Multi-instrumentalist, singer and recording artist Kate Davis discusses the guilt of enjoying BBQ, before heading to her show with Angela Lansbury this Friday in West Palm Beach

Where did you grow up?  In West Linn, Oregon.  What do you miss about it there?  Burgerville, and the nice weather from July through September.  Where do you live now?  In New York City.  If you have to live somewhere else, where would it be?  Somewhere that’s warm!  What’s one of your favorite New York venues, and why?  The Rockwood Music Hall.  It’s a great space, it has a great sound, and it always has a handful of new musicians to check out.  What’s your claim-to-fame?  That I once met Paul McCartney.  Who’s your favorite female vocalist?  Joni Mitchell.  Who’s your favorite male vocalist?  Jeff Buckley.  Who’s your favorite jazz composer?  Leonard Bernstein.  What musician do you think is under-rated?  Ringo Starr.  What’s one of your most cherished collaboration experiences?  That I get to work with incredible dancers and musicians through Damian Woetzel pretty often.

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What’s your dream gig?  Any gig where I sing my own songs and people listen.  What do you do to let your hair down?  I remove my hair-tie.  If you could only do one, would you rather be a recording artist or a live performer?  A recording artist.
What’s the weirdest question that a fan has asked?  “Can I have your shoes?”  What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Ben Folds.  What’s your favorite musical?  West Side Story.  What’s your favorite movie?  The Elephant Man.  What drives you crazy?  Public fingernail-clipping.  How would you feel if your pet was the master in heaven, and you were the pet?  I think I’d feel fine (I had three different cats as a kid).  Would you give a kidney to a relative or close friend?  Yes.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  A Google-image-search for Gregory Peck.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  The Oregon coast, because it’s a spectacular gift of nature.  What did you learn from your parents?  Perseverance.

What performer do you admire, and why?  Bjork, because she’s prolific, unique, and does what she wants!  What’s your best characteristic?  That I don’t think about what I say before I say it.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Listening to music, cooking, and watching first-rate crime TV.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  I haven’t had a celebrity crush since Jeremy Sumpter played “Peter Pan” in 2003.  Who do you admire, and why?  My grandfather, because he was the first person to teach me not to care what other people think.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  I don’t know…  That’s the hardest question.  Where would you go in a time machine?  I would like to go back in time and be a fly-on-the-wall for the making of the Magical Mystery Tour.

What would your last meal be?  If I truly didn’t have to suffer the consequences, it would be BBQ.  What do you worry about?  Just the usual existential anxiety.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A lute.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My family, and for the obvious reasons.  Who are you closest with?  My boyfriend, because he’s my best friend, and he loves all the same weird stuff!  What would your autobiography be called?  Kert Dervis.  What music do you listen to when you’re upset?  Bad Brains.  What’s on your bucket list?  To live in a beach house.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  I have no regrets.  What’s something that you never told anyone else?  I’m not sure.  That I blab…?  Where can we see you?  I play regularly in New York City at the Rockwood Music Hall, or at my website.

You can see Kate Davis this Friday at the Kravitz Center in West Palm Beach in a “Night of Stars”: A Broadway Celebration!.