's mother tossed her a copy of Blue by Joni Mitchell, saying, "Here. I think you'll relate to this." It was the early aughts and
was in the throes of adolescence, a freshman in High School on California's central coast. A budding musician and aspiring writer herself, hearing Joni's music for the first time was a transcendent experience, sparking a lifelong relationship to Joni's rich catalogue of songs.
After graduating UCLA’s Theater program, she spent her early twenties playing every Westside LA dive bar and coffeehouse, living on Lookout Mountain, not far from Joni's former residence of "very fine house" notoriety, and soaking in that Laurel Canyon sound. She landed a spot in an all-women Bollywood band that took her on a surreal six-month “Eat, Pray, Love-esque” tour of India, playing everything from Punjabi farm weddings to the Indian Navy’s annual gala. Afterwards,
Boeck found herself back in LA with reverse culture shock, her old Chevy Caprice Classic and a heartbreak from a recent Spanish expat romance. She wove these experiences into the songs that appear on her debut EP, 'Speaking of You'. Soon after,
Boeck’s acoustic rendition of “Ave Maria” was featured on HBO’s critically-acclaimed television series “The Newsroom”.
Boeck then moved to New York to star in Duncan Sheik’s musical, Spring Awakening, playing guitar and singing as The Voice of Wendla. The play’s success occasioned appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and a 2016 Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Musical.
But it wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic that Katie, recently divorced, newly single-parenting, and struggling to find her voice, decided to revisit the work of her primary influence and adopted mother in folk. Looking to Joni’s oracular songs to help renew her own creative spark, Katie learned Joni’s watershed record 'Blue' in its entirety and began touring the show nationally. In her stunning tribute to her musical hero, Katie explores the travels, romances and heartbreaks that inspired the songs of Joni's 'Blue' era. While Katie's voice and playing does bear a resemblance to the tones and hues of Joni's style, her primary revelation after living inside Joni’s cadences and signature melismas has been the power of unfettered truth and vulnerability. Taking it a step beyond celebration and homage, Katie's tribute is also a testament to the immeasurable influence of Joni's work on the generations of musicians who have succeeded her. Now with her own history of love and loss, Katie has begun carving her niche in the female folk genre, recently releasing her new album 'Calico' and winning Kerrville Folk Festival's prestigious New Folk competition. Katie considers her tribute to Joni Mitchell as an honor and opportunity to be a flame-keeper of one of folk music's greatest masterworks.