Nashville based musician and songwriter Katie Pruitt possesses a powerful voice and an equally powerful and brave spirit. Her debut album, just out on Rounder Records, “Expectations”, is a wonderful collection of songs addressing difficult personal topics: mental health, toxic relationships, and her personal journey as a gay woman growing up in a southern Christian family. Katie is generous and thoughtful in our discussion as she talks about these tricky issues and how writing and singing these songs, ultimately, led to a greater understanding of herself and with her family and those close to her. We also hear about how her early jam band fandom influences her live performance approach, high school wake and bakes, and we attempt to answer that age old question: is it cool to be a theater kid?