out for purchase November 6th the national tour kicks off November 27th her her first single off the album it's snowing you can get it today go download it go buy it do what you need to do Kat thank you so much we appreciate you happy holidays thank you happy holidays everybody thank you thank you thank you Adrian thank you so much so nice to meet you.

[18:05] Kat Edmonson: So nice to meet you too and I.