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Eilen Jewell

Eilen Jewell Radio

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FEATURED SONG
Where They Never Say Your Name
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Where They Never Say Your Name
Released: Jan 1, 0001
Label: Signature Sounds

General Info

  • Genre: Blues / Country / Folk

    Location CAMBRIDGE, Un

    Profile Views: 385796

    Last Login: 8/8/2011

    Member Since 11/15/2005

    Website http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vZWlsZW5qZXdlbGwuY29t

    Record Label Signature Sounds Recordings

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    EILEN JEWELL QUEEN OF THE MINOR KEY (Signature Sounds – June 28, 2011) It is the battered cassette jammed in the tape deck of the getaway car, the music Ida Lupino cues up on the roadhouse jukebox as she counts the till after close. This is Queen of the Minor Key by Eilen Jewell, a smart cookie with a heart of burnished gold and enough stories to keep even the rowdiest crowd hanging on her every word. Though its long shadows and dark corners make her kingdom feel intimate, her sovereign domain stretches as far as the imagination. Its denizens seek refuge in padded rooms, abandoned automobiles… and strong spirits. They defend their territory by any means necessary: weird voodoo, sawed-off shotguns, broken bottles. But beware, savvy observer. There is more to Eilen Jewell than meets the ear. Do not confuse the singer and her songs. The drama and darkness that give Queen of the Minor Key its gritty texture are in short supply in the Boston-based songwriter's personal life. And in a curious twist, these fourteen originals actually took shape in a sunny, idyllic location that contrasts strikingly with the album's moody, film noir atmosphere. In August 2010, Jewell headed to a tiny cabin in the mountains of Idaho. Although her clan hails from the Gem State, this was no comfy retreat at the family fold. Her temporary abode had no running water or electricity, and sat at the end of a winding dirt road. Wild elk would graze in the surrounding meadows while she worked. When it was time to unwind, she availed herself of a nearby hot springs. A dilapidated truck she found on the property even made its way into the album artwork. She had no set game plan, and her sole objective for the new material was refreshingly modest (or incredibly daunting, depending on your point of view). "My goal as a songwriter is to always improve," she demurs. "Every time I make a record, I want it to be even more real, more heartfelt, than the one before it. I want the slow songs to be slower and the fast songs to be faster." Drawing on a connoisseur's love of roots music and a writer's eye for detail, Jewell fashions her musical vignettes with impressive economy. Each turn of phrase and chord change is executed with an élan that belies the measured precision behind it. Jewell is wary of repeating previous success by following formulae. "But I also don't want to change things just for the sake of changing them," she adds. Never underestimate the public's ability to recognize calculation masquerading as inspiration. "You always want to ride the creative process to new territory, without being overwhelmingly novel." Towards that end, she experimented with dark humor in the new material. The title tune takes inspiration from a poke someone made about her harmonic preferences. "I decided to run with that and adopt the moniker, even if it started off as a nickname that wasn't necessarily intended to be flattering." "Bang Bang Bang" eschews the cliché of Cupid as a rosy-cheeked cherub ("he's more reckless and violent than that"), and replaces his petite bow-and-arrow with a gun show six-gauge, plus a laughing disregard for such trivial concerns as aim. Queen of the Minor Key is also the first Eilen Jewell album to feature a significant number of guest players, even as she continues to work in close consort with her longtime trio of drummer Jason Beek, guitarist Jerry Miller, and upright bassist Johnny Sciascia. Zoe Muth and Big Sandy (of Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys) both contribute vocals. "I was writing the songs with them in mind—if I could work up the courage to ask them—so I was really honored that they agreed to sing with me." Further augmenting the sound are Rich Dubois on fiddle, David Sholl on tenor and baritone saxophones, and Tom West on organ. The arrangements, Jewell insists, occurred organically as the music was fleshed out in the studio; the songs tell her where they want to go. "We don't really think it out that much." Since her official 2006 debut, Boundary County, Jewell has surveyed a wide range of traditional musical styles, from the folk and jug band leanings of her early recordings, through an album-length homage to Loretta Lynn and the country gospel of her work with The Sacred Shakers, right up to 2009's Sea of Tears, which bristled with the electricity of '60s UK garage rock and Chicago blues. Queen of the Minor Key draws on everything from classic country (the fiddle-driven "Reckless") to early R&B (the shuffling "Hooked"), with an emphasis on sounds from the seamier side of the tracks. With dirty sax riffs and low-slung guitars, the instrumentals that bookend the album—"Radio City" and "Kalimotxo"—evoke the bump-and-grind exotica of vintage Southern California suburban saloons. Yet on the flipside, Jewell imbues slow, jazzy numbers like "I Remember You" and "Only One" with torch and tenacity that linger long past last call. Eilen Jewell is the Queen of the Minor Key. Sad songs are her wealth and finery. Lend her your ears, and you will quickly hear why her humble subjects admire and adore her more with each passing year. *****EILEN JEWELL MUSIC PLACEMENTS!!!*****.... 2011 EJ's original tune "Boundary County" was featured on The CW's Hellcats TV show...episode 116-Fancy Dan. You can purchase the album Boundary County via our "shop" link above or buy the mp3 on iTunes ************************ 2010 Eilen's "'Till You Lay Down Your Heavy Load" is featured in True Blood episode #308 ************************ 2009 Eilen's cover of the Johnny Kid classic "Shakin' All Over" from the album Sea of Tears was heard on HBO's hit vampire show .. True Blood..-episode 206! ************************ Eilen's "How Long" from 2007's Letters From Sinners and Strangers was placed on the TV special "Earth 2100" on ABC in June. ************************ Ralph Lauren Spring 2010 Fashion Line Features Eilen Jewell Song: Check out the .. promo video for the latest Ralph Lauren line.....featuring EJ's Where They Never Say Your Name... <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pwvKNYgHqpE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> ************************ CMT uses "Too Hot To Sleep" for TV promo.......

  • Members

    ....BOOKING REQUESTS: .. North America - .. Mongrel Music.. ..UK & Europe - Karen Proeme (karenproeme@online.nl) .. Australia - Dave Batty (dave@custommade.com.au) *************************************.. For the latest info on all things Eilen Jewell, check out http://www.eilenjewell.com

  • Influences

    Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Jessie Mae Hemphill

  • Sounds Like

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Bio:

.. I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4

Member Since:

November 15, 2005

Members:


BOOKING REQUESTS:
North America - Mongrel Music
UK & Europe - Karen Proeme (karenproeme@online.nl)
Australia - Dave Batty (dave@custommade.com.au)

RECENT NEWS

*************************************
Sea of Tears AVAILABLE NOW at www.eilenjewell.com


Sea of Tears
On April 21st, 2009, Signature Sounds released Eilen Jewell’s third album, Sea of Tears, a recording that fills in a vital, hitherto missing element of her musical persona. “Before I discovered Woody Guthrie and folk music,” she explains, “I was listening to Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and, later on, the Animals and the Kinks. I love that stuff, and I love to play it.”
With Sea of Tears, Jewell and her longtime band of Jason Beek (drums, harmony vocals), Jerry Miller (electric, acoustic, and steel guitars), and Johnny Sciascia (upright bass) wed her elegantly unflinching songwriting with a rustic, pre-Beatles swagger that encapsulates vintage R&B, Midwestern garage rock, Chicago blues, and early rock and rockabilly, while maintaining the haunting, folk-inspired purity that first made her an artist to watch.




Spring is here...and EJ's Where They Never Say Your Name provides the runway soundtrack for this Ralph Lauren video.

*****END OF YEAR HONORS********

2009 was an incredible year for Eilen and Sea of Tears...with nearly 200 performances all over the USA and in 9 European countries. Year-end lists are being unveiled...be sure to check out this page for the latest honors for EJ and Sea of Tears! So far...

1 Album on ..PBS 106.7FM (Australia)

14 ranking on the No Depression community's Top 50 list...

19th most played album on The Americana Music Chart in 2009!

1 in the TOP 100 of 2009 at WFHB in Bloomington, IN…also 50 in the top 100 of the decade.
Freeform American Roots Chart : Female Artist of the year (1); Album of the Year (3); Songwriter (7) & Jerry Miller was voted 2 in the Instrumentalist of the Year category.
Iowa City Press-Citizen 3 Album of the Year
8th most played album on Tampa's WMNF in '09!!
Southwest Times Record (Arkansas) Best country/Americana/bluegrass albums of the year,
Silas House’s A Country Boy Can Surmise
5 Feet High And Rising
WMBR 7 top roots airplay
WFPK’s 8 Michael Young’s list
Rocky Mountain Highway Grass Roots Revival
Best in Country/Roots List in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Top albums of 2009 list for Australia's Folk n Roots on 3INR.
Tied for Top CD of the year by Modern Acoustic Magazine .
DJ Shawn at Atlanta's 99X FM radio named SOT in his Top Alternative Albums of 2009...
KBCS(WA)DJ Iaan Hughes named SOT in his top albums of 2009...



*****EILEN JEWELL MUSIC PLACEMENTS!!!*****

On July 26th, 2009 Eilen's cover of the Johnny Kid classic "Shakin' All Over" from the album Sea of Tears was heard on HBO's hit vampire show True Blood-episode 206!

06.14.09
Eilen's "How Long" from 2007's Letters From Sinners and Strangers was placed on the TV special "Earth 2100" on ABC in June. You can see/hear the segment on on youtube...its about 5 minutes into the clip.

Ralph Lauren Spring 2010 Fashion Line Features Eilen Jewell Song:



Check out the promo video for the latest Ralph Lauren line...featuring EJ's Where They Never Say Your Name...Click on "Watch The Show" and hear EJ at 2:33 into the clip (after the Hank Williams dance mix). Also, click on "Watch The Highlights" for a shorter version!

CMT uses "Too Hot To Sleep" for TV promo...

06.08.09
Sea of Tears remains at the 7 spot on the Americana Music Chart ...spending 5 weeks in the top 10.

05.18.09
1 at Roots Music Report Folk Chart

9 at Americana Music Chart!

Top 30 at AAA non comm
4 stars and an "album pick" from All Music Guide

The Iowa Press Citizen

The Washington Post reviewed our sold out show at IOTA

Yankee Magazine: All around, Sea of Tears is an incredibly strong album of music that no one else is making these days

Indyweek.com previewed last night's Raleigh show

Florida Times Union previewed this Thursday's Jacksonville show

SOT is the album of the month in More Magazine: With a voice like maple syrup, this singer-songwriter puts her distinctive stamp on a delicious stack of offerings

SOT debuts at 2 on the Freeform American Roots Chart

SOT hit 7 on May's Euro Americana Chat

About.com: The buzz around her third effort has been long and loud, and Sea of Tears easily meets those expectations.

Direct Current: The sound is stark and direct, her fine-tuned band sounds loose and a little dangerous...

LUPEC features EJ in its column in Boston's Weekly Dig
& asks Eilen 10 questions on the LUPEC blog

BLURT: Jewell and her razor-sharp backing band put the jumper cables on classic rock
4.27.09

AMA Radio Chart: Sea of Tears cracks Top 20 this week!

ALT.COUNTRY.NL: Eilen Jewell is ingehouden sexy; haar countrysnik in feite pure jazz. Ze zingt zo makkelijk, forceert nergens.

No Depression: Jewell evokes the same knowingly dolorous spirit as contemporaries Madeleine Peyroux or Jolie Holland as well as her obvious vocal influences Loretta Lynn and Billie Holiday. With her casual, along-for-the-ride delivery, Jewell convincingly conveys heartbreak and disappointment as routine and expected parts of her day.

Off Center Views: Jewell’s languid vocal is icily sexy. This music is where rockabilly, Chicago blues, café jazz, country, ands swing collide and create a new musical galaxy.

California Chronicle & Idaho Statesmen: "Sea of Tears" retains some twang _ it includes a cover of Loretta Lynn's "The Darkest Day" _ but the inspiration comes mainly from '50s and '60s rock. The results, however, are just as mesmerizing.

Maverick (UK): 5 stars-Every track is a gem

Patriot Ledger: Cambridge based songwriter a rising star

UNCUT (UK): 4 stars-She's not unlike UNCUT favourites Neko Case and Kate Maki in her lovely balance of strident country and rural balladry

3.03.09 Fish Records (UK) reviews Sea of Tears

2.18.09 No Depression

10.08 - Dirty Linen

9.17.08 - Shows this week in: Charlottesville, Asheville, Charlotte, Bristol

9.7.08 - September Tour Begins:

Raleigh's IndyWeek.com highlights 9.10 show...

9.5 .08 - Press From the UK:
London's Metro
Yorkshire's The Press


Influences:

Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Jessie Mae Hemphill

Sounds Like:




Record Label:

Signature Sounds Recordings

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