Cathy Richardson Of Jefferson Starship Occupies rock nyc

"David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, and I went down to Occupy Wall Street but it was a very disorganized scene down there, no PA systems, no electricity, so we just stood up and sang 'Volunteers' on a wall and a small crowd of people came and listened. We were Interviewed  by  Al Jeezara TV!". This is Catherine Richardson, lead singer with Jefferson Starship since 2008, solo rocker, Chicago legend  and a member of the rock group the Macrodots, on visiting the movement on Saturday afternoon, before the Jefferson Starship gig that night at BB Kings.

"We wanted to show solidarity with the protesters. Paul Kantner was always the revolutionary of Jefferson Airplane, always the political songwriter, so in the spirit of Paul and the Jefferson Airplane, we wanted to go there."

That night, the newest member of Jefferson Starship Cathy shows solidarity with missing Paul on stage. A terrific performance, found her beside 23 year vet guitarist Slick Aguilara and 40 year vet from Airplane days bassist David Freiberg. But no Paul. "We have been asked not to discuss Paul's health" Cathy explains. "This is to stop speculation and so people won't worry. He has had surgery and he is getting better." That should go a long way to stopping speculation.

Cathy was two years old when David joined the Airplane, still she sets some stories straight. First of all, it wasn't really the band I saw at BB's  who recorded "We Built This City" but another hybrid band, with neither Paul nor Marty Balin a member of the renamed Starship. Starship featured Grace Slick on lead vocals, and a number of mid-80s hits including the hated "We Built This City (On Rock And Roll)"  and the almost equally ghastly "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now".  Starship flamed out but since they had failed to pay Kantner the agreed upon sum of money to use the name, it reverted back to him in 1990.. "From then on, Jefferson Starship is much closer to Jefferson Airplane". After seeing them live, this is undisputable.

At the same time, Cathy was growing up in Chicago, Ill, the youngest of three sisters and with ayounger still brother.. "I was much more of a classic rock fan, my parents had a great collection of old stuff like the Beatles, my sisters were heavy into classic rock, my brother was into U2 and new wave. I loved classic rock and hard rock.  I loved Grace Slick, I played "White Rabbit' so often  my Mom became  concerned."

"So in my teens, I was dreaming of being a rock star and playing guitar in my room, occasional live gigs. I lived in my parents house.. Doing odd jobs and working for my dad at his gas station. 

"But I was going thru a depression because I wasn't doing what I wanted , so my mother sat me down and asked me what I wanted to do with my life and I said I wanted to be a singer. And together we drew up a plan of action. 

"i  made a demo tape, a  four song cassette and I sold I don't know how many thousands of copies. I just played  acoustic guitar at local clubs  till I got hooked up with a band that was very popular and things snowballed, then commercials, jingles."

By the age of 25 years old she had moved out  and her band was one of the most popular bands in the Chicago area.

Seven weeks ago, Cathy became a mother, her wife Rachel gave birth to a baby girl. As Cathy became more popular in the 1990s, questions of her sexual orientation were, however, more difficult to clear up. "I was scared of coming out as a lesbian because so many of my fans were college guys and you never know how they will react. Also people can be vicious.  I wasn't  hiding it but I wasn't shouting it. What happened was I did an interview with  one of the gay papers and I mentioned it and how I was anxious. They put my face on the cover and sent the issue to every record store in the city so there was no way of going back in again."

"It's never felt like a major issue for me. I know some lesbians define themselves by their sexuality but it is just one part of me."

Cathy met her wife while starring as Janis Joplin in the "Love, Janis" touring company. Rachel was in charge of advertising for the show. "Love, Janis" did many things for Cathy. It was thru the show that she was invited to sing with Big Brother And the Holding Company at their 40th anniversary. Jefferson Starship were headlining that gig and Paul invited Cathy to become the band's lead singer in 2008.

As a solo artist, Cathy has released three solo albums and an EP and all of them have something to recommend them, if simply because Cathy's vocal range is so wide she can literally go from a whisper to a scream. Her solo albums range from Gospel to blues to classic rock and back and when she nails it, as she does from time to time, it can be very impressive.

"I'm so close to the albums, i have so much invested in them that I can't hear them any more by the time I'm finished." Which is why Cathy loves her other band, the Macrodots, with Scandals Zack Smith. "I love the Macrodots record," 2010's The Other Side. " I get so enveloped and I have to step back from my solo work. The band was a peer collaboration, Zack  did most of it and I finished it.

So new daughter, three bands (she still plays with big Brother), a solo career, I didn't mention the Yoga clothing line she runs with Rachel and a refreshing view of life:  "I am definitely spiritual, a spirit who is having a human experience. Writing 'tiny Particles" -it was about a psychedelic experience and  I saw everything in the world connected on this  giant grid.

"I have  a sense of humor and a sense of wonder.'