Musicians:
Serena Jost (lead vocals, cello, keys, guitar) and The Core: Julian Maile (guitar/piano/bu vox), Brad Albetta (bass & so much more), & Colin Brooks (drums). Plus: Bill Dobrow & Matt Johnson (drums), Rima Fand (violin), Todd Horton (trumpet/flugel), Jim Brunberg (banjo) & Greta Gertler-Alice Bierhorst (vocals).
The new CD was produced by Brad Albetta and Serena Jost.
Supremely made and mixed by Brad Albetta & Brian Fulk at Monkeyboy Studios.
"Nearly Beautiful" at The Canal Room, January 2009:
"Our Town" (by Iris Dement) at Joe's Pub CD Release:
"Almost Nothing" at Joe's Pub CD Release:
All Videos by Marie LeClaire
Influences
Skirts with pockets.
Hoodies (for keeping thoughts together).
"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity" (George S. Patton).
Sounds Like
Time Out New York / Issue 667 : Jul 10–16, 2008
Top live shows
Barbès; Thu 10
"Serena Jost writes gently eccentric songs and sings them in an elegant alto, often accompanying herself ..o, but it isn’t quite right to call her a singer-songwriter. The term art song—normally tied to 19th-century concert music—usefully characterizes Jost’s carefully arranged pieces and succinct lyrics, neither quite rock nor folk.
If this sounds a bit highbrow, fear not. One of the highlights of both Jost’s live show and her recently released CD, Closer than Far, is a straightforward, almost rollicking take on Iris DeMent’s bittersweet “Our Town.” Several of her own catchiest vocal hooks (such as on “Vertical World” and “Halfway There”) basically consist of one note, relying on the instrumental chord changes underneath to give them momentum. The slightly old-world, cabaret quality of Jost’s music should be underscored by the intimately curtained back room at Park Slope’s Barbès." — Bob Bannister, Time Out New York
"A richly melodic, stylistically diverse masterpiece." — Lucidculture
"A few years back Serena Jost was a member of the modern progressive cello trio Rasputina. We hesitated to even mention this fact, however, because Jost's own music comes from an almost completely different universe. Whereas Rasputina incorporated elements of industrial rock and chamber/classical music, Closer Than Far presents subtle and intriguing modern progressive pop. But instead of writing and recording modern pop that sounds like every other twenty-first pop artist on the plant, Serena instead presents tunes that have much more in common with some of the more artsy British bands from the late 1970s. Pop fans seeking something immediately familiar and catchy may be somewhat confused by this album. Instead of writing easy pop, Serena composes rather complex and mature melodies that involve different elements from folk music and beyond. Subtlety is the key word here. These songs may not clobber you over the head at first. But multiple spins will reveal cool nuances that are not immediately obvious. Beautiful compositions include "Our Town," "Halfway There," "I Wait," "Awake In My Dream," and "Stowaway." Recommended." (babysue.com)
CLOSER THAN FAR
"A richly melodic, stylistically diverse masterpiece." — Lucidculture
Serena Jost writes ”gently eccentric songs and sings them in an elegant alto, often accompanying herself on cello, but it isn’t quite right to call her a singer-songwriter. The term art song—normally tied to 19th-century concert music—usefully characterizes Jost’s carefully arranged pieces and succinct lyrics, neither quite rock nor folk..." — Bob Bannister, Time Out New York
GET A COPY OF CLOSER THAN FAR!!!
Singer-songwriter and cellist Serena Jost was born to Swiss parents and raised in The Midwest and The Swiss Alps. Her debut CD, Closer Than Far, was produced by Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson) and released in 2008 to a sold-out house at Joe’s Pub. Serena’s music has been compared to 70s English folk artists like Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention—and also to the Canadian artist Jane Siberry—but is still entirely her own, “seamlessly merging classical and pop melodies” (Lucidculture).
Serena and her band hit the studio again late Summer 2009!!!
Serena - great to meet you at The Weathervane! Hope the rest of your tour was fun. Lemme know next time you come around VT and I'll try to bring out some folks to see you play.
Hi Serena, hope the show went well last night! I'm in and out of NYC but looking forward to your shows in Sept when I will be in town...glad to see it's all going so well! See you soon, Simon.
I'll definitely check out one of your upcoming shows at Barbes and/or the Living Room. Hope you can join us at DROM in the East Village, NYC on Sat. July 25th @ 7pm for a fun night of the best of TULL as performed by WARCHILD! We'll be featuring our string players (cellist&violinist).
Will Scott's new album, GNAWBONE is here!!! The CD is available at CDBaby and other online retailers.
Over three years in the making, GNAWBONE is Scott's fully-produced studio debut and features a crack team of hand-picked musicians as well as guest performances by Jan Bell, Jolie Holland, Samantha Parton, and Preacher Boy (the album's producer).
Hello from the amazing windy plains just outside Calgary , Alberta (weather subject to change on the 1/2 hour with out notification) Wonderful sites and sounds in your space.Many discoveries made at your space, very nice indeed to be m8s.Cheers ! (mO:) moreno
In a act of Kindness endorphin levels are elevated in the Giver, the Receiver and the Observer, how nice is that.
"do not seek happiness .. but .. do rid your self of unhappiness = Zero Negative thoughts"
"Share knowledge ,it is a way to achieve immortality"
Ever wondered what to do in the event of a nuclear threat?
A while ago I found stuff that inspired me to make this film:
Living Under the Shadow of the Nuclear Umbrella
Both artistic (ensure you get the background music!) and educational, it primarily comprises official British government civil defence advice.
Though source materials are quite aged, much remains relevant today.
I encourage all to visit the YouTube page to learn more (Show support! Rate! Comment!) and responsibly circulate as widely as possible, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaIim3Rj7L4
