Singer-songwriter Kathryn Priestley's latest CD entitled Travel On is a reflection of the years she has spent pursuing her dreams. The title cut is a tribute to the resilient soul who continues to follow her heart in the face of adversity. Kathryn Priestley embodies this song. Priestley’s journeyman career has taken her to all regions of the United States. A Wisconsin native, she has performed at coffeehouses, festivals, colleges, and on radio stations in her native Midwest, the Northwest, the Southeast and, most recently, the East Coast. Kathryn has been a featured guest on Public Radio in several cities and has won recognition and awards including Folk Finalist in the 2004 VH-1 Song of the Year Contest and 1st Place in the Willamette Valley Folk Festival Songwriter's Contest in Eugene, Oregon. While living in Nashville, Priestley was a regular performer at the Gibson Café, The Broken Spoke, and Border's Coffeehouse. She performed at Songwriter's Night at the famed Blue Bird Café and also played on WTN Nashville Radio-Writer's Night broadcast live from the Opryland Hotel. In 2000, Priestley relocated to the East Coast, settling in Rhode Island. Priestley started her Independent Record Label and Publishing Company, Dancing Dog Productions, LLC, in 2003. Her latest CD, Travel On, was released on Pawper Records (a division of Dancing Dog Productions, LLC) in late 2004, and marks a dramatic departure from her first two albums. Where Another Year Come and Gone (1994) and Salt of the Earth (1995) showcased Kathryn’s songs with a minimal orchestration, Travel On focuses on bringing a fuller sound to her music. Like the journey of life itself, Travel On demonstrates Priestley’s maturing musical styles through folk, rock, pop, even new age, adding unique ethnic flavors along the way. Travel On is Priestley’s first collaboration with veteran producer, David Vartanian, who has worked with such notables as Claudia Schmidt, Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), The Violent Femmes, and The Crash Test Dummies. Together with guitarist and producer Patrick Hall, who worked with Priestley on previous releases, the three created the richest instrumentation yet of Priestley’s music. The album includes performances by Brian Ritchie (The Violent Femmes) on Japanese Flute and Eric Segnitz from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra on violin. James Russell, who plays drums on the album, is also a Pilot for American Airlines. Sue Van Dyke added Irish Whistle to a track after returning from a 3-week tour of Ireland where she played in Pubs and Coffeehouses. “The entire process of recording this album was a joy” says Priestley. “We wanted to recreate that first pure moment of writing a song by adding the right instruments, vocals, and arrangements.” From the ethereal Shadowzone, through the exuberant Summertime, to the simple, straightforward folk sound of Ten Years Later, Priestley demonstrates the breadth of her songwriting craft. Priestley adds, “The music in every song evokes the same feeling I've tried to convey in the lyrics. Recording this album has been the pinnacle of years of songwriting and performing. It's my truth.” Most recently, Kathryn’s publishing company, Yaboo Books, released her first children’s book, entitled Sadie the Bear. The book includes a music/narration CD with songs written and performed by Priestley. She will be promoting the book with performances at various bookstores on the East Coast in Winter/Spring 2006. Kathryn’s music reflects her love of the outdoors and the honesty of the natural world around us. She is an avid camper, backpacker, and animal lover. She currently lives in Rhode Island with her partner Rachel, and their dog, Chelsea.