In the midst of a hectic Friday afternoon, I ordered a mocha at Osmium and headed to the bar. A new friend dressed in '70s clothing waved hello, grinning with white headphones draped around her neck.
Wearing a funky yellow top, flared brown pants, and sipping tea was Kathy Patino - front woman of alternative, indie pop band Girl K. Seeing their full-band debut in October '17 opening for The Slaps at a packed house show, I just knew that I needed to learn more about them.
Kathy's from Minooka, a town that would like to deem itself "a nice place to call home”. With hopes to move to the city within a year, she currently works at Shedd Aquarium admiring beluga whales and studies English at UIC. As our conversation fluctuated from music to heritage, fashion, love, and everything in-between - an hour flew by until we finally talked about how Girl K came to be.
As an musician, Kathy hardly performed outside of talent shows and uploading content on Soundcloud. Struggling to rekindle her spark along with parents favoring her sibling's music, Kathy dreamed yet never anticipated to be where she is today.
In March 2017, Kathy's friend Evan wanted to celebrate his birthday at The Drunken Donut's open mic night. Pleading for her to play, Kathy gave in although she wasn't too keen on her original songs. After writing a tune day of the show and performing it that same night, Kathy headed outside afterwards and received high praise by Tyler - who would eventually become Girl K's drummer.
Tyler invited Kathy to an impromptu session, which lead to the whole formation of the band. Mike (guitarist, vox) and Jake (bass) already jammed with Tyler regularly. Squeezing in time on a busy day, Kathy miraculously made it on time and was in love with the full sound they created together.
Contemplating recording tracks and growing her project, Kathy discovered that Matt, her coworker, studies audio production. Following the recording of "Nowhere", they decided to dedicate two months time to record Sunflower Court in its entirety. Although it was a wrap by July, Sunflower Court was set to release in October.
Grinding to do anything imaginable to share her music with the world, Kathy met with an album consultant, built relationships with blogs, and German radio stations started blasting "Neighbors". Once Sunflower Court dropped, Girl K has been playing a ton of shows. Working collectively on new music, Kathy said "I would definitely listen to the music we're currently working on. Sunflower Court is great and all, but not the kind of music I would often listen to."
With high hopes to tour the outskirt states, fans falling in love with new tracks performed live, and constantly giving local bands shout outs on all platforms - you ought to have Girl K on your radar. A music video's on the way and with another EP release coming soon, their dream pop style will leave you wanting more.
Find Kathy's favorite bands and links to get personal with Girl K below.
Kathy's Top 5 Bands
Wild Child
Sails
Music Links
Socials
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