Kate York

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Phoots comi...

Halfway to Hazard was an American country music duo composed of singer-songwriters David Tolliver and Chad Warrix. Though Tolliver and Warrix grew up in different towns in southeastern Kentucky, their band's origins are in Hazard, Kentucky, which was halfway between their hometowns.

Their debut single, "Daisy", was a Top 40 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in 2007. The song was also featured as iTunes' single of the week on August 6, 2007. In addition, they toured as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's opening act on their Soul2Soul 2007 Tour. McGraw helped to produce the album.[1]

On October 14, 2007, the duo performed the national anthem prior to the Green Bay Packers' home game against the Washington Redskins.[2] Later that season they performed again at Lambeau Field for the Packers NFC Championship game against the New York Giants.[1]

In May 2008, they were nominated by the Academy of Country music for their "Duo of the Year," award. Halfway to Hazard toured again on the Live Your Voice tour with Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

A single from their second album, "I Know Where Heaven Is," was released on July 20, 2009. The album, Come on Time, was released on October 19, 2009. Neither charted.

On January 20, 2010, Tolliver announced he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the duo via their website. All future tour dates were indefinitely postponed. The future of the act is unknown.

After working in post-production in Hollywood for a year, Kate York moved to Nashville in 1999 to pursue a career as a recording engineer. She landed a job working on Music Row, but soon decided she enjoyed writing songs more than recording them, and began co-writing pieces for other local artists.

After seeing York perform at 12th & Porter in Nashville, Neilson Hubbard came up to her and offered to produce some songs together. They recorded six songs in the autumn of 2003 and six more in the summer of 2004.

York and Hubbard enlisted some of Nashville's best to play and sing on the EP, including the likes of Mack Starks, Brian Bequette, Jeff Patterson, Mindy Smith, and John Deaderick, among others. Some members of this particular cadre, including producer Hubbard, are creating an increasingly recognizable sound within Nashville's growing alt scene--a sound at once dark and accessible, edgy and eerie.

The writing is simple and pure and allows plenty of room for the songs' emotions to move and stretch. Standouts among the four original songs on the EP are two York co-wrote with Nashville songwriter Carter Wood. "Wished For Song" is a hummable and wistful gem, while "Stay With Me" is a breath-catching relationship vignette:

Sitting here with you
Watch the record spin
Round and round it goes
Just like you and I have been

Good EPs are by their nature too short (bad ones are never short enough), so it's nice to know that there's a full-length CD in Kate York's hopefully near future. Hers is a voice to listen for and, while you're waiting for the full deal, think of her EP as an appetizer: a small, tasty bite designed to whet our listening appetites for a satisfying main course.