live performances: *carolynne mcNeel* guitar/vocals/violin/keys/booty *keith forsythe* guitar, sweet "riffs" and/or "licks" *lara manogg* (elastic medium)* keys/backing vocals/bushwack minor *ben morgan* (mc digga)* bass/swank *john ziga* (true if destroyed, april disaster)* zigamatron 2000.4/drums/the skat
past live performances: alexander yaker: bass
on Burial at Sea album/past live performances:
carolynne mcNeel: guitar, vocals, violin, clanks, stomps & splashes
adam herndon: bass,backing vocals
dave dworanczyk: drums, percussion
keith forsythe: guitar, slide
rick hass: piano/keys, backing vocals
on Flight Patterns album/past live performances:
carolynne mcNeel: guitars, vocals
rory connell: guitars, mandolin, casio sk-1, bass
dave dworanczyk: drums, percussion, marimba
andrew jones: bass
joshua marcus: backing vocals
bill moriarty: glockenspiel
josh newman: bass, backing vocals, singing saw
john pettit: bass, trumpet
Influences
everyday life, early REM, plastic ono band, breeders, motown, soul, early '90s indie pop, friends and loves, small miracles, and
these guys:
So, i have discovered that the only means for me to get brand spanking new music up on this thing at the moment is my digital camera.... here's a video of my dog eiffel and my guitar and my voice singing a song i wrote 2 days ago (as of nov. '07). (watching eiffel is more interesting than watching my face sing, i think). it's called Golden Egg.
enjoy!
The story of Rarebirds isnt very interesting girl plays in band (April Disaster), band breaks up, girl starts new band (Carolynne McNeel Three), band morphs into something different and better (Rarebirds).
But Rarebirds itself? Rarebirds is interesting.
When ink is spilled over Carolynne McNeels singing and songwriting, writers are left speculating whats beneath her opaque delivery and idiosyncratic playing. Philadelphia Weekly praised her smoky, twinkling tunes as well above standard singer/songwriter fare, while Philadelphia City Paper called them ethereal [and] folky, with lyrics as abstract and complex as her arrangements.
In other words? Shes a tough nut to crack. Thats half the fun of listening to Rarebirds, especially in this age of look-at-me lyrics and painful over-emoting.
Better Than This, a dreamy demo for the bands forthcoming album, shivers with odd sounds while McNeel sings, almost to herself, about writing the same song every night and not quite getting into heaven. Its heavy stuff, and just vague enough for us to know shes not making it up.
McNeel always seems to sing from experience, but its not always so bittersweet. The sprightly When You Sleep brings to life the contagious joy and headiness of love, and the happy-go-lucky subject matter is reflected in her simpler playing and sunnier backing.
The gentlemen providing that backing, by the way, are some of Phillys finest Adam Herndon (This Radiant Boy, Run Runner) on bass, Rick Hass (This Radiant Boy) ..s, Dave Dworanczyk (Secession Movement) on drums, and Keith Forsythe (a recent transplant from North Carolina) on guitar.
Two other demos, Sweet Lies and Drowning Happy (both available for listening at www.myspace.com/rarebirds), say it all with their titles. Theres conflict, and like so many fine songwriters before her, McNeel doesnt try to reconcile it or filter things out.
Instead, she mines it for all its worth, mashing up a wealth of divergent emotions and skipping backwards and forwards in time to suit the needs of the story.
And thats why we relate to Rarebirds songs the way we do though the creative hooks, vocal prettiness, and fresh-faced instrumentation help even if were not always able to explain why. (Doug Wallen, 4.06)
Newly renamed after about a year as the Carolynne McNeel Three, Rarebirds rose from the ashes of McNeel's previous outfit, the softly shoegazing April Disaster. Backed by guys who cut their teeth in Philly bands like Raccoon, the Secession Movement and This Radiant Boy, McNeel sounds steadier and more seductive than ever on Rarebirds' debut Flight Patterns EP. Guests show up to play trumpet, singing saw and glockenspiel, all of which combine with multi-instrumentalist Rory Connell's sneaky versatility to elevate the smoky, twinkling tunes well above standard singer/songwriter fare. Fans of Tsunami and the Spinanes would be wise to take note. (D.W.- Philadelphia Weekly)
Saw you guys at Murphs Bar 2 weeks back, you were awesome. Bought your cd and someone broke into my car last nite and stole it...Boo. See ya's the 5th!
Hey friends... please keep us posted on the next musical event for MEW. We would love to be a part of supporting that in performance and spirit. Hope all is well.
i am so sad i missed the cd release show last night! i haven't slept much lately and needed to try that before teaching this morning.
how did it go!? i hope alec was a loud clapper and wooooo'er for the both of us.
With Rarebirds I'm always blown away by the little things. Like the way the piano weaves a subtle path through the guitars and vocal. Nice show at L'Etage.
Hey folks, Yes – this is a shameless plug to humbly request you to make a brief diversion to our My Space page to check out some of what we have posted for your listening pleasure (we hope it’s pleasurable).
If interested and want to hear more, click on the following bit of propaganda to get whirled off to the wonderful world of iTunes to check out more.
Thanks for the add. We saw you guys at the Khyber on Dec.30th, loved your set,you sounded great! We'd love to do a show with you sometime. Best Wishes,
Prima Donna
