The Nields, Van Morrison, Josh Ritter, Kasey Chambers, Richard Shindell, Eliza Gilkyson, John Prine, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer, Tony Trischka, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson, Kate Rusby, Greg Brown, Buddy & Julie Miller, Rani Arbo, Cassandra Wilson, The Waifs, Gillian Welch, Dolly Parton, Tim O'Brien, The Story, Rosie Thomas, Tom Russell, Emmylou Harris, Neko Case, Martin Simpson, Tim Eriksen, Cordelia's Dad, Iris DeMent, Dirk Powell, Becky Schlegel, Adrienne Young, Carole King, Jeff Buckley, U2, Vaguely Familiar
Mother Banjo is a one-woman band featuring Ellen Stanley on banjo and vocals. Her music combines the haunting sounds of traditional folk and gospel with contemporary alt-country and Americana hooks. Poetic and rich, her songs are sad, sweet and full of the stories that inhabit the wide open prairies of the Midwest.
Raised on rock and pop music and trained classically on piano, oboe and voice, Ellen fell in love with folk music as a teenager as she became hooked on public radio and discovered the church coffeehouse scene in southern Connecticut. It was there that she got exposed to a wide variety of acoustic artists and devoured the sounds of singer-songwriters, bluegrass bands and old-timey ballads. Although an avid prose and poetry writer, Ellen did not connect with her own songwriting voice until she graduated from college and moved to Minneapolis where she bought a house, got a cat and took up the banjo. After performing pretty regularly at cabaret-style variety shows and open mics, Ellen has started touring nationally, hitting clubs and coffeehouses from New York City to the Montana Rockies.
An engaging live performer, Mother Banjo weaves humorous stories with fun covers and her own original material. She has performed at prestigious venues like The Ark (Ann Arbor, MI) and the Cedar Cultural Center (Minneapolis, MN) and has shared the stage with such notable songwriters as Cliff Eberhardt and Tracy Grammer. She showcased at the 2009 International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN and will be touring throughout the country in support of her new album.
Produced by Darren Jackson (Kid Dakota, The Hopefuls) and John Hermanson (Storyhill, The Hopefuls), Mother Banjo's first full-length album The Sad and Found was released April 23, 2009 and follows up on the success of her EP Swing Low (named one of the top local releases of 2007 by St. Paul Pioneer Press critic Ross Raihala). The album was recorded at Darren's studio and features performances by the best acoustic talent in the Twin Cities, including members of The Roe Family Singers, Eliza Blue, “Sneaky” Pete Bauer, Jaspar Lepak, Art Vandalay and Matt Novachis (Keri Noble, Molly Maher, Tina Schlieske).
The Sad and Found starts with a bittersweet break-up song (“One Hello”) and travels through the heartache and hope that lie along the rocky road of love. Original story songs like “This Fall” and “Green Jacket” sit comfortably alongside unique covers of Josh Ritter’s “Leaving” and Stephen Foster’s “Oh, Susanna.” Mixing contemporary indie-folk sounds with traditional folk and gospel energy, Mother Banjo’s full-length album showcases her commanding vocals and minimalist banjo playing, creating a unique sound that appeals to Americana, country indie and folk fans alike.
For press inquiries or booking, email motherbanjo@gmail.com or click on her Sonicbids EPK.
Hey Friend!!!! Thanks for the Friendship Add!!! Much appreciated.
This is the site dedicated to the music me and my sons make. We have a
blast doing it. I also have a personal musician page
(myspace.com/stevenrshields) and a page for my recording studio
(myspace.com/studiosixsteve). Give us a listen. It's something we
love to do. Thanks, Steve
Beginning Tuesday November 3rd From 1:00pm to 3:00pm I will be hosting an Open Jam at Tillie's Bean 1931 Nicollet Ave. S. Minneapolis Mn 55404 Everybody is welcome !! Tell all yer Musically Inclined Friends to bring an Instrument !!! Peace, Robert Lee
I was going to go camping over the weekend, but this is definitely NOT camping weather. So me and some friends went to check out Dueling Pianos. Those guys are amazing - they can play just about any song that's been on the radio between 1950 and 2005.
Speaking of music, I wanted to let you know about a show we have @ Station 4 on Friday, October 16th. We are debuting a project called Sonic Transformations. It is a series of audio-visual performance pieces. The first one is called "AN OBJECT TO CRAVE". It features live music and visuals based on a short story about life, love, loss, fantasy, obsession and death.
Another group of mine, The Magnetrons, which plays an exciting and innovative Livetronica set (i.e. STS9, Disco Biscuits, The Histronic) will also be playing. The night will be full of creative, interesting, high-energy music, good drinks and good times.
Here's the info:
Blood Root Mother - "An Object to Crave" w/ The Magnetrons & Thought Thieves Friday, October 16th Station 4 201 E 4th St St Paul, MN 55101 9pm / $5 / 18+
Hello, it's me, Ruby Jane.To those who don't know me, I am a 14 year old fiddler, songwriter. I have some songs posted that are fresh out of the studio. Let me know if you like the new songs..be one of the first to hear, even before they are released!Thanks! new videos too! Ruby Jane
Thank YOU for letting us be a part of the show at the Cedar, and part of the CD, too. We were truly honored to be a part of it. We loved it! You are awesome. It was a beautiful night. We will be happy to be your band whenever we can!
Online Now!
