Tunes Tuesday: Kara McKee
The folk singer-songwriter chats about the release of her album Love and Guts and how her late grandmother played a role.
Kara McKee performing live. Photo by Annie Forte Photography.
How many years coming is Love and Guts?
Love and Guts is 40 years in the making! It took a lifetime to get to this point. If you’re asking how long the actual recording process took, it was about 2 years from our first session to its release in Spring 2026.
What was the toughest part about writing this album?
We tracked the album in two sessions – the first in the Spring of 2024 and the second that Fall. In between, my family experienced a heavy loss with the passing of my grandmother. That summer I wrote “Goodbye” in her memory. It wasn’t an easy song to write, but these days I find it very comforting. Every time I sing “Goodbye” I’m thinking of her. As much as the album is about loss and grief, it is also very much about love and keeping memories alive.
You mention some songs being written about your grandmother. In what ways did she influence this album?
My Gramma was a major influence on my life in general – she’s the reason I started playing the piano as a kid. Then, during the pandemic, she was in my pod, and one of the ways we passed the time was playing the piano together. My “skills” were pretty rusty, but I kept coming back to Gramma’s house to practice every day. She was such a beautiful piano player, and she’d sit with me for hours, encouraging me to keep going. Every time I got stuck, she’d look up and say “you got it, Kara! You can do it!” One of Gramma’s favorite songs was “Tura Lura Lura (That’s an Irish Lullaby)”. After she passed, I decided to record a cover of it for the album. It’s the final track. What’s extra special to me, is that the recording begins with an iPhone voice memo of me playing the song at her piano in Cumberland. The studio band kicks in for the second verse, and then the song ends with another iPhone recording, this time it’s a conversation between me and my Gramma. We’re sitting on a squeaky porch swing talking about the weather, she notices the way the sun moves across her yard throughout the day. The album closes with her voice reminding us all “it’s a beautiful day”. I think she would have really liked Love and Guts <3
Your voice and sound are classic country/folk. How did you find that sound while living in New England? Did you listen to a lot of country albums growing up?
Fun observation, Tess! The McKee’s did listen to a lot of Cat Country 98.1 in the 90s. My dad also had a steady rotation of country, blues, and rock’n’roll albums playing in the house – Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Roy Orbison, The Grateful Dead and The Traveling Wilburys were all staples. Love and Guts definitely leans retro country. I’d say it’s a blend of the music I grew up on and the artists inspiring me today.
Who would you say your biggest musical influences are?
Lori McKenna and John Prine are always at the top of my list of the songwriters I admire most. Lately I’ve also been listening to a lot of Hurray for the Riff Raff, Valerie June, Medium Build, Kacey Musgraves and Haley Heynderickx. I love an artist who can deliver an emo lyric in a song that makes you want to dance a little.
You’ve been splitting your time between Nashville and Tennessee and Rhode Island. What do you think are the biggest differences between the music scenes in both?
Nashville is, of course, much more heavily concentrated with musicians. I love that there are so many people there speaking the same language. It’s comforting to have common ground with other independent artists who are navigating similar waters. It’s inspiring and also at times a little intimidating. In Rhode Island you have to work a little harder to find your musical people, and the independent artists lifestyle is a little more foreign to many folks. One of the benefits of making music with people in Rhode Island is collaborating with people who have full lives outside of music and bring a well-rounded perspective to the table.
Any plans for future releases?
Right now, I’m firmly in Love and Guts mode. I’m doing a little trio tour later this summer to play the record around New England. It took me 40 years to release the first record so hopefully the sophomore album arrives before my 80th birthday.
