70's Women: Sandy Denny, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon...Kids' Music: Lynn Ahrens & the rest of the Schoolhouse Rock people; The Last Unicorn; The Dark Crystal (there's singing, really); Really Rosie ("Pierre" is one of my all-time favorites); Howard Ashman & Alan Mencken; The Sherman Brothers; Jeffrey Moss & Joe Raposo...Great American Songbook All the usual suspects, esp. Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Dorothy Fields, B. Comden & A. Green...Favorite Musicals, or, I Am Really a Gay Man trapped in a Woman's Body: A Little Night Music, Little Shop of Horrors, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Secret Garden...Kerrville people: Susan Werner, Eric Taylor, Darrell Scott, Dave Carter, Devon Sproule, Anais Mitchell... Ladies of Song: Lilli Lewis, Dar Williams, PJ Harvey, Alanis Morisette...Olde Stuff: Gregorian Chant, Byrd, Tallis, Gibbons, Gesualdo, various Marian antiphons...Funny People: Tom Lehrer, Joss Whedon, David Sedaris, all those This American Life people...Led Zeppelin-influenced band that's most like Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin.
Sounds Like
Mutant lovechild of Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny. Um, well -- if they mixed their mitochondrial dna together, and then had the resultant frankensteinian egg fertilized by Tom Lehrer.
...Although I'm not sure he'd go for that....
Raised in the wild by feral graduate students, Sofia learned to make simple vowel sounds at a young age. When she was not suckling at the teat of the mimeograph machine refill cartridge (ahhh -- delicious purple toxicity!), Sofia absorbed the basics of life, such as Latin declensions, poetic forms, and the proper use of the subjunctive.**
Entry into the modern world posed its challenges, but Sofia persevered with a cheerful naivete bordering on the pathological. Sofia now makes her home in Austin, TX, where she happily writes and sings The Folk Music for just about anyone who asks.
Sofia Grey is known by her childhood friends and creditors as Sofia Echegaray -- however, she found that 2 am at a bar was not the opportune time to teach an announcer the finer points of Basque pronunciation. So it's Sofia Grey as far as The Music Community is concerned. However, if you learn The Name, she will be happy to average an extra 100 into your quiz score at the end of the semester.
**(hint: "I wish the subjunctive were used more often.")
All right, here's a small addition from my "real" bio (whatever that means...):
A two-time SemiFinalist at the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest (2004, 2006), Sofia has also charmed audiences at Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival, singing her alternative-romance anthem "Geek Love" to a capacity crowd at the 800-seat Bagley Wright Theater.
While performing throughout the Northeast, Northwest, and Texas, Sofia has earned attention and praise from established artists such as Susan Werner and Mike Williams, and she has sung backup for a range of songwriters including Idgy Vaughn, Eric Taylor, Lilli Lewis, Johann Wagner, and Jack Wilson.
For more musical selections, check out the "Sofia Grey" podcast on The Austin Connection. Scroll down to June 12, 2007. Recorded live by Jeffrye Glenn Tveraas, with the incomparable Sick ably assisting.
Sofia is currently in production on her first studio album. If you are interested in sponsoring a song, feel free to contact her for more info.
A wee bird on our public radio station mentioned that today is Sofia Grey's birthday. :-) So unless there's another folk singer in town with your name, I believe birthday wishes are in order. Ready?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Hope you're having a good one.
- Jim
PS - If today is not in fact your birthday, then save the wish and have a great day anyway.
Thanks for being an important part of our 2008 Folk Alliance Showcase Room! Your performance was great, and we hope it was as much fun for you as it was for us and the audience.
Michael & Brenda, Creative Moondance Treasures, Inc.
2007 has been a great year for expanding Sick's Pack, and I'm proud to announce that the debut cd entitled THRASH FOLK is now available for sale online! So, for a limited time, THRASH FOLK will be on sale for $15 + shipping (normally $20), offer valid til 1-1-8.
BUT WAIT , THERE'S MORE!
Act now, and you can also order "Sick's Boxless Box Set". 3 cd's for just $30 + shipping, including THRASH FOLK, THAT DAMNED BAND and 3 REDNECK TENORS XMAS SPECTACULAR. Supplies are limited, so don't delay!
Thank you for accepting our devoted virtual friendship. We love your application of The Folk Music. "Geek Love" is very hip and funny. "Soon" is just so beautiful. And "Dark Matter" ...well, it's kind of Zeppelin-esque, and that's always a good thing.
Thanks for being a friend of Schoolhouse Rock! Check out our fun and educational videos that have since become an important part of 80s pop culture, with songs that feature performers such as jazz greats Bob Dorough, Lynn Ahrens, Jack Sheldon, and Blossom Dearie! Thanks!
Hello, lady! How are things down there? (I saw in the you know what that someone beat me to the punch...) It was so nice to hear you play at The Burren. COME BACK SOON!
