Sunset's 'Kitten on the Keys' Tours World

By Judith Kahn

Suzanne Ramsey is an accomplished San Francisco cabaret singer and musician with a growing international reputation. Known as "Kitten on the Keys," Ramsey's instruments include ukulele and accordion, but her preferred instrument is a piano, which she has been playing since childhood. Her stage name is taken from a 1922 ragtime ditty by Zez Confrey, and Ramsey describes her mind's whirling activity as feeling "like I have a dozen little furry-footed friends clawing away at my grey matter."

Recently, Ramsey was sporting full Betty Boop makeup as she headed off to Gregangelo's Velocity Circus, where she performs as a cabaret singing, strolling French accordion playing flapper, circa 1920s. Her costumes are made in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

"I do a great Shirley Temple, Betty Boop and Barbie, with costumes and wigs for each singing character. Having great costumes allows me to work for many entertainment companies, like Velocity," Ramsey said.

Born and raised in the Sunset District, Ramsey has been singing since age three, starting in the church choir with her mother.

"I sat under the cross and had a temper tantrum while singing 'Away in a Manger,'" said Ramsey, earning her mother's title of "stage diva." Her father, a music teacher, was a jazz drummer and sax player who had a 20-piece jazz big band for many years in Lafayette, California.

Ramsey began playing piano in bands in middle school and moved on to rock bands in high school. When she attended San Francisco State University, she joined the psychedelic band White Stains, and in the '80s played in punk bands, such as Sugar Baby Doll, alongside some names that gained fame in the '90s, including Courtney Love of Hole, Kat Bjelland from Babes in Toyland, and Jennifer Finch of L7. They played at Mabuhay Gardens, The Sound of Music, On Broadway and other local venues, becoming popular on KUSF and other college radio stations.

Music of the '20s and '30s - Tin Pan Alley - is her favorite genre, and she patterns her songs after those from that period, incorporating regional culture into them when performing in other countries. Today, she scours the library for lost vintage treasures, hoping to breathe new life into them for her upcoming CD.

In 1995, Ramsey joined a cabaret and burlesque troupe as singer and pianist, which is where she met her current "geriatric punk rock surfer boyfriend," a part of SF's Famous Burlesque Orchestra. That same year, they began touring in Southern California.

With a growing collection of vintage sheet music and her own comical cabaret songs, she attracted a lot of attention. For five weeks in 2003, she took part in the Burlesque Fest in the United States and Canada, where she became the mistress of ceremonies for many shows across the country. She has since performed in Tokyo, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Naples, Rome, Paris, Nantes and cities in Ireland and Wales. During the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, she presented excerpts from her one-woman show at several cabarets. In the future, she hopes to perform in Berlin, London and Rio de Janeiro.

Also in 2003, Ramsey began touring and performing in France with Le Lui Unique in Nantes, continuing to do shows in Paris at Le Zebre Cabaret. Cast photos from this show caught the attention of French actor and director Mattieu Alamric ("Diving Bell" and the "Butterfly and Quantum of Solace"). He had written a script based on a play by Collette, and was looking for cabaret and burlesque performers. In December 2008, he came to San Francisco and New York to scout performers and hired Ramsey and friends for his film, "Tournee," an entry in the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.

"I'm just a musician from the Sunset District, not a Hollywood actress," she said. "Being a normal person there was really cool."

She loved the unexpected experience of rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tim Burton, Benicio del Toro, Kirsten Dunst, Javier Bardem and Selma Hayak.

"The French love colorful culture, and it was nice to be treated well. I'm used to folks not really appreciating musicians and artists," she said.

Another international favorite for Ramsey is Finland, where the sun sets at 11:30 p.m. and rises again at 3 a.m. In 2009, she performed there on a boat with "a lot of creative types," to a very enthusiastic audience. She hopes to return to Finland next year.

Traveling is a pleasure for Ramsey, who describes herself as very comfortable living out of a suitcase and being on the road. When not working, she enjoys playing super-tourist, taking photos, eating the regional food and becoming familiar with the culture.

Here at home, her favorite City performing venue is the Great American Music Hall, with its great acoustics and lighting - also the location where Sally Rand performed when it was the Music Box. She also likes the Stud, a South of Market venue she describes as "small, grungy, with lots of great eye candy and colorful audiences."

Ramsey currently plays piano at The Rite Spot Cafe, located at Folsom and 17th streets, and the Madrone Art Bar, located at 500 Divisadero St.

This is an exciting year, she said, because she is revamping her one-woman show and writing songs for a new CD. She will also be the "mistress of ceremonies" for a new show called Cabaret New Burlesque, playing piano, ukulele and accordion.

Ramsey has been described as a "one ma'am band; a multi-instrumentalist ivory tickler, uke stroker and accordion squeezer."

Four CDs that she has recorded and produced are available at cdbaby.com and on iTunes under Kitten on the Keys. Her website is located at www.kittymusic.com.