Silk & Olive is Andy Fish on vocals, guitar, piano, sequences & samples. Guests and collaborators have included:
Michael Grossman - violin
Dave Fulton - keyboards
Marilee Horde - violin
Jill Adams - vox
Jolie Clausen - drums
Theresa Fish - trombone
Joanna Neal - drums
Mike Midlo - guitar, vox
Alan Kanning - bass
Dan Johnson - slide guitar
Adam Hoornstra - electric viola
Shelly Strunk - piano
Teri Untalan - viola, vox
Influences
PJ Harvey, Mazzy Star, Iron & Wine, Sparklehorse, Betty Davis, Sandy Denny, Solex, Elysian Fields, Amon Tobin, Blonde Redhead, Kate Bush, Throwing Muses, Boards of Canada, Fourtet, Portishead, Pixies, Radiohead, Black Heart Procession, Ratatat, Bill Withers, T Rex, Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Tori Amos, Dirty Three, Helmet, Erik Satie, Shostakovich... Jane Smiley, Elizabeth Bishop, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Robert Sapolsky, The Red Balloon, 1,000 Acres, Death & the Penquin, 100 Years of Solitude, Moon Dust, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, The Myth of Freedom, Life After Life, Byambasuren Davaa, After Hours, King of Comedy, Grey Gardens, Ladies and Gentlemen: the Fabulous Stains, Korean horror, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Patricia Clarkson films...people who create more than they consume, vinyl LPs, vipassyna, iyengar, iowa, beater trucks, indicator species, my lab/doberman, chivalrous acts towards strangers, creative home recording, produce shopping by color, the profound simplicity of celery, smooth tequila, basketball, metal design, historic barns, my lover as muse, porn star and friend.
Sounds Like
Mazzy Star, PJ Harvey, Cat Power, Suzanne Vega, Patti Smith
"Musique noir, ok I think I need a drink... It's not jazz, but I like this record. Haunting, confessional poetry alongside waltzy twang." (D. Kahre, The Green Mill, Chicago).................................................................................
"You've got a unique sound happening here, what comes to mind are the Cowboy Junkies and early Velvet Underground." (Laney Goodman, host, Women On Air)
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"Silk & Olive is the musical project of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Andy Fish from Portland, OR. Although her new record continues in a melancholic tone similiar to the previous release “Small Dark Light”, “Trouble in The Tea Leaves” sounds more refined, each track flowing into the next like a moody film score. Fish’s vocal timbre situates somewhere between Cat Power and Tanita Tikaram, blending luster with a quiet intimacy. The opening track, “Softly” begins as a classical composition and evolves into a piece not unlike something Hooverphonic might release. The picturesque meandering of Michael Grossman’s violin colours the landscape nicely alongside guitar and occasional moog and mellotron. In “Wapsiana”, Scott Weddle’s lap steel, with violin, creates a splendid, nostalgic backdrop to a sad tale about small town life. The next song brings a Tom Waits-esque shift, as “Bad Baby Pie” swaggers with distorted vocals and Jolie Clausen's quirky, trashy percussion. The glory years of ELO come alive in “DC Comic” and the record ends with a decidedly Suzanne Vega-like track, “Pieces”. Fish has put forward a dark, sensitive and intense album which has earned repeated listenings in my stereo. I recommend cozying up in a warm seat to explore the sweet, subtle resonance of Silk & Olive." (Blowfish, Rootstime Magazine, http://rootstime.be/CD%20REVIEWS/2009/2009-MAART1.htm7)
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"I recognize that there is a certain level of sadness associated with the human condition" muses Andy, "writing music is one of the most beautifully narcissistic ways of addressing those minute little scenarios of our existence. And it's cheaper than therapy." Haunting and nostalgic, S & O's melodic narrative tends to be stylistically sad or seductive, lyrically dwelling in the shadowy spaces of discordance, truth and eros.">>>>>>>>>>
S&Os latest EP, "TROUBLE IN THE TEA LEAVES", was released on September 20, 2008, to a packed house at Mississippi Pizza in Portland, Oregon. It is available on CD and limited press transparent red vinyl. The LP version includes a live track from a sold-out, Valentine's Day 2008 Mississippi Studios show. S & O releases from top to bottom: "Trouble in the Tea Leaves" (2008); "Trouble in the Tea Leaves" on vinyl (2008), available at Mississippi Records, Q is for Choir, Music Millenium and Everyday Music; "Small Dark Light", (2005):
My brother is getting married the weekend of our birthday so I will be in Colorado. I'd love to hear about your trip. Ahh, Portland, I am there EVERY night in my dreams ;) but have no idea when I'll actually make it back out there..hopefully soon soon soon.
thanks so much for coming out the other week. it was nice to see you even though everybody got me drunk before you came. lucifer and i leave for austin in a week. i don't know if i am having a going away party or not, but i'll let you know if i do. either way, i'll be in touch. take care of my city for me.
Happy Springtime: I came by to hear some Trouble in the Tea Leaves tonight...it's not like needle on vinyl...but these teensy computer speakers do do in a pinch...when you need it bad.
what are you doing this coming tuesday? it's my bday and i would love to see your face. having drinks at the horsebrass. maybe i can give you those cds i made you for your birthday 8 months ago, if they're not too scratched....
Yeah, I do know the Pretenders are on tour, me and Jax saw them at the Roseland in December. She was amazing as ever : )
I totaly need a record player. Don't want a fancy new one though. Maybe something like the old Mickey Mouse one I had as a kid, where Mickey's hand was the needle/stylus.
I was just looking at the seriously cool red vinyl album and hilarious (what you wrote, not the album cover) cover you signed for me. I sure wish I had a record player...
Whether you sing professionally, sing Karaoke, or just for fun, YOU could be walking away with $500 cash from PORTLAND IDOL!!! It happens EVERY Wednesday night at The Refectory Nightclub. Sign-up's are @ 8pm so don't be late! Sing acappella or bring your own backing track on CD if you'd like. See you there and bring your friends to cheer you on! ..
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