CATHRYN BEEKS: Bring Peace

Cathryn Beeks is one of the first important names I ever heard in the San Diego original music scene. And, over the years, it’s become nearly impossible for me to think of one without thinking of the other. Cathryn Beeks is, in many ways, synonymous with local music.

For years, Cathryn has made it her life’s mission to uplift, champion, and showcase original music in San Diego. Through her Listen Local radio show, her long-running prompt nights, The Game, and the countless songwriter showcases she has produced, hosted, and booked, she has built something far bigger and more important than a series of events or a radio program. She has built a community. In the process, she has created an indelible and undeniable legacy in San Diego music.

In the last few years, however, I’m pleased to report that Cathryn has been re-engaging with her own music in a permanent way. Before releasing her 2025 30-song compilation of upbeat favorites, Road Trip Mix, she took a significant break from recording. She had some life to live, new chapters to step into, and a whole lot of reflecting to do. But even with all the life chaos and transitions, there were still songs to be sung. In a world where uncertainty is normal and unprecedented events are so precedented, something familiar and reliably enjoyable has a cooling effect when temperatures are high.

Bring Peace is Beek’s latest project and upon first (and second) listening, that’s exactly what it did.

The first track (and single) “Oak Tree,” is an upbeat dedication to finding time to reconnect with her roots with the help of an old oak and some ravens. The track is swampy bluegrass goodness. It hits the feel-good nerve when Cathryn’s own self-sung backing vocals kick in immediately with harmony, adding some frosting to an already deliciously arranged track. The banjo is a stand out here, played by Jeff Berkley, who additionally plays guitar. He also produced, engineered, and mixed the album.

An album aptly named, as this entire collection is a love letter from Cathryn to Human and Mother Nature. The title track of “Bring Peace” is haunting, specifically the backing vocals, arranged by Beeks and additional vocals sung by Sandé Lollis and Bonnie Nicholls. The chorus lyrics conjure images of a powerful coven uniting to save the world:

Bring me fire Bring me brimstone
Bring that ancient wisdom to me
Bring me words they’ll understand
Bring me the power to bring peace

Beeks frequently uses nature imagery in her lyrics, giving an accessible and magical quality to her work. She pulls this off especially well in the hook of the track, “Swim.” In describing her home in “Starlight Mountain,” Beeks delivers my favorite line of the whole album “Red Wine and Blue Skies.” That’s just so damn clever.

Her dedication song to Reverend Stickman in the song of the same name was especially touching, paying proper ode to a local musician who lost his battle with cancer.

Other impressive standouts in the album include the grungy, almost medieval track “The Key.” A heady plea to once again connect with the earth as a conduit for peace and self-discovery. “Scream” is a distortion-heavy, mostly spoken vent about the state of our world set on a musical stage of apolcolyptic, witchy vibes, and guest vocals from the iconic Rosebud from Bug Guts. If you are angry and searching for poetic musical rage, this is the song for you.

The last track, “Now That It’s Over,” is a beautiful reflection on the last two years of her life, sober. It could read as a song about leaving a toxic relationship and rediscovering self. It’s a dreamy song with a gorgeous acoustic guitar solo by Berkley. Its minimal production, which was the perfect choice, showcasing Berkley and Beeks’ signature ukulele and letting the lyrics take center stage.

After spending so much of her life creating space for other people’s songs, it feels especially meaningful to hear Cathryn Beeks making space for her own again. Bring Peace is a continuation of the work she has always been doing. She connects people, celebrates the natural world, tells stories, and reminds us that music can still be a place to gather when everything else feels uncertain.

Look out for the Bring Peace collection as she waterfall-releases singles over the next year and a half, via music videos and streaming platforms everywhere.

Find everything Cathryn Beeks is involved in on her website, here: www.cathrynbeeks.com