In a family of singers, it’s nearly impossible to not adore music. Esme Patterson will perform at 9 p.m. Friday at Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St., as part of Mission Creek Festival.
“I had always been singing ever since I was little,” Patterson said. “My dad was an amazing singer and my sister was great, too.”
Patterson began her music career in a band with her sister and a few friends in Denver in 2006. They were called Paper Bird, and Patterson performed with the group for a while before transitioning to work backed by her own band.
“In Paper Bird, it was more of a collective kind of thing,” Patterson said. “The idea was that there was no front person. It was a romantic idea, but it wasn’t all that functional; someone has to be in charge, otherwise it’s just like a bunch of kitties cats running around. I really like having my own band. I feel like I can express my ideas more clearly. It’s very freeing.”
Since then, Patterson has come out with such albums as Woman to Woman, All Princes, I, What Do You Call a Woman; her latest album We Were Wild is set to release on June 10.
Each album has been different and special to Patterson. Woman to Woman took about three days. She wanted that album to feel very raw, immediate, and alive, whereas with We Were Wild, she wanted to create more artifice around it, a sort of complex, fantastic sound, she said.
But music isn’t the only form of art Patterson admires. When writing her songs, other art media are a source of inspiration for her.
“It’s interesting for me to see different people’s modes of expression and different kind of abstractions and feelings,” Patterson said. “I find inspiration everywhere.”
Having been touring for 10 years, Patterson had to adjust to the uncomfortable travel, she said. However, the adventure and performance makes it worthwhile.
“There’s nothing like it. The kind of performance I do, I try to connect everyone in the room,” Patterson said. “I bring everyone together and have their hearts beating at the same time. It’s really an incredible feeling to feel that communion and connection with a room full of strangers.”
Patterson’s music has been described as rootsy, soulful dream rock, acoustic, and many more. She doesn’t classify her music any specific way, though.