KATHERINE DOUGAN: Press

Excerpt from:
"Hot Country, Hot Coffee"
By John "Chet" Hicks
Planet Weekly staff writer
... Listen up, pards. I got a couple of for-real scoops this week. Did y'all know they got country music all the way over in Germany now? It's a plain fact. Jacktown's own Katherine Dougan is on the independent country charts over yonder with a song called "One Little Question" from the DouganJones CD, "Morningside."
I gave Katherine a ring from the pay phone here at the lounge to find out how in the heck she did it.
"Marketing, advertising and sheer determination," says singer/guitarist/songwriter Dougan.
"I had a theory I wanted to prove about the music business." As it turns out, the radio stations across the pond are a lot more open-minded about independent acts than their U.S. counterparts. Dougan, formerly of the Jackson alt-country duo DouganJones, did a whole bunch of research and writing, contacting radio stations in Norway, Belgium and yes, Germany. Next thing she knew, "One Little Question" was climbing up the Independent Country Music Association of Germany's hit list!
Now embarked on a solo career, Dougan plans to follow up the success of "One Little Question" with a full-length CD of new material, and hopes to meet her new Euro-fans in person soon. "I used to be a journalist, which is a noble, marvelous profession," says Dougan, who also plays flute, banjo and piano. "But now, when I wake up with a song in my head, I have the whole day to work on it." ....

Appeared in Music of Note in the Clarion-Ledger Entertainment section, April 2002.
By Lori Herring
Clarion-Ledger feature writer
Kathy Dougan has worn many hats -- designer, writer, reporter, cowgirl.
It's this musician's hat she keeps stacked on top of her cowgirl hat these days, as half of the "y'allternative" country group, DouganJones.
"I don't take myself seriously because you can't, you know," Dougan says. "Life is too much fun to do that."


DouganJones, which has been playing together about a year now, is a down-to-earth, friendly, "Y'all-come-back now" kind of band. They'll be playing at MusiQuarium tonight. The show starts at 9:30.
The band regularly plays all over Jackson and has started to gig all over the state. They often open for Cary Hudson and others, but they also have their fair share of main stage fame.
Both Dougan and Steven Jones, the other half of the band, write songs. DouganJones plays covers of people like Gillian Welch on their gigs, but the group also play original stuff, too.
Their debut CD, "Morningside," offers listeners the simple styling and true sound and feel of a DouganJones live performance. It features eight songs penned by Dougan and two written by Jones. Get it locally at BeBop and MusiQuarium, or through the Internet at www.cdbaby.com/katherinedougan.
"Music is just joy and therapy, and it's been a huge part of my life since I was a little kid," Dougan says.
"And it's wonderful."

Belgium indie radio album review: DouganJones "Morningside"
Uwe Barth, International Promotion & Review
DouganJones an alt-country musical duo from Jackson, Mississippi, in April 2002 released their debut CD Morningside, recorded live in one 10-hour-session at Route 1 Recording Studio in Monticello, Mississippi. The CD, which offers listeners the simple styling and sound of a DouganJones live performance, features eight songs penned by Dougan and two written by Jones. Both self-taught acoustic guitarists, singer - songwriter Katherine R. Dougan and singer - songwriter Steven Jones met in 2001 after Dougan moved to Jackson. The duo started playing music together a few months later.

A rural Southern Indiana native, Dougan moved to the Deep South in 1998. She picked up the guitar after a divorce, when she traded her wedding ring for a used guitar at a pawnshop in Kentucky. A freelance writer and poet, Dougan plays flute, banjo and piano. She cites her mother's family's Tennessee mountain music as her earliest influence. Her influences including also Hank Williams Sr., Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, John Prine as well as Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Lucinda Williams and Julie & Buddy Miller.

Mississippi native Jones hails from the hill country of Pontotoc. A pharmacist for a major retail chain, Jones grew up listening to dad's Beatles and Bob Dylan 8-track-tapes. Jones sings and plays acoustic guitar and mandolin. He recently purchased a banjo and a lime green 1950 Mason lap steel guitar and is teaching himself to play both.

The combination of both artists, makes this songs sound so unique. It is a great album - a really well done album!

"Take Country Back" album review: DouganJones: Morningside

Morningside is the debut release of the Mississippi based, alt-country duo DouganJones, singer-songwriters Katherine R. Dougan and Steven Jones. Morningside is an acoustic effort of country/folk, recorded live in the studio.

The duo met and started playing music together after meeting in 2001, when Dougan moved to Jackson. In addition to acoustic guitar, Dougan also plays piano and flute. As a child, her earliest influence was the Tennessee mountain music her mother's large family would play on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, that included instruments that ranged from the mandolin to spoons to a washtub bass. Her other influences include many older country artists, particularly Hank Williams Sr., as well as more contemporary artists such as EmmyLou Harris, Gram Parsons, John Prine, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Lucinda Williams and Julie and Buddy Miller.

Jones, a pharmacist, moved to Jackson with his wife 4 years ago. He plays acoustic guitar and mandolin, and recently bought a banjo and a lime green 1950 Mason lap steel which he is teaching himself to play. He grew up listening to his father's Beatles and Bob Dylan tapes, and his other influences include Uncle Tupelo, Blue Mountain, Counting Crows, Kevin Kinney, Lucinda Williams and Ryan Adams.

Katherine Dougan wrote and sings on 10 of Morningside's 12 tracks. Her voice is reminiscent of Stevie Nicks crossed with Lucinda Williams' loopiness, topped with a thick southern twang. Her songs mainly revolve around the theme of failed relationships. Her early influences of Tennessee mountain music particularly come through on "We're All Gonna Die One Day," "No Luck With Men," and "Low Side Of Low." The strongest of her songs lean towards the slightly more folky ache of "Carry On," and "Maryland And Mississippi," it's hauntingly pretty melody accented by flute.

Steven Jones contributes two tracks and vocals with "Get Me Out Of This Town," and "Something Blue." Both are well written, strong efforts, and with Dougan on backing harmonies, the sound brings a more stripped down Whiskeytown to mind.

Morningside contains some strong songwriting and good vocals, making for a nice debut. Their vocal interactions work very well, and Jones' has some very good songwriting skills of his own. Perhaps on their next outing, we'll see a little more of each.

Morningside is available at www.cdbaby.com
You can visit Katherine Dougan's (douganjones.com) website at www.katherinedougan.com

Indiana native and musician katherine Dougan met Mississippian Steven Jones when she applied for the position of medical writer at the Clarion-Ledger in January (2001) and the two have been performing at open mic nights in Jackson since she accepted the job.
DouganJones, an alternative country duo, has honed their act over the year and are now performing at regular gigs including performances this Wednesday, November 28 at Fenian's and Saturday, December 1 at Cups in Fondren.
Dougan, who originally played the piano and flute, picked up the guitar after trading her wedding ring at a pawn shop in Kentucky. The singer/songwriter credits her mother's family for her interest in music.
I remember sitting for hours in a chrome-legged kitchen chair listening to music, Dougan said. "My influences include a lot of older country music, especially Hank Williams," she added. Other influences include EmmyLou Harris, Gram Parsons, Gillian Welch, and Lucinda Williams.
The other half of the duo, Steven Jones, grew up in Pontotoc listening to his father's 8-track tapes of The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Jones, who works in Jackson as a pharmacist, plays guitar, banjo and mandolin and credits Uncle Tupelo, Counting Crows and Ryan Adams as influences.
The duo covers songs by the people they admire the most and include six original songs written by Dougan in their show. Dougan said that she just recently started writing songs.
"It was really weird. I woke up one morning and had a refrain in my head," Dougan said. Dougan also said that music was the best outlet for her creativity. "If it wasn't for music I would go completely insane," she said.
DouganJones perform this week at Fenian's and Cups in Fondred. For more information call Fenian's at 948-0055 or Cups at 362-7422.