Gem Andrews is a one woman band, but gets by with a little help from her friends like Frankie Gibbon, Caroline Mary, Caroline Andrews, Shipcote Anderson, Nicky Rushton, Sarah Van Jellie, Gram Di Massimo & Josefin Bengtsson.
Influences
Leonard Cohen
Jim White
Kronos Quartet
Philip Glass
Ryan Adams
Kate Bush
JT Nero
JT & The Clouds
Ruth & Gabriel Minnikin
Le Tigre
Rufus Wainwright
Portishead
Prince
Susumu Yokota
Townes Van Zandt
Lucinda Williams
Steve Earle
Golden Disko Ship
Grinderman
Laura Viers
Yoko Ono
Jeff Buckley
Queens of the Stoneage
Mark Lanegan
Nick Drake
Lady Caroline Mary
Captain Beefheart
Candi Staton
Justin Townes Earle
Seasick Steve
Otis Gibbs
Woody Guthrie
Goldfrapp (recent stuff!)
Bob Dylan
Hercules & Love Affair
Thelonious Monk
Dizzy Gillespie
Charlie Parker
Emmylou Harris
PJ Harvey
Steve Reich
Neil Young
Peaches
Dr. John
Ani Di Franco
Bela Emerson
CocoRosie
Joan Baez
The Knife
Robert Plant
Patti Smith
Tim Buckley
Joanna McGregor
Julie Wolf
Danger Doom
Nick Cave
Bjork
Joan as Police Woman
Billie Holiday
Elliot Smith
Rose Kemp
Erin McKeown
Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Bauhaus
Be Good Tanyas
Martha Wainwright
Jolie Holland
Joni Mitchell
Sleater-Kinney
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
Sounds Like
this music comes courtesy of..
lovely books
real fires
acoustic guitars
locks ins to 4am
beautiful friends
shipcote & caroline mary
watching recommended films
Henry's tree house
gigs at the cluny
mexican folk art
repaired record players
frankie's studio
writing in the library
foldy bikes
dreaming
travelling
sugarpie
the north-east coast
coffee drinking
late night scrabble matches
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle.
Then I realised God doesn’t work that way, so I stole
one and prayed for forgiveness.
Born in Liverpool England at some point in the 80's, singer-songwriter Gem Andrews sings heart-achingly beautiful dark country ballads, filled with intoxicating romanticism and wrapped in haunting melodies that could easily have accompanied the harrowing scenes of a David Lynch film.
Her own self-titled, self- released debut CD is due later this year,and is being recorded live in a deserted farm house off the North-East coast of England features just her and her acoustic guitar, piano, and banjo.
The collection pays homage to early Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Michelle Shocked’s Texas Campfire Songs, Marianne Faithful and Jolie Holland.
Gem Andrews has also collaborated with other local artists, including Free Diamonds' 'By The Sword' to which Andrews' involvement was highly acclaimed, as well as Shipcote's 'Highland Company', which was followed by a string of gigs.
Inspired from tagging along on tour with Emmylou Harris in 2003, Gem Andrews threw herself whole heartedly into unwrapping the Alt-Country and folk music scenes in the United Kingdom, and then in 2004, travelled across the United States playing gigs at songwriter and open mic nights.
Since then, Gem Andrews has relentlessly been writing, performing and honing her own original material, supporting the likes of The Cave Singers, The Drams, Crooked Still, Laura Viers, Martin Stephenson, Des Ark and Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart and later this year Lucy Wainwright-Roche.
In November 2008, she toured Germany, playing Cologne’s annual festival for women in music, ‘LadyFest Koeln’ to promote the new collection, with American bands The Cave Singers, Lynnee Breedlove and Des Ark. Country Lines Magazine, August 2008.
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'By The Sword' Reviews:
To say that By The Sword takes chances is to say that the demand for the 7th Harry Potter book is sorta high. The Newcastle, England trio -- whose sophomore release also includes brilliant guest vocals by Gem Andrews -- sound to have snorted espresso, chased it with vodka shots and ran into the studio in the dark to experiment with knobs, pedals and effects buttons... ya know, but catchy. They make artistic free-form dance funk that could fit into the dance clubs and the punk dives. Q
"Free Diamonds has more in common with the insanity of Blood Brothers and Q and Not U. With Scott Anderson's crazed delivery, Gem Andrews' laconic drawl makes a big difference. There's some creativity being welded together on By The Sword in increasingly angular and confusing shapes. It absorbs punk energy in the scattergun vocals, drags folk guitars in to anchor it to Planet Earth and provides quirky indie-pop synths and metronomic drumming to drive everything on all four wheels. The oddness on these sixteen tracks is endearing and enjoyable. With flourishes of fast flurrying bass and guitar plus some clever twists and turns, Free Diamonds becomes more worth shouting about." - Subba-Cultcha
WHAT UP FRIEND? WELL THE TIME HAS COME I AM ALMOST FINSH WITH MY SOLO ALBUM SO IF YOU WOULD A INTERVIEW WITH ME YOU GOT IT MOMMA!! I WOULD NEVER FORGET SOMEONE SO SWEET AND KIND AS YOU! THANK YOU FOR THE KIND WORDS AND LOVING SUPPORT OF YO MJESTY AND JWL.B. IF YOU WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO HEAR MY NEW JOINTS HIT ME UP AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS jwl4soul4u@yahoo.com KEEP SHINEIN FOR THE WORLD
lovely, lovely Gem-lady :) I will be SO happy when you are fit & well enough (after your dramatic horsey tumbling shenanigans), to pick up this comment... Sending you loads of positive vibes and virtual hugs, till I see ya xxxxxxx
Howdy Gem-The no 1 song on myspace is about you.....Spark Of Ambition well its number one on shippy's myspace Ill drop my version of the mighty fine song "Cold Stone Floor" you wrote, off before you go away X
Oh great, I can see Yoko's flashing lights from my flat. So I might not get any sleep but at least I'll feel L-O-V-E-D.. (by the fricken universe, no less)
Online Now!
