Music to be seen by

Waitsburg-Kellie Rose is a young, talented musician who has taken a break from Seattle to work on new music in Waitsburg. She will be at The Royal Block Saturday, November 19, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., sharing music from her current project. KR has a voice that can slide into a blues song, make a James Taylor cover new, and expose the emotion in her songs.

A young artist, her thirtieth birthday is coming up next month, and her life experiences give resonance to her songwriting. Her father's work required the family to move often throughout her childhood. She was fortunate to experience living abroad, including attending high school in London. After leaving home, she continued to travel and eventually found her home in the Pacific Northwest

Out of high school, KR found herself "accidentally" in the corporate world. After five years of money and perks from a successful job, she realized she was not passionate about what she was doing.

"Oh no, I am not this girl. Nice stuff is nice, but who is to say it is nice? It just clicked for me that I had built a life that was the opposite trajectory of what I was interested or passionate about."

So, she gave her notice, moved in with her parents, and decided to follow her passion which seems to be a combination of loving people and making music. The family immediately moved from a Seattle suburb to Centralia between Tacoma and Portland.

Beginning her pursuit in music, KR was unsure what that would look like. In the relatively small town, KR did not find an environment that helped her define what an artistic career path could be.

KR moved back north, living with her sister in Bellevue, where she found work serving in area restaurants. As she became more financially secure, she approached Third Culture Coffee in Bellevue to ask if she could play. She performed for free, worked on performance logistics, and was happy to play for people.

In 2018, her friend, musician Robbie Christmas asked her to cover one of his gigs. It was a paying job as a musician, and soon she could quit her bartending job to make a living with her music. KR said it felt like the first time she could say, "I am a musician."

And then came 2020; on a Sunday, her car was broken into, and all her gear was stolen. Her guitar she'd had for ten years (Kate was her name, chords were her game), cable bags, speakers, and the rest of her trade's tools were gone.

The following Tuesday, she replaced enough of her gear to be able to play upcoming shows. Thursday's gig was canceled due to COVID-19. Her Friday and Saturday shows went on but were empty.

"Come Sunday, and we were watching the news about people buying toilet paper and water bottles. I thought, ok, I will have to shut down for two weeks. I'll be ok, I'm good with my money, have savings, and I can get through this,"

Of course, the two weeks became months, and she went from working for herself to having no job and no prospects. KR had to move back in with her parents and find a way to work on her art without performing. Before the shutdown, Kellie Rose was getting ready to release music through Sony Music. Now she was recording and performing virtually. Not as satisfying as collaborating with other musicians or performing live.

"I am a millennial. I grew up on Amazon Prime; I want instant gratification. I want to show you a song and experience how you feel about it. It is the best part of performing; influencing and encouraging emotion."

Without access to live audiences, Kellie Rose found herself reconsidering her career needs. After a little tough love from her father, she took a real estate job in Portland. She lasted about three months in the corporate world before recommitting to music.

Not that she has completely abandoned her business acumen. As a musician in the age of e-commerce, she has skills in branding, digital marketing, and strategy. She started her business Tusk and Ivory Consulting Group, to help small businesses with their internet presence.

So how did KR find her way to Waitsburg? Her friend from Seattle, Tommy Long, was one of the key players who brought music to the Wine Country Amphitheater this year. Long and Waitsburg's Plaza Theater owner Corben Ketelsen brought KR for a performance in September. According to KR, the three have become co-conspirators on her current project. Long is co-producing, and Ketelsen is co-managing with KR as she builds her discography.

On Saturday, KR will be where she wants to be. Performing in an intimate venue where she can feel if her music resonates with her audience. Her goal when performing is not to be seen by the audience, but through hearing her music, those in the audience feel that they have been seen.

As Kellie Rose told the writer, "Loving people is my favorite thing."

Experience Kellie Rose's amazing musicality and voice on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/56nr9af5

More information about KR at https://www.kellierose.com