“Music is love looking for words,” said Karen Romolliwa summarizing Kitty Leroy’s Lady Gamblers and Gunfighters, which showcases seven of Lethbridge’s most talented female musicians, Aug. 14 at Henotic.
The performers include Shaela Miller, Amy Bronson, Austria, Erica Van Drunen, Kelsey and Brenna, Jennifer Lee Bailey and Romolliwa, who is looking forward to her first solo gig.
“I’m always nervous until after I get through the first song,” said Romolliwa, who is usually seen singing with Hipppodrome.
“It’s different because the focus isn’t all on me because there ’s 12 members of Hippodrome on stage. This is taking it to a whole different level,” Romolliwa continued adding she took up guitar a year ago to help her cope with her dad’s death.
“He always wanted me to play because he played every instrument that there ever was, but I refused to learn,” she continued.
“But after I lost my dad two and a half years ago, I went through the whole grief process but was still angry,” she said adding she picked up a guitar and started writing songs.
“When I play it, it’s like he is right there with me,” she said adding she will be performing all original material with a little help form her sister Shawna and Chris Peacock.
“I’m sharing a therapy session — a couple therapy sessions. I’m not doing this as a career, I’m just doing it to get through life,” Romolliwa said adding writing songs came naturally as she has been writing poetry since she was a little girl.
“Writing lyrics isn’t all that different than writing poetry. It’s finding out how to portray those words with the music and making them complement each other,” she said adding in her 18 years living in Lethbridge, she has drawn plenty of musical inspiration from the Lethbridge scene, especially popular performers like Shaela Miller.
“There is so much talent here, I haven’t had to look too far to find inspiration,” she said. She is currently recording her debut EP.
Kitty Leroy’s Gamblers and Gunfighters begins at Henotic at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.
—By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat editor
