Minstrel's Daughter
New release available, listen here.
On the record: JL (vocals, acoustic, fx), Jeff Rady (guitars, vocals, fx), James Bullard (bass, guitars, vocals), Dave Townsend (drums), Dylan Rieck (cello), Sarah Stollak (violin), Robert "Doppler Bob" Schmidt (dobro). Produced by JL & Jeff Rady, recorded at the kitchen table at The Chicon Shack, Austin TX. Mixed by Matt Brown at the Brewery Recording Company, Seattle WA. Album photography and artwork by Holly Bronko.
Gods & Nations On the record:
JL (acoustic, piano, vocals), Marc Copely (producer, guitars, vocals), Matt Brown (producer, guitars, more), Keith Lowe (bass), Chris Stromquist (drums), Clancy (percussion), Ryan Shea Smith (B3 Hammond, piano), Jon Hyde (pedal steel), Orville Johnson (dobro), Juliet Tondowski (vocals). Recorded at Copelycabana in NYC and Electrokitty and The Track Shack in Seattle. Cover drawing by JL. ..
Available in the UK at
Influences
bodies of water, landscapes, weather, trees, im partial to animals, kinda big into coffee but that was later, red poppies, the statue of wing'd victory, michaelanglelo's david, ancient stories about valhalla and brahma and the hindu gods, meredith monk, kurt weill, laurie anderson, diane arbus, byron, rudolf steiner, mary oliver, neruda, rilke, hafiz, arundhati roy, alice walker, certain spiritual texts like the seven story mountain and poetry by thich nhat hanh, ghandi, old love stories like the mahabarata, mandela, mlk, movies for sure esp early 70s french comedy, i love presents and therefore birthdays are good, im big into integrity esp partial to social courage, and then there's nina simone, dylan, woody guthrie, sly stone, jacques brel, otis, bach, billie holiday, thelonious monk, rickie lee jones, hugh masekela, stevie wonder, the stones, prince, lennon & mccartney (solo stuff), richard & linda thompson, pj harvey, joe jackson, tom waits, and lately the roots, cat power, martha wainwright, teddy thompson, jakob dylan, feist, tift merrit, deep house sounds, radiohead, citizen cope, ben harper, outkast, ravi shankar, jimi hendrix, janice, stevie ray, bob marley, queens of the stone age, looping, trance, laptop, hip hop, bippity bop etc
Asked to open for a friend's band after he heard her sing some of her own material in Los Angeles in 2004, Jennifer has been touring her own spin on alt country and folk/blues rock with her band ever since. It's gotten her songs included on compilations with folks like John Hiatt, Bobby Bare and Johnny Cash and on stage and festival bills with fellow Americana artists Kevin Gordon, Mark Curry, Doug Burr, Caroline Aiken, Gram Rabbit, Marc Broussard, Los Lonely Boys, and Tom Freund.
Being born into a musical family out of Ft Worth, TX, home to native sons Townes van Zandt and T Bone Burnett (a band mate of one of her uncles back in the '60s) helped develop her flexible approach to interpretation. Not allowed to listen to recorded music until her late teens, she spent long hours teaching herself piano and guitar after school and eventually listening in secret to Thelonious Monk on the radio in her room late at night. Composing and taking part in living room jams --harmonizing to Appalachian melodies or keeping time with old-time spirituals-- gave her a broad musical vocabulary, and became the groundwork she needed for keeping in line with her own vision: "Music brings people home to themselves."
Releasing five albums in as many years has apparently been a necessity for a songwriter compulsively writing songs for survival- the soul kind. The first was 5-song EP Homeless (2004) recorded with just her and an acoustic guitar, the second, a live take off the soundboard at a show in Los Angeles. In the fall of 2005, after performing at a roots festival in pre-Katrina New Orleans, she began work on a full length studio album in New York City, completed a year later in Seattle. Compelled by stories of survivors of the hurricane and her own recent visit there with friends, she wrote it in a month and enlisted noted blues guitarist and producer Marc Copely (James Montgomery, Tracy Bonham, Jess Klein) who helped her lay down the first three tracks, including "Homeland", a "Top 20 Americana Songs of 2008" by KRVM (Eugene, OR). Copely's signature blues guitar helped to define the sound for the rest of the record, completed by guitarist/producer Matt Brown (Lucinda Williams, Bill Frissell, Trespassers William) the following summer who added lush pop layers. A collection of alt country songs is still unreleased; other singles are out on compilations via ShutEye Record's United State of Americana Vol 4 (2006), A Taste of Triple A and samplers from Pop Culture Press and Texas Music Magazine.
This year she completed Minstrel's Daughter (2009) and dedicated the album to her parent's influence. Recorded at the kitchen table in her east side Austin home with band members and musician friends and co-produced with guitarist/producer Jeff Rady with whom she co-wrote one of the tracks, the majority of the record got put down on an old Shure 57 mic. They went for a stripped-down, homemade concoction of sounds, compared to the much more produced Gods & Nations, and made a gentle but gritty referendum on love and survival by an artist clearly thinking for herself.
Press
"A great album." Martin Vowles, RootsCD.com (UK)
A Paste Recommends Indie Album. [Gods & Nations] Paste Magazine
"A stirring songwriter." Austin American-Statesman
"A music phenomenon whose star is rising." KPAS-TV, Los Angeles
Top 20 Americana Songs of 2008 [Homeland]. KRVM's Scott Majors
"My favorite singer-songwriter out of Austin." KYRS' Crossroads Bob
"The arrival of a major new talent, Leonhardt is a gale force to be reckoned with." Pop Culture Press
"As raw and genuine as you're going to find." 1340 Mag
"Leonhardt's voice is a striking and soulful instrument...[Gods & Nations is] contemporary, relevant and, most importantly, compelling." Blogcritics
"Jennifer Leonhardt knocked our socks off." Sandbox Inn House Concerts
"Leonhardt leads the Whalers with a delivery touching on everyone from Chrissie Hynde to Edie Brickell." Austin.com
"Why this girl is not one of the top acts in the country is beyond me--her singing is like throwing a lit cigarette out a car window, she's an absolute runaway wildfire." Don Wolff, Talent buyer
Hey, Im posting new videos today! New pictures too!
And TUESDAY July 14, the band will be filming a performance for the tv show at SAXON PUB! Be in the audience for the tv show 4:30 to 5:30!!!!!!!! Ruby Jane
Wisteriax: Doves Never Sleep Dex Romweber Duo: Lookout Tom Waits: 'T 'Ain't No Sin The Scarring Party: Flat Peculiar Pretzelmen: Leslie's Theme Starhead: The Tempest Alice Cooper: Crazy Little Child Dandelion Junk Queens: Growing Up is Giving Up Defiance, Ohio: The Condition Norfolk & Western: A Gilded Age C. Strøm: The Rose of Tennessee Cult with No Name: Down the Line Voltaire: Cannibal Buffet Hollands: High Class Nouvelle Vague: Just Can't Get Enough Christian Williams: Village Blacksmith Hail Seizures: Elephant Man Agent Ribbons: Obituary Vermillion Lies: Blue Neko Case: Hold On, Hold On Slim Cessna's Auto Club: An Introduction to the Power of Braces: Faith Real McKenzies: Droppin' Like Flies Jennifer Leonhardt: Kerby Lane Jubilee
Hey Jen, just wanted to say, I really enjoyed the "Crossroads" show today! Can't wait to get my hands on"Minstrel's Daughter", what I heard today has captured me! Wishing you the best as always, Keep Smiling, and Keep the Dream alive! ~Sandy~
Hello, after an unfortunate hiatus, the reasons for which are probably best not gone into here, we finally have some new music on the AUK MySpace site. For your listening pleasure this month we offer Nathan Oliver, Conrad Ford, the irrepressible Todd Snider and the delightful Beccy Owen. Don't forget too, for those of you within striking distance of Leicester, Electric Dustbowl 2 on 19 September.
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Christian
Editor & Journalist for Country Music Christian Lamitschka An der Pfingstweide 28 61118 Bad Vilbel Germany Phone: ++49 6101 544613 Mobil: ++49 171 6903352 Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de Info@CountryMusic-Magazin.de
CD RELEASE DATE JULY 4TH!!!!! You will be able to purchase the actual cd through the mail or you could purchase it through itunes. Keep a look out for new updates because we have been writing some new tunes! For now just come over to our page and say something about James' red thong and silky smooth legs!
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