Stephanie Catlett to headline Northside Saturday Nights

Stephanie Catlett focuses on marketing by day with the University of Iowa and writes and records music by night. However, when it comes to promoting her tunes, the creative director of the Tippie College of Business finds it to be a chore.

"I don't like marketing myself," Catlett said from her Iowa City home. "Everybody who is a singer-songwriter wants to be known and wants to get the word out, but I find it to be so difficult to market myself. I do it for my job every day, but when it comes to music, it's purely about my songs."

There has always been a divide between art and commerce. That's why many recording artists' have publicists. It's draining for most musicians to promote themselves. It's about the songs, and Catlett has plenty of provocative, catchy tunes. "Sleep Alone," a pandemic anthem inspired by isolation, is a clever, moving cut.

"I wrote that song during the (COVID-19) pandemic, and I recall looking out at the street back then and thinking that nobody could come out. We lacked that physical connection. The song is about how we're ultimately alone."

Catlett chose to market the compelling tune with a video.

The "Sleep Alone" clip, which was shot in snow-covered Hickory Hill Park, is a stunner in black and white.

"Hickory Hill is a gorgeous gem of a space in Iowa City," Catlett said. "We're lucky to have it. When the video was shot, it was freezing cold. I was thrilled with how it turned out."

"Pool Rats of Park Road" is an amusing folk song that is an ode to endless summers from a songsmith with a deep passion for pools.

"I'm a huge fan of our pool in Iowa City," Catlett said. "We don't have our pool now since it's under renovation. I miss it."

Summers in tiny Hamburg, which is in the most southwestern city in Iowa, were often spent at the pool for Catlett.

"I have so many great memories of my sister and I riding our bikes to the pool for swim lessons when we were kids," Catlett said. "We would bike back home and eat Totino's pizza. When we were done eating, we would go back to the pool and stay there for hours."

Catlett, 47, who has a pair of EPs and a full-length album to her credit, grew up on Top 40 and country. "My dad was really into Hank Williams," Catlett said. "My dad and I listened to old country, and my mom liked adult contemporary recording artists like Barry Manilow and Lionel Richie."

Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" was a sing-a-long for Catlett and her father. Catlett recorded a stirring rendition of the classic tune. Some other Catlett covers that stand out are versions of Beck's "Lost Cause" and PJ Harvey's "White Chalk."

Catlett will draw from her originals and covers when she performs Saturday for Northside Saturday Nights at the Corner of Market Street and Linn Street. "I'm really looking forward to performing," Catlett said. "I love this series. I'm a big fan of the Northside shows. I'm super honored to be part of the Northside lineup."

Catlett will be flanked by guitarist Dan Padley, bassist Blake Shaw and drummer Brian Cooper. "They're incredible musicians," Catlett said. "Surround yourself with people that are better musicians is the way to do it. It's going to be fun playing. It's such a cool event in Iowa City."

Catlett is an Iowa City lifer. Aside from a two-and-a-half year stint in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a brief period in Des Moines, Iowa City has been home for Catlett since she enrolled at the University of Iowa as an English major when she was 18.

"I loved Charlotte, but it wasn't home," Catlett said. "Even Cedar Rapids feels a world away to me. I'm all about Iowa City."

When Catlett isn’t working at the university or writing songs, she can be found puttering around her garden. "I grow flowers, and I like home projects," Catlett said. "I'm a solitary person."

However, Catlett does enjoy getting in front of a crowd with her guitar. "I love it," Catlett said. "It's so much fun."