Joanna Newsom Wiki Information
Joanna Newsom
(born January 18, 1982) is an American harpist, pianist, and singer-songwriter from Nevada City, California.
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Career
Newsom was first taught to play the
Celtic harp by a local teacher in Nevada City. Later on she moved on to the
pedal harp and started composing.
Newsom studied composition and creative writing at
Mills College,
Oakland, California.
After touring with
Will Oldham, she was quickly signed to
Drag City and released her debut album
The Milk-Eyed Mender
in 2004. Shortly thereafter, Newsom toured with
Devendra Banhart and
Vetiver and made an early UK appearance at the
Green Man Festival in
Wales, returning to headline in 2005 and 2007, respectively.
Newsom's work has become prominent on the indie scene, and her profile has risen, in part due to a number of live shows and appearances on
Jimmy Kimmel Live
on
ABC.
Her second album
Ys
was released in November 2006. The album features orchestrations and arrangements by
Van Dyke Parks, engineering from
Steve Albini, and mixing by Drag City label-mate
Jim O'Rourke. On a road trip,
Bill Callahan recommended she listen to the album
Song Cycle
by Parks, which led to his being chosen to arrange her work on
Ys
.
Having sporadically debuted new songs at her concerts since the fall of 2007, on March 28, 2009, Newsom performed over two hours of new material at a "secret" concert in
Big Sur, California with fellow
Nevada City singer-songwriter
Mariee Sioux, under the pseudonym
The Beatles's
. Those in attendance reported that about one-third of her new material was played primarily on piano, with a backing arrangement of banjo, violin, guitar and drums.
[1]
Several of the songs on
The Milk-Eyed Mender
have been covered by her peers: "Bridges and Balloons" was covered by the Decemberists on their 2005 EP
Picaresqueties
. "Sprout and the Bean" has been covered by
The Moscow Coup Attempt and
Sholi. "Peach Plum Pear" has been covered by Final Fantasy (
Owen Pallett) on the 2006 EP
Young Canadian Mothers
, as well as by
Straylight Run.
M Ward has played "Sadie" on his live shows.
[2]
In 2009, she appeared in the music video for the song "
Kids" by the
alternative dance group
MGMT.
[3]
Style
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Although her harp playing is not completely divorced from conventional harp techniques, she considers her style distinct from that of classically focused harpists. For instance, she has been strongly influenced by
polyrhythms, used by West African
kora players.
[4] Her harp teacher, Diana Stork, taught her the basic pattern of four beats against three, which creates an interlocking, shifting pattern that can be heard on
Ys
, particularly in the middle section of "Sawdust & Diamonds."
The media have sometimes labeled her as one of the most prominent members of the modern
psych folk movement, although she does not acknowledge ties to any particular musical scene.
[5] Her songwriting incorporates elements of
Appalachian music,
avant-garde modernism, and African kora rhythms.
Newsom's vocal style (in the November 2006 issue of
The Wire
she described her voice as "untrainable") has shadings of folk and Appalachian shaped-note timbres. Newsom has, however, expressed disappointment at comments that her singing is "child-like."
[6]
Collaborations
Alongside her solo material she has played on records by
Smog,
Vetiver,
Nervous Cop,
The Year Zero,
Vashti Bunyan,
Moore Brothers,
Sydney Symphony Orchestra and
Golden Shoulders and played keyboards for
The Pleased.
Personal life
Newsom's family includes her brother Pete, a fellow musician, and sister Emily, an astrophysicist who inspired her song "Emily" (and contributed backing vocals). Her 2nd cousin (once removed),
Gavin Newsom, is currently the mayor of
San Francisco.
[7]
Discography
;Albums
- The Milk-Eyed Mender
(Drag City, 2004)
- Ys
(Drag City, 2006) UK #41 [8]
;Early unofficial recordings
- Walnut Whales
(self-released, 2002)
- Yarn and Glue
(self-released, 2003)
;EPs
- Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band
(Drag City, 2007) UK #135 [9]
;Singles
- "Sprout and the Bean" (Drag City, 2004)
;Contributions on compilations
- The Golden Apples of the Sun
(Bastet
, 2004) With the song "Bridges and Balloons" (Originally released on The Milk-Eyed Mender
)
;Bands, Collaborations and Guest Appearances
- Golden Shoulders - Let My Burden Be
(Doppler, 2002)
- The Pleased - One Piece From The Middle
(self-released, 2002)
- The Pleased - Don't Make Things
(Big Wheel Recreation, 2003)
- Nervous Cop - Nervous Cop
(5 Rue Christine, 2003)
- Vetiver - Vetiver
(Dicristina Stair, 2004)
- Smog - A River Ain't Too Much To Love
(Drag City, 2005)
- Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering
(Fat Cat Records, 2005)
- RF & Lili De La Mora - 'Eleven Continents' (Rowing At Sea / Time Release Records, 2007)
- Moore Brothers - 'Aptos' (American Dust, 2009)
Licensing of songs
- In 2004, "Peach, Plum, Pear" played over the credits of the animated short City Paradise
.
- In 2004, "This Side of the Blue" was used on a British television commercial for Orange SA.
- In 2006, Newsom's song "Sprout and the Bean" was featured in a Melbourne tourism commercial.
- In 2007, "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" was used in the PBS documentary Following Sean
.
- In 2007, "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" was sung by an aspiring musician in the film Great World of Sound
.
- In 2008, "Sprout and the Bean" was featured in the film The Strangers
.
- In 2008, "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" was used in a television commercial for HSBC.
- In 2008, "The Book of Right-On" was used in a MTV ad for sexual care and education.
- In 2009, "The Book of Right-On" was licensed for the end credits of the Mexican/Italian film
- In 2009, "Sprout and the Bean" was used in a Victoria's Secret Bra commercial.
- In 2009, the harp intro of "Cosmia" was used in the Louis Theroux documentary "A Place for Paedophiles."
References
- Joanna Newsom Debuts New Record at Surprise Fernwood Show in Big Sur
- YouTube - M. Ward - "Sadie" live
- [1]
- NEARER THE HEART OF THINGS: Erik Davis on Joanna Newsom (Arthur Magazine)
- as quoted in New York Magazine
- Q&A With Joanna Newsom
- as quoted in the New Yorker
- Chart Log UK
- Chart Log UK 2007