Kate Hinote Trio in Manchester

The always evocative music series presented by Manchester Underground Music and Art at the River Raisin Distillery featured the gorgeous sounds of the Kate Hinote Trio. The trio is composed of Kate Hinote (vocals), David Johnson (guitar), and Matthew Parmenter (violin). If you are not familiar with the music, go to their site, queue up their album Near, and resume reading.

Gracious donors underwrote the entire event, making our tickets good for the next Manchester Underground sound. The crowd was lively, and the listening room was nearly full. This may have been partly due to the Manchester Market buck pole in the back of the distillery. Regardless of the reason, the audience was treated to an exquisite musical performance.

Music for the Mind

As you would expect at a Manchester Underground show, the focus was on original music, and the Kate Hinote delivered. In addition to some new songs on a forthcoming album in 2025, they played one of my favorite songs, “Where You Dream Now.” The pulsating rhythms flow like a bouncing brook down the foothills of a mountain. David’s guitar keeps the pace as the melody of Kate’s voice and Matthew’s violin weave and dance in the dusky light.

At times during the performance, the violin becomes a second voice harmonizing with Kate or adding a subtle melodic interlude. Each composition takes advantage of the strengths of these musicians to paint a vibrant sonic landscape you feel as much as hear.

Songs To Savor

Kate mentions that a few songs have been gifted to her by other sensational Detroit songwriters. The country-leaning “What About Me?” by Don Duprie and Alison Lewis is a case in point. This song conjures the storytelling of Springsteen and Dylan. Did you know that Kate shared the stage with Alice Cooper? Ok, not physically. However, they both recorded songs by Matthew Smith. In Kate’s case, this was the tantalizing song called “New Creature”.

While tonight’s music focused on original music, the Kate Hinote Trio threw in a couple of excellent covers. From Echo and the Bunnymen, they played “The Killing Moon,” retaining all its post-punk panache. In an audience pick between Smashing Pumpkins and Coldplay, the winner was the breakout ballad “Yellow” by Coldplay, which I liked better than the original. Last but not least, the Kate Hinote Trio played a beautiful rendition of “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles, replete in its eloquent loneliness.

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Kate Hinote Trio in Manchester