I’ve been a big fan of Anaïs Mitchell for quite a while now. She recently did three shows in the Pacific Northwest as a special guest of the Portland Cello Project. Apparently they learned the Sesame Street song “If Moon Was Cookie” because they thought PBS was going to be taping them. PBS postponed, but Anaïs sang it with them anyway.  I think her voice is perfect for it.

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How adorable is that?!  And when did Cookie Monster ever get to sing with so many cellos?!

PS I also posted this video on The Zemmy Show blog – it’s a nice virtual variety show with a few contributing bloggers and sometimes I even do posts on guy singer-songwriters over there.

Well, here I go double posting on one day again, but I’m doing a bit of last minute scrambling to schedule an interview with Rachel and Anaïs. They won’t be together on Tuesday so we’re not sure if they’ll be able to do a 3-way call or if they will call in separately. But in any case they WILL be together when they come to Fairfield this weekend and I am SO looking forward to their show at Cafe Paradiso on Saturday. It is not to be missed!! See my previous post about their duo project – Country EP for more details on what they have been up to lately. Very excited!

I’d like to introduce you to Rachel Ries and Anaïs Mitchell. I’ve mentioned them in passing a few times on this blog but especially in Rachel’s case never really properly which is a shame and quite selfish of me honestly. So without further ado, here they be:

Now imagine them singing to you…

Yes, it’s as divine as you think. But not all sugar sweetness.

Rachel has been playing with a band lately in Chicago and calling them “The Brawny Angels”. While I haven’t heard the band, knowing Rachel’s music I think it suits just perfectly – heavenly with a little grit around the edges. Light and fresh like laundry dried in the sun but with the kind of quiet, rooted strength that a prairie wind won’t knock over. Songs that remind you of rocking chairs and rowboats, clattery upright pianos and cross-country trains. Songs that always inspire my poetic side and make me wish I could do them justice with my descriptions. It’s probably better just to hear for yourself.

Anaïs has a voice that people will often describe as childlike but a listen to her songs will quickly prove her wisdom and world experience. I still would give a lot to see Hadestown, her folk-opera based on the Orpheus myth, but so far it’s only been put on in the New England area. I was so proud and excited when she was signed to Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe label.

Righteous Babe is also putting out the Country EP that Rachel and Anaïs did together. It’s a limited edition run CD that includes a 7 inch vinyl record. The vinyl has 3 songs – one by each of the girls and one by their friend Louis Ledford. The CD has those 3 songs plus one more from each gal. And of course all the songs have their amazing harmonies and that warm and comfortable vintage-y feeling you’d expect from them.

Rachel also did her latest album Without A Bird on vinyl which I thought was a brilliant idea. I bought it even though I don’t have a record player, seeing as it was only five dollars more than the regular CD, the CD came with it anyway, and it was totally worth it just for the beautiful album art in that big record size.

Here are the gals singing one of the songs off the album called O My Star!

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Rachel and Anaïs are doing a tour of the Northeast with a band starting September 9th. See either of their MySpace pages for more details. (and to hear songs and see pictures and buy albums)
http://www.myspace.com/rachelries
http://www.myspace.com/anaismitchell

Oh and here’s that link to the limited edition Country EP on Righteous Babe again so you can order it!

photo credit: Emma Gluckman

I’ve been hearing about Anaïs Mitchell’s folk opera Hadestown in bits and pieces for quite a while now – starting from the last time she came to Cafe Paradiso and then in subsequent email and website updates. Folk music, theatre AND a reworked myth (Orpheus) all in one? Sounds like my kind of heaven, and I’ve been wanting SO BADLY to see it. Since I live in the Midwest and she’s been performing it in the New England area, well, chances are slim. So I was super excited when I noticed she updated her MySpace profile to include this little 10 minute highlight reel from the show:

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Banjos? Steampunk costuming and sets? Ok, I think that only made me want to see it even more! I’m hoping this video means that the whole thing was taped and therefore viewable sometime in the future. I’d SO buy the DVD.

Here’s a clip of “The Wall”. She did this solo when she came through, and it has a very different feeling to it when the questions and answers are split:

Yeah, ok, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to see this. I realize I may be completely geeking out here and have lost all of you, but please don’t let that stop you from listening to Anaïs’ amazing music, because it truly is amazing.

Here’s a link to a great article about Anais and her signing to Ani DiFranco’s label Righteous Babe Records.

And here is a gorgeous little four and a half minute interview she did before a show in Ann Arbor, Michigan:

Anaïs is the kind of people we want more of in the world.

Personal, political and passionate, her album The Brightness was one of my favorite albums of 2007. I highly recommend it. Of course the best place to buy The Brightness is direct from the source, but here are the links to it on iTunes and Amazon if you are so inclined.

(Special thanks to Professor K for providing a link to the Steampunk resource last month so I had a name for it when I saw it in the videos.)

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It’s been two years since Hurricane Katrina broke through the levees in New Orleans.

Catie Curtis’ song People Look Around was meant to raise awareness for the situation – looks like we still need it.

You can download a karaoke version on Catie’s site if you want to get out there and sing it too! (Last track listed on Long Night Moon)

Another appropriate song for the day: Out of Pawn by Anaïs Mitchell. She dedicated it to the people of New Orleans before she sang it at the concert I went to a while back.

Speaking of Anaïs reminds me of Rachel Ries. I just found out today that Rachel’s new album is done and she’s starting a CD release tour! More on that soon… cannot properly express how excited I am about it at this hour. Let’s just say VERY VERY!

Sample the music of these lovely ladies on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/catiecurtis
http://www.myspace.com/anaismitchell
http://www.myspace.com/rachelries

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Originally posted on my MySpace blog.

One of the “dangers” of MySpace (and the internet in general) for me is the way I can so easily discover great new musicians. It’s a blessing and a curse, because while I can often get my fix by listening to music players on websites, if it’s good stuff I’ll want to take it with me, which means racking up a bill on iTunes.

Here’s my three most recently added to my library:

Jose Gonzales – one of his songs is featured on bouncy ball advertisement that I’ve been mesmerized by the past few days. (while you’re there, check out the exploding paint and the behind the scenes footage too. I’m in awe of the kind of people who can come up with such outrageous and beautiful ideas.)

Anaïs Mitchell – love this girl. She’s been to Cafe Paradiso twice now and I was trying to hold out for her to come back so I could buy her new album from her in person but we’re not on her near future schedule and I couldn’t wait any longer. Had it on repeat for for a few times around at work, and again this morning. It’s funny the whole live vs recorded thing. I listened to the recording of “Your Fonder Heart” online very shortly after her last concert and I was a little disappointed because it didn’t have quite the same gorgeous ache i remembered when it was just her and the guitar a few feet away from me, but really how could it? And now, after the memory of the concert has faded by many months, the CD version is beautiful and wonderful and I had it on repeat many times over because I just couldn’t get enough.

Priscilla Ahn – Finally found her after trying to track down who was singing with Joshua Radin on one of his songs (he’s coming to Iowa City next month! Imogen Heap just mixed one of his songs!). Beautiful and whimsical stuff. sigh.

So now I’ve got plenty of fresh, heart happy music to go with the happy feelings in my heart from the new spring grass creeping in!