Catherine “Cat” Faber attended SF cons from the early 1980s. She joined the filk scene with a burst of musical inspiration, winning a Pegasus for “Acts of Creation” in 1995. In 1997 she joined her performing partner Arlene “Callie” Hills to launch the filk duo Echo’s Children, appearing at several conventions and releasing the celebrated album Under the Gripping Beast, at OVFF where Cat was Interfilk Guest. Three additional CD’s followed, As Good As Any, A Dancing World, and From the Hazel Tree.
The duo retired when Cat moved across the county. But Cat has continued to the present day as a solo performer, releasing two solo CDs and winning several prizes in filk songwriting contests. Her honors include two additional Pegasus Awards for themed categories, three for Best Writer/Composer, and one for Best Filk Song for “Word of God.”
Her songs and passions are amazing in their diversity. Cat is a gamer, a writer and a crafter; her Pegasus winning maker’s anthem “Acts of Creation” celebrates those pursuits. Cat appreciates science and what it can tell us about the universe; her Best Song Pegasus winner “The Word of God” affirms the truths of cosmology, geology and evolution. She has even written mesmerizing horror and war songs … even though Cat is the mildest, friendliest, least horrific person imaginable. She uses the fannish themes of her songs to shed light on issues of the day, such as victimization of women and empowerment of people with physical challenges. Cat has a gift in the ability to take a very difficult and confusing topic and make it less confusing and setting it to song. One recent example is that she wrote a song to explain the recent Hugo ballot issue, “E Pluribus Hugo” and make it a bit more understandable to everyone.
Her voice is her main instrument, but she also accompanies herself on guitar or mandolin. Ever the eager learner, she has challenged herself to learn violin, an ongoing effort. Her twp solo CD’s are The King’s Lute and Dr Faber’s Medicine Show.
Over the years, Cat has shared with filkers the many projects of significance that she’s undertaken, in song or commentary. This has included everything from building canoes to registering voters and from learning instruments to volunteering at a health clinic for the poor. She is always willing to share her knowledge and experience, musical and otherwise, with others. Cat is, in many ways, the embodiment of the ideal toward which many of us in the community aspire – not only in her talents and disposition, but also the tremendously constructive uses to which puts those things.
Cat has encouraged others to cover her songs. She maintains the Echo’s Children website (www.echoschildren.org). It contains lyrics and sheet music. This is a boon to any who wish to perform or sing her songs. By writing her songs and making them accessible to everyone even with a modest ability to make music, Cat Faber has become a gardener of the filk community. She has brought us new faces, like Lauren Oxford. Through her qualities and efforts, she has made the good better and the better great.
For these contributions to filk music and the filk community, Cat Faber is inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame this twenty-sixth day of March, two thousand twenty-two.