Emily Wells
Emily Wells | |
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Background information | |
Born | Amarillo, Texas, United States | November 20, 1981
Genres | Alternative, experimental, classical[1] |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger, producer |
Instrument(s) | Violin, piano, cello, viola, guitar, drum programming, synthesizer, etc. |
Years active | 1999–present |
Labels | Partisan Records, Creative Control Records, Thesis + Instinct Records, Lefse Records |
Website | EmilyWellsMusic.com |
Emily Wells (born November 20, 1981) is an American multi-instrumentalist,
, she uses loops, sample pads, and acoustic drums to achieve a layered effect.Early life
Emily Wells was born in
Music career
Early solo albums (2000-2010)
At age thirteen she began issuing her own recordings on cassette,[3] starting with an unofficial release with 100 copies. After several unofficial tapes,[8] in 2000 she "took up" with Epic Records but did not actually sign with them.[8] Beautiful Sleepyhead & the Laughing Yaks was her official full-length debut in 2006,[8] with all the tracks written, performed, produced, and mixed by Wells.[8] Her sophomore album The Symphonies featured bassist Joey Reina and drummer Sam Halterman alongside Wells.[8]
Wells was interviewed and performed "Symphony 1 in the Barrel of a Gun" on episode four of Last Call with Carson Daly, which aired through NBC on September 18, 2009.[9] In September 2010, after recently moving from Los Angeles to New York, Wells was joined onstage by vocalist and harmonium player Shilpa Ray. The performance was positively reviewed by The New Yorker.[10]
Mama and Partisan Records (2012)
External videos | |
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Emily Wells - "Mama's Gonna Give You Love" Music Video (July 2012) |
In 2012, she released her full-length album Mama through Partisan Records.[8]
The lead single, "Mama's Gonna give You Love," was featured in The New Yorker on April 10, 2012.[11] She also released a free remixed version of Mama on Partisan, with remixers such as Jeremiah Jae, Kid Koala, Baths, and Deerhoof.[12] As of 2012 she was collaborating on material with Clint Mansell, a scorewriter and former frontman of Pop Will Eat Itself.[13] That April 2012 she created a featured mixtape for Magnet Magazine,[14] and Wells has periodically performed live sessions for recording studios, websites, and radio stations, including Daytrotter in April 2012,[15] WYNC's Soundcheck in May 2013,[16] Laundro Matinee in October 2014,[17] and KCRW in June 2013.[18]
Tour diaries and soundtracks (2013)
Wells has written tour diaries and articles for such publications as
An acoustic version of Mama was released in on June 11, 2013, in the United States and United Kingdom through
Recent projects and tours (2014-2015)
"Mama's Gonna Give You Love" was used in the January 2015 trailer for season 3 of the TV series Bates Motel.[28] On March 27, 2015, Wells gave a well-received keynote at Hackfort2 at the fourth annual Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho wherein she presented her methods of composition at the intersection of art and technology and the growth of her sensibility as a musician. Performing with a reduced kit sans drums, she played earlier and later versions of her song "So, Sunday."[29][30] She headlined on the main stage on the final day of the Treefort in 2015 and participated in the festival's Yogafort as well.[31]
Wells was also broadcast on air by
Style and influences
"Wells [is a] virtuoso musician, and she dabbles in electronica, shades of folk and jazz, even classical and hip-hop, creating interesting tableaux and textures that are by turns airy and luminous, and spare and haunting."[8] |
— iTunes editors, 2008 |
In 2015, Wells stated that amongst her influences are the
Discography
Year | Name | Label | Release details |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Midori Sour | Self-released | 1999[33] |
2002 | Shadow Box | Self-released | 2002[33] |
2004 | Music for Geek Love | Self-released | 2004[33] |
2005 | Making Static | Self-released | 2005[33] |
2007 | Beautiful Sleepyhead & the Laughing Yaks | Edub Productions | Apr 12, 2007[33] |
2008 | The Symphonies: Dreams, Memories & Parties | Creative Control Records | Jul 08, 2008 |
2012 | Mama | Partisan Records | Apr 10, 2012[8] |
2013 | Mama (Acoustic Recordings) | Partisan Records | Jun 11, 2013[8] |
2016 | Promise | Thesis and Instinct | Jan 29, 2016 |
2017 | In the Hot | Thesis and Instinct | Mar 03, 2017[8] |
2019 | This World Is Too _____ for You | Thesis and Instinct | Mar 22, 2019 |
2022 | Regards to the End | Thesis and Instinct | Feb 25, 2022 |
EPs
Year | Name | Release details |
---|---|---|
2009 | Dirty | Creative Control Records (2009) |
Singles
Year | Title | Album | Release details |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | "O Holy Night" | Single only | Creative Control (Oct 10, 2008) |
2012 | "Becomes the Color" | Single only | Milan Entertainment (Oct 30, 2012)
|
Collaborations
Year | Name | Label | Release details |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Pillowfight (Emily Wells with Dan the Automator) | Bulk Recordings/EMI | 2013 |
Guest appearances
Year | Single name | Primary artist(s) | Album | Release details |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | "Symphony 3: The Story" (with Emily Wells) | Dwight Farrell | The Symphonies | Creative Control (2008) |
"Gee Whiz" (with Emily Wells) | Buck 65 | Dirtbike 1/3 | (Aug 2008) | |
2013 | "Becomes the Color" (ft. Emily Wells) | Various | Stoker soundtrack | Scott Free Productions (Jan 20, 2013) |
"If I Ever Had a Heart" (ft. Emily Wells) | Various | Scott Free Productions (Jan 20, 2013) | ||
"My Only Love" (ft. Emily Wells) | Deltron 3030 | Event 2 | Bulk Recordings (Sept 30, 2013) |
Personal life
Wells identifies as queer.[34]
See also
- List of violinists
References
- ^ a b Wells, Emily (2008). "The Symphonies: Dreams, Memories and Parties". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
- ^ "Breaking Out". Spin. June 2009. p. 44.
- ^ a b c d e Lester, Paul (April 30, 2013). "Emily Wells (No 1,503)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "Violinist's Style As Much Hip-Hop As Haydn". All Things Considered. NPR. November 29, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
- ^ "Feature: Emily Wells Interview". Room Thirteen. October 29, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
- ^ "Emily Wells – AIM Interview". LA Snark. September 17, 2008. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
- ^ "The Evolution of Emily Wells, New York Phase". Tom Tom Magazine. February 3, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Leahey, Andrew. "Emily Wells". iTunes. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
- ^ "Frank Caliendo; Casey Currie. Also: violinist Emily Wells performs". Rotten Tomatoes. September 18, 2009. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
- ^ "Emily Wells and Shilpa Ray @ City Winery 9.10". The New Yorker. September 22, 2010. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
- ^ Donohue, John (April 10, 2012). "Listening Booth: The Alabama Shakes and More". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "Emily Wells announces free release of Mama remixed, featuring lemonade, The Blow, Jeremiah Jae, Dan the Automator, Teen Daze and more". terrorbird.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^
Murphy, John (June 5, 2013). "Emily Wells – Mama". Music OMH. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ^ "Emily Wells Makes MAGNET A Mix Tape". Magnet Magazine. April 16, 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "Emily Wells - Apr 6, 2012 - Studio Paradiso, San Francisco, CA". Daytrotter.com. Apr 6, 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "Emily Wells: Layering Folk With Electronics, In The Studio". Soundcheck. May 24, 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "Video Sessions: Emily Wells". LaundroMatinee.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ "Emily Wells - Morning Becomes Eclectic". KCRW. June 12, 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "Tour Diary: The Adventures of Emily Wells". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ Wells, Emily (June 29, 2012). "On Touring with Your Dog: A Cowboy Romance". Impose Magazine. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ^
"Emily Wells articles". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ Horowitz, Steve (June 11, 2013). "Emily Wells - Mama Acoustic version". PopMatters. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ^ a b
Ricci, Benjamin (July 9, 2013). "Emily Wells on Re-Evaluating Creative Choices & Stripping Songwriting To Its Core". Performer Magazine. Archived from the originalon September 6, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ Studarus, Laura (Nov 13, 2013). "Premiere: Emily Wells Mixtape (Le Guess Who? Edition) : November 28-December 1 in Utrecht, Holland". Under the Radar. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "Electronium: The Future Was Then". bam.org. 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "OKP TV: Aloe Blacc & The Roots Rock The Clinton Global Initiative". OkayPlayer. 2014.
- ^ Souza, Ana (January 15, 2015). "Watch: 'Bates Motel' Season 3 Trailer Elevated By Visual Flair". IndieWire. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ a b "Emily Weels discuses purposeless pay at Hackfort". Boise Weekly. March 29, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ^ a b "Check Out # Hackfort 3". Go.boisestate.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
- ^ "Artists at Yogafort". Treefort Music Fest. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Listen: All-Star 80th Birthday Celebration for Terry Riley". WQXR. March 18, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ a b c d e f "Emily Wells". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
- ^ "Exclusive: Emily Wells Honors AIDs Activists With Her Newest Album". Advocate Channel. 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
External links
- Official website
- Emily Wells on YouTube
- Emily Wells discography at Discogs