MPRESS CMJ WEEK EVENT
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Raining Jane
Folk-rock band, Raining Jane, began in 1999 as a product of the UCLA music scene.
Today the band tours throughout the U.S. and opens for artists such as Vanessa
Carlton, Guster, and Reel Big Fish. In 2005, Raining Jane self-released their
second studio album "Diamond Lane," recorded with Grammy-award winner
Mark Johnson (Paul Simon, Ben Harper, Jackson Browne) and Robin Moxey. That
same year Raining Jane garnered a full endorsement from Fender. While their
music is folk-rock based, the group also pulls influences from hip hop, world
and funk genres, frequently switching instruments and incorporating cello, cajon,
sitar and rap into their act.
www.rainingjane.com
Chris Pureka
Folk sing-songwriter/guitarist Chris Pureka has garnered much praise from publications
such as Performing Songwriter, Time Out New York, Nashville City Paper and many
others. The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls her music “stark as solo Springsteen
and as edgy and deep as Lucinda Williams,” and Performing Songwriter magazine
says, “Chris Pureka quickly captivates with her skilled guitar and rapid-fire
lyrics.”
www.chrispureka.com
Mieka Pauley
Boston singer-songwriter Mieka Pauley is “a version of Sarah McLaughlin
with a switchblade in her shoe,” says Northeast Performer magazine. Pauley
has many awards under her belt including the first ever Starbucks Emerging Artist
Award in 2005, and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase. She
has shared stages with artists including Eric Clapton, Wyclef Jean, Jason Mraz,
Melissa Ferrick, and Erin McKeown.
www.mieka.com
Swati
New York City based singer-songwriter/guitarist Swati became a part of the Lower
East Side music scene at a young age, attracting attention and a scoring a spot
performing at Lilith Fair. As a guitarist, Swati's technique is simultaneously
percussive and dreamy, revealing elements of her Indian heritage. Using a twelve
string guitar fitted with eight strings, she employs open tunings ala Joni Mitchell
and plays through an assortment of effects pedals. The result is remarkable.
Swati doesn't sound like anyone else and no one sounds like her; rarely has
a solo guitarist sounded as muscular and delicate or gotten such an enormous
sound from a simple acoustic instrument.
www.swatilive.com
Jim Bianco
LA-based Jim Bianco blends vaudevillian musical style with provocative lyrics,
musing on themes such as love, folly and the male libido. Music Connection magazine
calls his “The most enjoyable show in Los Angeles.” LA Weekly has
compared him to Tom Waits and Elvis Costello. He has toured extensively, sharing
the stage with artists such as Imogen Heap, The Cary Brothers, Butch Walker
and more.
www.jimbianco.com
Rachael Sage
She's been compared to Laura Nyro for her gorgeous melodies, and the Patti Smith
for her emotional intensity. But today Rachael sage, East Village songstress
and former actress, is best known for vibrant live performances that blend vaudevillian
kitsch with classically tinged art-pop. Sage, who's performed in recent months
with Liz Phair, Marshall Crenshaw and Melissa Etheridge, has been described
by The Village Voice as “Lovely and literate, aware and eclectic.”
www.rachaelsage.com
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