Catalina

Sitting in a warm, wood-paneled room at SubCat Music Studios, Catalina Gonzalez hums lightly through the lyrics of a new song. She's perched behind the thick glass of Studio A with the lights off. She prefers to sing in the dark.

In the adjacent control room, her producer, Evan Pitonzo, breaks open a growler of craft beer at a tall table. Two interns sit on a bench against the wall, awaiting orders to fetch a mic stand, cable or bottle of water. Guitarist Justin Costello fiddles with a Fender while twisting in an office chair.

At the helm, hunched over a sprawling digital console, sits engineer and SubCat's co-owner, Jeremy Johnston. He's wearing jeans and a faded T-shirt. A smile spreads across his face as Gonzalez plucks out the refrain.

"I like it," he says to no one and everyone.

Gonzalez traveled to Syracuse in June – a long way from her native Chile – to record her debut album. She spent nine days tracking and another four mixing. She and her band ate dinner at Empire Brewing Co. They drank beers at Kitty Hoynes. They had the "best sushi ever" at Asahi. And they recorded a professional-grade album for a fraction of what it would have cost in New York City.
"I've gone to other studios and seen their environments," says Gonzalez, who is in the U.S. on a student visa while studying at University of New Haven in Connecticut. "You go in, you go out and that's that. [SubCat] is different. We had fun."

Gonzalez is part of a growing cohort of artists coming to Syracuse to record music. In recent months, bands from Blacksburg, Va., Ann Arbor, Mich., and Long Island have ventured to SubCat to make albums. For these music professionals, Syracuse isn't a basketball town or a mall town or a Dinosaur Bar-B-Que town.

It's a music town.

Johnston and fellow co-owner Ron Keck moved into the downtown studio in 2011. Since then, SubCat has brought local, regional and national talent to Syracuse:

Switchfoot. New Found Glory. Queensryche. Scott Stapp. Everlast. Halestorm. A Day to Remember. Benny Mardones. Kim Simmonds. Guy Fieri. Billy Baldwin. John Walsh.

All have recorded at the easy-to-miss studio on the outskirts of Armory Square. Still, even in Syracuse, the place remains a secret.(...)

Feeling at home in Syracuse

In the control room, Gonzalez sits alongside Johnston as they pore over several days' worth of recordings. She hopes to have her album ready to go by September of this year. Johnston has provided her with press contacts in the tri-state area to get the word out. She's working on booking a Sub Rosa gig sometime this fall.

For now, she's back in New Haven, but plans to return to Syracuse for several more visits before the disc is done.

"They all made me feel very at home," Gonzalez says. "It's the overall vibe. It's not snobby. It's down-to-earth. I loved it." - Chris Baker at Syracuse.com

Being a member of the University of New Haven community has led me to meet so many talented people in so many different fields.

Catalina Gonzalez has been no exception.

Hailing from Santiago, Chile, the senior here at UNH has made a name for herself in the local music community and is looking to expand out with new music opportunities. Over the past few years she’s put out two EPs, Old Soul, New Voice and Game Of Words, with plenty of fun covers along the way including her “Song Sunday” installments you can check out on YouTube. She released her newest EP last semester, Roadrunner, and I think it truly shows her versatility as a songstress and her power as a vocalist!

The EP opens with the title track “Roadrunner” that is reminiscent of an old bluesy rock track. The chugging guitar line evokes a ZZ Top vibe while Gonzalez croons about chasing after a “roadrunner” love. The next track, “To Forget You,” goes in a completely new direction, taking me to a distant island with the reggae harmonies and again that very distinctive guitar setting the tone for the song. For me, the best was certainly saved for last with the very slinky and sultry “My Man.” The mysterious verses opened up to a powerful wailing chorus that absolutely blew me away with an organ part that felt like I was being taken to church.

There is no low point to this EP, no filler track to take up space and nothing missing from my musical palate. I can really appreciate artists who put out short EPs like Roadrunner because it’s a sampling of short songs that all show such strength. I would much rather a short brilliantly crafted EP over a full length that has sub-par filler tracks.

All in all, Catalina Gonzalez hit this one out of the park. You can pick it up for yourself at catalinagonzalez.bandcamp.com as well as her other EPs and cover singles. You can also find her on Facebook or on her website at Catalinagonzalezmusic.com. Her next show in the area will be at Two Roads Brewery in Stratford, so be sure to go support!

It’s been awesome for me personally to watch Gonzalez go from performing at the freshman talent show singing Adele to now putting out great original music. Hopefully it won’t be long before I can say that the girl on TV winning a Grammy went to my alma mater! - The Charger Bulletin

Local Connecticut Musician Catalina Gonzalez talks with Promoguy about her new single "To Forget You"

Listen to interview through the link. - KC101.com

To Forget You [Click To Download]

You know here at CoM our goal is to bring you the best upcoming music out there. Even though you guys seem to love us for the rap and hip-hop we post, I personally will post whatever I'm digging hoping you all will like it too. Cata Gonzalez is a singer/songwriter with some amazing talent, she just released this music video for her song 'To Forget You' which is off her 3 song EP titled RoadRunner. If you are a fan of Cris Cab, Radical Something, The Holdup, or Aer, you will like the good vibe music Cata makes.

Connect with Cata Gonzalez: Facebook / / @catalinarichsen - College Of Music

Head below to read learn more about Catalina Gonzalez. This talented songstress has been taking over the local scene in CT for some time and her powerhouse vocals will soon be spreading. Head below to learn more about her, read a full review of her tunes, and listen to some of her songs.

Catalina Gonzalez’s three song EP, Roadrunner, is quite the stunner. From start to finish you are hit with powerful vocals. Her voice is funky and soulful with a bit of an edge. Her lyrics display deep meaning and go beyond girly love songs. Moving from simple, smooth vocals to loud and proud belted notes is not something that comes easy to most, but Catalina makes it seem effortless.

Roadrunner starts the EP off. It’s a good starting point that gives you a feel for Gonzalez’s sound. The song is powerful and enveloped in passion just like the other songs that come after. Although it’s not my favorite out of the three it still has a unique flare.

To Forget You is a funkier song. It features a deep bass line that pairs well with her voice. It’s a simple song that can bring anyone good vibes.

My Man stands as my favorite out of all three. The lyrics are deep and the complexity with which she expresses herself is hard to come by these days. It starts off slow, subtle, and dark. The jazzy vocals soon pick up and you’re propelled into a moving piece. The vocals are sassy without losing character.

If you enjoy listening to strong female vocalists with soul, you are going to love Catalina Gonzalez’s Roadrunner. She has a bright future ahead of her and her popularity on the local scene in CT is just an ounce of what she’s capable of.

- Carol - Underdog Press