VANESSA catalanotto

Vanessa Catalanotto joined the band in 2005 as a vocalist. She's enjoyed singing her whole life, but had some formal training through piano lessons, violin lessons, and an occasional voice lesson. Her earliest musical memories take her back to singing and playing Raffi songs with her dad, Ken, at children's fairs or singing "One" at his band practices. Vanessa played bass in a high school band that came in third in a Battle of the Bands competition (though she insists they should have taken first!) She is also the voice in a jazz trio with her dad and Trigg Render. As she says, "This has truly been the highlight of my musical career so far; I would do it the rest of my life if I could make a decent living off of tips I get at the St. Charles Coffee House. Unfortunately, relying on that is a recipe for poverty... I think I'll go to college instead." When performing with Daugherty, her favorite song is "Right to be Wrong", and she enjoys singing "All of Me" and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" with her other group. Her cornucopia of musical influences include her dad, Ella Fitzgerald, Amy Winehouse, and Radiohead.

Vanessa is an intern on the Support Team for AB Mobility, and has been working with Daugherty for 16 years, though she has only been on payroll for the past few months.

Vanessa's message to the fans: "Fight the power. Fight the powers that be." - Public Enemy