Atoosa: vocals, piano, & acoustic guitar -
and the wonderful musicians I have played with & continue to:
guitar: James Mastro;
piano & organ: Matt Ray, Rob Burger;
drums: Rob DiPietro, Bill Dobrow;
bass: Rob Jost, Brad Albetta, Jeremy Chatzsky, Todd Sickafoose
Influences
Stevie Nicks, Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Suzanne Vega, Ryan Adams, Joan Baez, The Magnetic Fields, Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris, Hem, Josh Ritter, The Police, Beethoven, poet Mary Oliver, Persian poets Rumi & Hafiz.
“She lets us witness the poet that has taken the time to craft such pretty flowers.”
- Musicdish.com.
Biography:
Singer-songwriter and poet Atoosa Grey first learned piano at 5 by eyeing her older sister’s lessons. Born in Tehran, Iran and raised in NJ, Atoosa performs music off her new album When the Cardinals Come at venues in NY where she lives such as Joe’s Pub, The Living Room, and Banjo Jim’s.
Her new album is stylistically varied, and veers from Americana to folk to beautifully haunting piano ballads. Its title, When the Cardinals Come, references the red birds that reappear throughout the record to symbolize ideas of hope and luck. The album draws inspiration from some of Atoosa’s favorite poets, including Mary Oliver and Hafiz. Her songs explore hope and freedom, insecurity and desire, and are infused with a spiritual, mystical feeling. “My songs are mostly autobiographical. I struggled internally with my family and culture to pursue life as a musician, and I think those stories are also heard in the songs.” For Atoosa, whose mother believed birds were visiting spirits when she was growing up, this record signals a key moment for her as a songwriter where she has incorporated her various influences—Eastern and Western, musical and literary, personal and universal.
When the Cardinals Come was produced by her husband Noel Grey, and the supporting musicians include Atoosa’s longtime guitarist James Mastro (Ian Hunter), pianist/organist Rob Burger (Iron and Wine), bassist Todd Sickafoose (Ani Di Franco) and drummer Ben Perowsky (Joan as Police Woman). All of them were instrumental in guiding Atoosa’s honest, heartfelt songs to their full potential.
Atoosa began her career when she released EP Out of the Jar (1999). Derek Sivers, Founder of CDBaby.com notes: “Some of my favorite arrangements I’ve heard in years. She approaches her piano with an un-cliched blank slate.” She then self-produced her second CD, Sound Travels Up (2000), which she took on the road with her and performed at venues, coffee shops, and colleges nationally. Night of the Deep Bloom (2004) was recorded four years later by acclaimed producer Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright) and guitarist Cameron Greider. Zirzamin, a magazine dedicated to Iranian musicians, noted: “There are a lot of singer-songwriters these days, but only a few have the lyrical talents to stand out and offer something precious. Night is evidence that Atoosa belongs with these selected few.”
I have been enjoying your songs!!! Enjoy your gig at Joe's Pub next month and have a lovely CD release party! I like the way one can sometimes feel the subway underneath at Joe's Pub!
Here's a Spring poem for you to enjoy!
Fukao Sumako (1893-1974) from the book Women Poets of Japan
Bright House
It is a bright house; not a single room is dim.
It is a house which rises high on the cliffs, open as a lookout tower.
When the night comes I put a light in it, a light larger than the sun and moon.
Think how my heart leaps when my trembling fingers strike a match in the evening.
I lift my breasts and inhale and exhale the sound of love like a passionate daughter of a lighthouse keeper.
It is a bright house. I will create in it a world no man can ever build.
Hope to see ya at Sidewalk Cafe (94 Ave A East Village NYC)this FRIDAY 12/12 for a great show: Liv Carrow, Nan Turner, Maj. Matt Mason USA, Dan Fishback, Charles Latham and more!
