Louisville Area Women Musicians

LAWM is a mutual support group for women musicians and singers in the Louisville area. It’s meant to encourage camaraderie among local women musicians & to elevate us. This page is an extension of our group for anyone else who may want to show support.
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Louisville Area Women Musicians is proud to present our very first LAWM Spotlight! Our goal is to feature a different local woman musician monthly who is doing (or has done) the thing!
Our Spotlight for July 2025 is the ageless and incomparable Kimmet Cantwell! Enjoy her interesting responses to our questions about her start in music, her storied career, the Louisville music scene and of course, her years performing with Doug Florio.
TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH KIMMET CANTWELL:
1. AT WHAT AGE DID YOU REALIZE YOU HAD A TALENT FOR MUSIC AND HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?
Probably since about age 5 or so. I loved music, I could sing the melody and recognize and sing harmony. My favorite thing to do was to find a place away from everyone in the house and sing.
2. WAS THERE A TIME EARLY ON WHEN CONFIRMATION OR ENCOURAGEMENT FROM SOMEONE ELSE HELPED YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR OWN TALENT?
That kind of encouragement came mostly from my friends. I was very shy to sing in front of family.
3. HOW DID YOU END UP IN LOUISVILLE?
I grew up in New York, mostly on Long Island. Doug Florio was a well-known guitar player on Long Island and was in the older crowd of musicians. "Old" is kind of funny because he was probably 20 or 21 and I was about 15 or so when we met. We're from the same town; Doug's house was just a couple of miles from mine. When I was a little older, I'd go to Doug's open mic night on Sunday nights. When I had my own band, Doug would help book us. After not seeing him for quite a while at one point, I ran into him at a gig. He told me he was saving money to move to Louisville KY and I thought he was crazy! (I didn't know anything about KY.) He explained that he'd been here and that he loved it and that everyone was so friendly. He liked its close proximity to other cities like Nashville and Cincinnati etc. Anyway, he suggested that I do some gigs with him while he was saving money to move. I agreed. We wound up having a great musical chemistry together. I visited Louisville at his urging and then decided to move here, too. I also really loved it here right away. Musicians were nice to each other! Club owners weren't jerks! It was very different than where we were from. I had been working during the day in NY, taking some classes, and playing music. But I decided to pack up and move to Louisville with Doug. I didn't plan to stay here forever; I was just trying to figure out what I was going to do, ultimately. But here I am! I still love it here, but what's nice is that I go to NY quite a bit. I do shows in NY at least two times a year (and surrounding area) and my family and close friends are there. So, I get both worlds and that's great.
4. HAVE YOU HAD FORMAL MUSIC EDUCATION? IF SO, HOW DID THAT COMPARE TO LIFE EXPERIENCE IN MUSIC IN HONING YOUR CRAFT?
I took private piano lessons from age 7 to about 16, learning theory, playing classical and popular music. I took about 3 vocal lessons once I started singing out in bands. The vocal teacher, after hearing me sing, told me that my voice would be shot and gone in less than a year. I knew she was wrong. And here I am doing alright after years and 1000's of gigs later! That being said, I did a lot of learning on my own. Studying.. reading...vocal techniques and exercises etc. I was never in chorus or choir in school or anything. I think where I grew up, it wasn't something the "cool" kids did, which was dumb. I wish I had been involved in that; I think I would have enjoyed it.
5. WILL YOU SHARE A FEW OF YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL OPPORTUNITIES/EXPERIENCES.
I'm lucky to have had quite a lot of exciting and crazy experiences! Doug and I were here for just a couple of years before we became touring members of the band Days of the New (Doug on guitar and backing vocals, me on keys/samples/backing vocals). Ray Rizzo (who is in my Fleetwood Mac tribute band Back 2 Mac) was on drums, a young Nicole Scherzinger (who is wildly successful and just won a Tony award!) was in the band as well singing backing vocals. It was pretty exciting as we were traveling all over, playing in all different types of venues. Some huge, some a few thousand, as well festivals with the big bands of the time like Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack and so so many more. I got to travel to many cities that I wouldn't have otherwise. We were in the video for the single. My mother would call me "I'm seeing you on MTV right now!!!"
Another exciting, and completely unexpected event was playing with Ian Andersen (Jethro Tull). A local radio station sent him CDs of local artists in advance of his show here at the Brown Theater. He was to choose a song from one of the bands and he and the band would learn and perform it with the singer. And he called me! It was crazy to be doing a song that we wrote with Andersen - him playing Doug's guitar parts on the flute. It was very unexpected and very cool.
Being in the Barnstable Brown house band for the past 8 years has been pretty crazy, too! That's always an adventure.
6. HOW LONG DID YOU AND DOUG WORK TOGETHER?
Doug and I worked together for 24 years.
7. HOW DO YOU CARRY HIM WITH YOU AS YOU CONTINUE YOUR MUSICAL JOURNEY?
After all that time together, Doug is embedded in my synapses and neurons, and of course, my heart. So, he's there wherever I go and in whatever I do. I miss him terribly and always will.
8. WHAT IS YOUR FUNNIEST MEMORY OF A SHOW?
There are so many that it's hard to pick one. And some I can't say publicly!! One that comes to mind is when we (From Paris) were playing a private event that was pretty swanky, with some big-time celebrities in attendance. I was wearing, for the first time, an adhesive strapless bra. We were going hard, the gig was rocking, with a big crowd right in front of us at the foot of the stage. I was sweating like crazy, and I could feel that the bra was about to fall off and fall right out of the bottom of my dress in front of everyone. The man who hired us, and the big shots were right in front of me right at my feet. I did a quick spinny-dancy thing and while my back was turned, reached in and pulled the bra out and tossed it quickly and lowly behind me. Nobody saw it or noticed. I forgot about it and just kept going. After the gig, the face on my guitar player (the late Rob Johnson), when he pulled this thing weird silicone bra-thing out of the back of his amp and held it up...."what is this"??
9. WILL YOU SHARE SOME DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES OF BEING A WOMAN MUSICIAN IN LOUISVILLE AND IN GENERAL?
I think things are better than they used to be. But, in general, as far as disadvantages, just not being taken as seriously as the guys. People underestimating your skills or experience...Mansplaining...all the [naughty word removed] that women have to deal with in lots of professions. I am very happy to say that the men that are in my bands are wonderful and respectful and caring, and I love them dearly. I feel very lucky for that (or as my father would say "you make your own luck"). So, I guess I’ve made good choices.
10. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE TRAVELED FOR A SHOW?
I think maybe Idaho? I'll be covering lots of miles this month - we'll be in 6 or 7 states from TN to NY (w/Back 2 Mac)
11. WHAT IS ONE THE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT YOU CAN’T DO WITHOUT?
Nothing fancy... I like a good ol Sure 58 or beta 58 and a Rhythm Tech tambourine.
12. WHAT IS THE ONE BEAUTY ITEM YOU CAN’T DO WITHOUT?
IDK... But I’m always on the hunt for the perfect shade of red lipstick!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE GENRE TO SING?
death metal and polka
lol.. I would judge my favorite and least favorite to sing by an individual song rather than a genre. You can often unexpectedly find something to love about singing a particular song even if you don't care for the genre in general.
14. IF YOU COULD BRING BACK ONE LOUISVILLE VENUE THAT IS NO MORE, WHICH WOULD IT BE?
Dutch's is a place of many great memories for me. But everything has its time...and all good things come to an end. I wouldn't want to bring it back, because I just don't think about things that way, but I appreciate the times. Of course, Phoenix Hill was great, too. That was a place where we got to meet and know so many people and musicians and have great shows.
15. CAN YOU SHARE THE NAMES OF SOME OF THE ACTS YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF IN THE PAST AND WHAT YOU’RE INVOLVED IN NOW?
In the past, Days of the New, Kimmet & Doug, a few other bands from back in NY. Currently, my trio with Eric Whorton and Bob Ramsey, and Back 2 Mac - A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac, From Paris, The Barnstable Brown Band
16. WORDS OF ADVICE FOR YOUNG WOMEN INTERESTED IN GETTING INTO THE MUSIC BUSINESS?
Practice, learn the lyrics, know that you have a right to hear yourself in the monitor, be reliable, bring snacks, don't take any [naughty word removed] from a**holes.
17. SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF MUSIC?
I walk... a lot! And I listen to audiobooks while I do it. When I'm not working, I just like to be with my awesome boyfriend, see my good friends, or go to NY to see my family. I love to do non-family travel, too, when I can. I want to scuba -dive more!
18. HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR RADIO GIG ON WFPK?
I'm enjoying it very much! It's awesome. And everyone at WFPK is really cool and kind and have been very welcoming.
19. HOW HAS THE SCENE IN LOUISVILLE CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED PLAYING HERE?
Well certainly there's just less live music than there used to be, but I think that's not unique to Louisville. The invention of the smartphone ruined everything, didn’t it!? Attention spans have changed significantly. But I think that Louisville is still a great place for music.
20. WILL YOU SHARE SOME LOCAL ACTS YOU ENJOY SEEING?
The Slingshots, (Danny Flanigan's) littleband. I like the Louisville bands Sydney Sleadd & The Swarm and White Reaper quite a bit.

There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com