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Symphony 1 in the Barrel of a Gun

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Released: Jan 1, 2008

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Symphony 1 in the Barrel of a Gun
2:50
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Juicy
5:30
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Whiskey and Rags
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6fairtheewelltherequieummix
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Take it Easy San Francisco
4:55
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Total Plays: 888,225 / Plays Today: 32See All Featured ►

General Info

Genre: Classical / Experimental / Folk
Location NEW YORK, New York, US
Profile Views: 774533
Last Login: 4/9/2012
Member Since 8/9/2005
Website www.emilywellsmusic.com
Record Label creative control
Type of Label Indie
Bio
album art by AMY CUTLER! .. ........ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .............. .. BIO ..I love rap music and Vivaldi. Nina Simone and Biggie Smalls make my world go round. The first record i really, you know, heard, in headphones, was Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence". I play the violin and have since i was a little kid. Growing up, my home was filled with music. There was a lot of singing, french horn playing, and symphony listening, plus youth orchestras, church choirs and xylophones, I use to listen to the classic rock station in a three up front car with my two best friends, the windows cracked and the Indiana winter creeping in. I was born in Texas. .. I love the studio, it could very well be my favorite place, (especially when it's raining). So I do a lot of live sampling and looping in an attempt to bring the studio to the stage. All the live looping is like a sporting event, or keeping the first take of every recording. I could fall off the balance beam... which makes it all so much more exciting. .. As a dirty teen I would sneak into a tiny jazz hole in the wall almost every night and watch the band play. My favorite person there was an old upright bass player with a bushy smile. The women who worked there knew I wasn't of age... They served me coffee while I fell in love with jazz and live performance. .. I really like to make beats, sample old records, but I often leave the beats up to my favorite drummer, Sam. Joey is the bass player and together we make a live trio. I started playing with them both a couple of years ago while making my first record "Beautiful Sleepyhead and the Laughing Yaks." Even though I made and released a number of cassette tapes and CDs before that, I call "Sleepyhead" the first because all the others were similar to going to college. Very important, very influential to my future, but mostly, they were about learning. This year I released my latest work, "The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties", which consists of 10 songs heavily influenced by classical music and hip hop production. .. I'm interested in old or odd instruments, samplers and synthesizers, mallets, and analogue reverb. I collect toy pianos, though I only have three. I'm interested in songs, and word play, and sonatas. I'm curious.... Most of all, I'm grateful for every day I get to make music. .. - ...... .. .. .. join the mailing list.. .. .. .. ....Email Address:.. .... .... .. ............ ...... .. ..
Members
CONTACT: .... BOOKING: .. Mary Brabec .. brabec@billions.com .. The Billions Corporation .. www.billions.com .... PUBLICITY: .. Big Hassle .. Bobbie Gale .. bobbie@bighassle.com .. .. OTHER QUERIES: .. edub365@gmail.com .. .. ..stuff to hold and hear: .. Emily Wells .. PO Box 1616 .. Topanga CA 90290 ..THE TRIO:.. Joey Reina on Upright and electric bass.. Sam Halterman on Drums.. Emily Wells on violin, vocals, banjos, organs, synths, subs, sounds, samples, drum machine, xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels, ukuleles, guitars etc.. Jessica Catron performs cello on the recordings of Symphonies 1 - 9..Count Bass D appears on Symphony 3: The Story (Featuring Count Bass D).. ........ ORDER "Dirty" on CD. ... 10$... direct from emily .. (copy and paste this link if the buttons aren't treatin you right) .. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8289033 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Also available on iTunes: ...... .. .......... .. .. .. .. .. get "the symphonies" ..direct from emily: 13$ ..(copy and paste if the buttons aren't treating you right) https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5828230 .. You can also download from iTunes: ........ .. ........ .. .. .. .. .. .. get "sleepyhead" direct from emily: ..12$... .. (copy and paste if the buttons aren't treatin you right) https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5828263 .. Or download from iTunes: ...... .. Packages should arrive within 7 to 10 business days in the US and can take a little longer overseas.
Influences
nina simone, bob dylan, egon schiele, biggie smalls, timmy straw, outkast, toumani diabate, aphex twin, billie holiday, david sedaris, simple citizens, beethoven, raymond carver, suzuki, carl orff, ........ Listen to Andrea Seabrook's Interview with Emily on "All Things Considered" .. ........ Watch the Trio's live performance on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic Oct 2008 .. ........ Check out Symphony 6 on KCRW's today's top tune .. ........ The Symphonies: NY Public radio top pick... .. ........ .......... ........ .. ........
Sounds Like
"Emily Wells is a wonder to behold, a multi-instrumentalist who moves from violin to sampler with the greatest of ease, who cites Outkast, Aphex Twin and Matmos among her influences, but who doesn’t mimic, overdo or overproduce. She makes funky beats using analog reverb and, as a string player, understands and appreciates the art of arranging better than most guitarists. Her self-released The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties is a humble affair that’s crafted with just enough ornamentation to offer a hint at what Wells might accomplish in more grandiose surroundings." .. -Randall Roberts.. LA WEEKLY .. "Ms. Wells’ latest album, “The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties” (creative control) is a warm, intriguing slice of avant-garde pop, and on stage she’s a delight. " .. -Jim Fusilli.. Wall Street Journal .. On her album “The Symphonies: Dreams Memories and Parties,” from 2008, the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Wells layered her elfin voice over spectral string arrangements and brushstroked hip-hop percussion. The ten songs were symphonies only in the broadest sense of the term: the album is a highly theatrical labyrinth of rap, gothic folk, classical, and electronica songs. .. THE NEW YORKER .. Layering eerie strings, bleeping synths, and electronic beats under Biggie's rags-to-riches lyrics, she sings and raps like a feral, streetwise Nina Simone. .. - Steve Appleford.. SPIN .. "Emily Wells is a wonder to behold, a multi-instrumentalist who moves from violin to sampler with the greatest of ease, who cites Outkast, Aphex Twin and Matmos among her influences, but who doesn’t mimic, overdo or overproduce. She makes funky beats using analog reverb and, as a string player, understands and appreciates the art of arranging better than most guitarists. Her self-released The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties is a humble affair that’s crafted with just enough ornamentation to offer a hint at what Wells might accomplish in more grandiose surroundings.".. -Randall Roberts.. LA WEEKLY.. "Many great composers have struggled to write nine symphonies in their lifetimes – think of Beethoven or Mahler. Now, a 20-something singer and violinist named Emily Wells has released an album containing ten symphonies. As you’ll hear, the term "symphony" is used rather loosely here; these are really electronic-folk songs that fuse layers of strings, bass, and drums to create rolling sonic textures. Working in her own recording studio, Wells played up to 21 separate tracks of violin on each symphony, often using an octave pedal to create the tones of a cello or viola. You can hear that DIY feel in the track, "Symphony Number 6."-picked by Brian Wise.. -WNYC's CD picks:.. "Wells carves up elegant, classically based pop tunes and frosts them with Björk/Kate Bush-style embellishments... This multi-instrumentalist is multitalented, with subtle powers of magic and persuasion; she even "taught the neighborhood how to creep for you.".. -Falling James.. LA WEEKLY.. “Multi-instrumentalist Emily Wells says she's ‘most influenced by the songs and voices of Nina Simone and Bob Dylan.’ You can hear it in Emily's music. She's a singer-songwriter with unconventional and often chilling vocals." .. -NPR.. Emily Wells offers up a gorgeously orchestrated version of the Biggie Smalls song. .. -ESQUIRE.. "Emily Wells has a quavering, angelic voice that has a little aura of strangeness.".. -iTunes .. (indie spotlight).. "... she's something of a music phenomenon. She started playing violin during her pre-school years and was fielding record label offers at the age of 17. But she didn't want to be the pop star they were hoping to create, so she kept on her own path which eventually led to Los Angeles. It's hard to describe her music – I can start by calling it pop with classical elements (she's an incredible violin player). But with all the layers and layers of music, the songs end up sounding like symphonies – as they are named on her record. And to keep us guessing further, she covered the song "Juicy" by the Notorious B.I.G. Definitely keep an eye out for this one and check her out live if you can.".. -KCRW music news .. "....no one raises the bar for exquisitely crafted, orchestral (and danceable) indie folk like Emily Wells, who's celebrating the release of her ambitious new album. The Symphonies: Dreams Memories and Parties has been years in the making, and its soaring arrangements and heartbreaking harmonies are well worth the wait." .. – FLAVORPILL.. .. PRESS LINKS .. NPR.. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97608448.. .. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97609686.. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10975660.. .... SPIN.. http://www.spin.com/articles/breaking-out-emily-wells.... THE NEW YORKER.. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/nightlife/2010/09/27/100927goni_GOAT_nightlife.... WALL STREET JOURNAL:.. http://blogs.wsj.com/sxsw/2009/03/20/graydon-hacienda-and-emily-wells-rock-sxsw-thursday/.... AFTER ELLEN.. http://www.afterellen.com/people/2009/5/emilywells.... ESQUIRE.. http://www.esquire.com/blogs/books/chris-cornell-reviews-0609.... SAN FRANCISCO WEEKLY.. http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2010/08/emily_wells_saturday_at_slims.php.... LA WEEKLY.. http://www.laweekly.com/2009-03-12/music/an-l-a-music-pro-39-s-guide-to-south-by-southwest/.. KCRW.. http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb081008emily_wells.. http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/tu/tu080708emily_wells_symphony.. http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/ti/ti080815episode_3.... WNYC.. http://beta.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/2008/sep/19/cd-picks-of-the-week/.... FLAVORPILL.. http://flavorpill.com/newyork/events/2010/1/2/emily-wells.... VARIOUS BLOGS / INTERVIEWS etc:.... http://www.strangerdance.com/interview-emily-wells/.. http://www.seattlesubsonic.com/2010/09/01/anomie-belle-emily-wells-trip-hopping-triple-door/.. http://flavorwire.com/48686/la-undercover.. http://www.hotlikesauce.com/2010/03/24/have-you-heard-emily-wells/.. http://www.52shows.com/2009/02/27/sxsw-bands-emily-wells/.. http://sea.musicandblog.com/?p=1782..

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Bio:

album art by AMY CUTLER!

....

BIO

I love rap music and Vivaldi. Nina Simone and Biggie Smalls make my world go round. The first record i really, you know, heard, in headphones, was Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence". I play the violin and have since i was a little kid. Growing up, my home was filled with music. There was a lot of singing, french horn playing, and symphony listening, plus youth orchestras, church choirs and xylophones, I use to listen to the classic rock station in a three up front car with my two best friends, the windows cracked and the Indiana winter creeping in. I was born in Texas.

I love the studio, it could very well be my favorite place, (especially when it's raining). So I do a lot of live sampling and looping in an attempt to bring the studio to the stage. All the live looping is like a sporting event, or keeping the first take of every recording. I could fall off the balance beam... which makes it all so much more exciting.

As a dirty teen I would sneak into a tiny jazz hole in the wall almost every night and watch the band play. My favorite person there was an old upright bass player with a bushy smile. The women who worked there knew I wasn't of age... They served me coffee while I fell in love with jazz and live performance.

I really like to make beats, sample old records, but I often leave the beats up to my favorite drummer, Sam. Joey is the bass player and together we make a live trio. I started playing with them both a couple of years ago while making my first record "Beautiful Sleepyhead and the Laughing Yaks." Even though I made and released a number of cassette tapes and CDs before that, I call "Sleepyhead" the first because all the others were similar to going to college. Very important, very influential to my future, but mostly, they were about learning. This year I released my latest work, "The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties", which consists of 10 songs heavily influenced by classical music and hip hop production.

I'm interested in old or odd instruments, samplers and synthesizers, mallets, and analogue reverb. I collect toy pianos, though I only have three. I'm interested in songs, and word play, and sonatas. I'm curious.... Most of all, I'm grateful for every day I get to make music.

join the mailing list

.. ..

Email Address:	..
	..

Member Since:

August 09, 2005

Members:

CONTACT:

BOOKING:

Mary Brabec

brabec@billions.com

The Billions Corporation

www.billions.com

PUBLICITY:

Big Hassle

Bobbie Gale

bobbie@bighassle.com

OTHER QUERIES:

edub365@gmail.com

stuff to hold and hear:

Emily Wells

PO Box 1616

Topanga CA 90290

THE TRIO:

Joey Reina on Upright and electric bass

Sam Halterman on Drums

Emily Wells on violin, vocals, banjos, organs, synths, subs, sounds, samples, drum machine, xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels, ukuleles, guitars etc

Jessica Catron performs cello on the recordings of Symphonies 1 - 9

Count Bass D appears on Symphony 3: The Story (Featuring Count Bass D)

ORDER "Dirty" on CD. ... 10$... direct from emily

(copy and paste this link if the buttons aren't treatin you right)

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8289033 .. .. .. .. ..

Also available on iTunes:

.. .. .. .. .. get "the symphonies"

direct from emily: 13$

(copy and paste if the buttons aren't treating you right) https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5828230

You can also download from iTunes:

.. .. .. .. .. get "sleepyhead" direct from emily:

12$...

(copy and paste if the buttons aren't treatin you right) https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5828263

Or download from iTunes:

Packages should arrive within 7 to 10 business days in the US and can take a little longer overseas.

Influences:

nina simone, bob dylan, egon schiele, biggie smalls, timmy straw, outkast, toumani diabate, aphex twin, billie holiday, david sedaris, simple citizens, beethoven, raymond carver, suzuki, carl orff,

Listen to Andrea Seabrook's Interview with Emily on "All Things Considered"

Watch the Trio's live performance on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic Oct 2008

Check out Symphony 6 on KCRW's today's top tune

The Symphonies: NY Public radio top pick...

Sounds Like:

"Emily Wells is a wonder to behold, a multi-instrumentalist who moves from violin to sampler with the greatest of ease, who cites Outkast, Aphex Twin and Matmos among her influences, but who doesn’t mimic, overdo or overproduce. She makes funky beats using analog reverb and, as a string player, understands and appreciates the art of arranging better than most guitarists. Her self-released The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties is a humble affair that’s crafted with just enough ornamentation to offer a hint at what Wells might accomplish in more grandiose surroundings."

-Randall Roberts

LA WEEKLY

"Ms. Wells’ latest album, “The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties” (creative control) is a warm, intriguing slice of avant-garde pop, and on stage she’s a delight. "

-Jim Fusilli

Wall Street Journal

On her album “The Symphonies: Dreams Memories and Parties,” from 2008, the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Wells layered her elfin voice over spectral string arrangements and brushstroked hip-hop percussion. The ten songs were symphonies only in the broadest sense of the term: the album is a highly theatrical labyrinth of rap, gothic folk, classical, and electronica songs.

THE NEW YORKER

Layering eerie strings, bleeping synths, and electronic beats under Biggie's rags-to-riches lyrics, she sings and raps like a feral, streetwise Nina Simone.

- Steve Appleford

SPIN

-Randall Roberts

LA WEEKLY

"Many great composers have struggled to write nine symphonies in their lifetimes – think of Beethoven or Mahler. Now, a 20-something singer and violinist named Emily Wells has released an album containing ten symphonies. As you’ll hear, the term "symphony" is used rather loosely here; these are really electronic-folk songs that fuse layers of strings, bass, and drums to create rolling sonic textures. Working in her own recording studio, Wells played up to 21 separate tracks of violin on each symphony, often using an octave pedal to create the tones of a cello or viola. You can hear that DIY feel in the track, "Symphony Number 6."-picked by Brian Wise

-WNYC's CD picks:

"Wells carves up elegant, classically based pop tunes and frosts them with Björk/Kate Bush-style embellishments... This multi-instrumentalist is multitalented, with subtle powers of magic and persuasion; she even "taught the neighborhood how to creep for you."

-Falling James

LA WEEKLY

“Multi-instrumentalist Emily Wells says she's ‘most influenced by the songs and voices of Nina Simone and Bob Dylan.’ You can hear it in Emily's music. She's a singer-songwriter with unconventional and often chilling vocals."

-NPR

Emily Wells offers up a gorgeously orchestrated version of the Biggie Smalls song.

-ESQUIRE

"Emily Wells has a quavering, angelic voice that has a little aura of strangeness."

-iTunes

(indie spotlight)

"... she's something of a music phenomenon. She started playing violin during her pre-school years and was fielding record label offers at the age of 17. But she didn't want to be the pop star they were hoping to create, so she kept on her own path which eventually led to Los Angeles. It's hard to describe her music – I can start by calling it pop with classical elements (she's an incredible violin player). But with all the layers and layers of music, the songs end up sounding like symphonies – as they are named on her record. And to keep us guessing further, she covered the song "Juicy" by the Notorious B.I.G. Definitely keep an eye out for this one and check her out live if you can."

-KCRW music news

"....no one raises the bar for exquisitely crafted, orchestral (and danceable) indie folk like Emily Wells, who's celebrating the release of her ambitious new album. The Symphonies: Dreams Memories and Parties has been years in the making, and its soaring arrangements and heartbreaking harmonies are well worth the wait."

– FLAVORPILL

PRESS LINKS

NPR

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97608448

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97609686

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10975660

SPIN

http://www.spin.com/articles/breaking-out-emily-wells

THE NEW YORKER

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/nightlife/2010/09/27/100927goni_GOAT_nightlife

WALL STREET JOURNAL:

http://blogs.wsj.com/sxsw/2009/03/20/graydon-hacienda-and-emily-wells-rock-sxsw-thursday/