ELENA: VOCALS, ACUSTIC GUITARS
GIULIO CARMASSI: KEYS/PIANO, HORNS (BASS ON 3, GUITAR ON 1, snare on 2)
BRIAN ALLEN: ELECTRIC BASS
TOM BRECHTLEIN: DRUMS
JAMIE FINDLEY: ELECTRIC AND ACOUSTIC GUITARS
SAM MEEK: ELECTRIC GUITAR ( 2)
LUKE MILLER: ORGAN
PAULIE CERRA: WHISTLE
ALL SONGS WRITTEN AND ARRANGED BY ÉLENA, EXCEPT "ROSEMARRY" BY GIULIO CARMASSI & ÉLENA
Influences
All the experiences i've had in my life,all the friends,all the love. All the beautiful american songs,Stephen Sondheim,Gershwin,all the authors of musicals. The amazing voice of Barbra Streisand. The amazing truthfulness of Nina Simone. All the italian pop songs i grew up with. Lucio Dalla,Piero Ciampi,Roberto Vecchioni,Vasco Rossi... Jazz,Los Angele and Firenze.ECM. Rock, the Beatles,Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Giulio Carmassi's music. Classical music,Ravel and all he wrote.Rachmaninov and Debussy. Eva Cassidy. All i'm getting to know about funk and blues,I love it. English,a new language full of new ways to express myself. Fiona Apple,Joni Mitchell and Gillian Welch.Eva Cassidy.Jeff Buckley.Queen. The Dostoevskij's,Alice Miller's books and Paulo Coelho's books. Ennio Morricone,Norma Winstone.Stevie Wonder. All the things i don't remember right now. Every mistake. Every moment i'm able to remember. All the musicians i know who continue to influence me with their uniqueness.And...the constant search for a home that continues to inspire me.
Formal bio:
Italian-born singer/songwriter/guitarist Élena Degl’innocenti brings a unique blend of music styles to the stage. Blessed with an incredible voice, her superb stylized vocals are the perfect compliment to the sweet and tender ballads, playful, lyrical story lines and folky-jazzy-pop influences that create the originality of this talented artist.
After studying contemporary Jazz back home in Florence, Italy, Élena developed a passion for this singing style that she has perfected. She moved to Los Angeles to attend the Musician’s Institute an then graduated from Ucla where she studied music composition.
Élena’s debut album, “Question Marks” is a collection of fresh, original compositions that mix her diverse musical influences, from Jazz to Pop to Latin, with a hint of Folk.
The album features musicians such as Tom Brechtlein (Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter,Robben Ford), Brian Allen (Jamey Johnson, Sara Bareilles) Giulio Carmassi (Emmy Rossum), Paulie Cerra (Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie) and many more.
For the last several years, apart from performing her own material, Élena has performed with the a-cappella singing group Petra Haden & the Sellouts, singing an amazing array of music styles from Bach to The Who using only voice as an eclectic instrument. She is also part of the group “B” is for Baroness, singing and playing guitar.
Élena performs live with her band, ‘the Innocents,’ (taken from her last name).
End of formal bio:
I, Elena Degl’innocenti, come from Florence, Italy.
A few years ago i decided that i wanted to experience what was outside my home boot. I wanted to try something new and figure out questions that i guess we all got to live with... like where i am going, if i am actually going somewhere....
I started singing very early.
Sounds have always intrigued me, and growing up i never let go of this passion. I kept singing for years in my bedroom, undisturbed, ...door closed, close to a corner so that i could hear my voice well without being noticed. It took me years, but at some point i realized that i would love to study whatever i was doing.
So here i am, in california to study, which happened at ucla.
After i managed to learn how english works, i started writing songs using this new language. I love the sound of words, sometimes even more than the story they tell... and i love how different languages can help you say things in ways you would have never thought possible.
I had a lot of fun singing jazz with a couple of bands in italy before i came here.
Then i loved singing with “petra haden & the sellouts” in a “a-cappella” choir where i experienced some good challenges singing from bach to the who and touring the some of the states in a little van! Then playing guitar and vocals with the rock/pop band “b is for baroness”. Soon i will announce the release of its first fabulous album!
“Question marks’ is my debut album and it represents 4 years of my life,
so it’s pure mess!!! Amazing musicians played on it... tom brechtlein, brian allen, giulio carmassi, sam meek and many others. check it out!
My band “élena & the innocents” (taken from my last name) plays around Los angeles pretty often and i hope i will cross your path one of these days!
Thank you very much for da Link Up & Sharing the Music
Nice to meet you through cyberlink!
Keep up da Great Work!
Wishes you All da Best in 2009!
Enjoy your Week
Our song 'Yellow Suit' entered the first FRIEND VOTE Indie Top 100 Chart at No.13 on this week. Maybe our friends can help us get higher up the chart for Monday. Vote for AMYCANBE at http://www.myspace.com/indietop100 Until again, all the best, Amycanbe
Yes!!! We are in PEACE, compilation for Amnesty International out next January, along with other great names. See our blog section for infos. Cheers!!
Rock on, girl!!! The show at Taix last night was wonderful...and you looked stunning. The band is tight!!! What an amazing line-up! I have pix...many!!!
Elena, this is beautiful music! I finally got a chance to listen to all the songs here and they are so amazing, I get goosbumps listening to the Fly High song! The production and musicianship are both excellent, girl! You are an awesome musician and here you have revealed your heart, your soul. thank you! Love you lots, Molly
The perfect state doesn’t exist. Let’s create it. Iperuramio is the planet that the FREeSHOUT!? festival wants to image with the help of as many creative minds as possible. This is the reason why proposals have been requested, to ask everyone to take on the role of creators of a new nation or state and to testimony its existence with their own art. The form to participate at the competition is available on the site www.freeshout.it. The best project will award a prize of 1000 euros.
Élena - This is so exciting!! Your album, "QUESTION MARKS" is complete, and you are ready to hit the universe full on with your talented self!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Let's make it happen, girl!! andiamo....!!! Woooo
Domenica 26 aprile in piazza XX settembre a Montevarchi si terrà l'evento 'Valdarno per l'Abruzzo' che avrà lo scopo di raccogliere fondi per i terremotati del 6 aprile. Dalle ore 16.00 saranno presenti in piazza xx settembre stand gastronomici, Enpa, Legambiente, Avis, Gaib e Misericordia che collaborano alla raccolta fondi proponendo materiale informativo e gadgets e rendendosi disponibili a spiegare i loro interventi nelle zone terremotate.
Alle ore 18.00 inizierà la kermesse musicale con la musica di Fahrenheit Angeli in Blue Jeans UponTheSea The Cogs Amplifier Dog e Tomviolence
che si sono offerti di contribuire gratuitamente alla causa. La serata che proseguirà fino a mezzanotte sarà presentata da Mr Cadillac.
In caso di pioggia i gruppi suoneranno all'interno della birreria Mod's.
Le donazioni raccolte tramite una sottoscrizione a premi verranno destinate alla casa dello studente dell'Aquila.
Good to hear from you too elena! GA is awesome! i love it here! the wather is soo cool, its all over the place, it's cold a bit then its warm then its cloudy then sunny. i think its cool! you gotta come visit soon.
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