Set to be released in the fall of 2010, Bird Call’s new EP is the work of Brooklyn musician, Chiara Angelicola and famed producer Joel Hamilton, who previously produced Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and The Black Keys. With a couple years’ worth of musing influences, a new moniker, and a new town, Chiara, a California native, has chosen to put out an exploratory effort that is the singer and songwriter at her most intimate, sophisticated, and sincere.
Angelicola has taken on this new production in the same way a girl approaches a new relationship after having had her heart-broken: with higher standards, a greater understanding of the woman she is, and with the utmost appreciation for the little things. “I’m excited to pull out everything I’ve dug up in my heart recently and put it into a story I’ve never told before. This feels very different than my previous work. I think the new name is a part of the transition. It’s a new period in my musical and overall life, and I’m ready to learn and evolve,” says Angelicola. Just as excited for this evolution is Hamilton, himself, stating this project as his “absolute favorite EP worth of music in years.”
The EP features six tracks, all penned and composed by Angelicola, herself. Noah Hoffeld and Karen Waltuch add enchanting string arrangements to songs like “Waltz in the Snow”, an endearing homage to the singer’s current home base. Music veteran, Ralph Carney (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, They Might Be Giants) also makes an appearance on baritone sax on the ethereal, cold war ballad, "Berlin".
Born in a small, hippie suburb of San Francisco, Chiara grew up listening in on her mother’s bossa nova band rehearsals and taking the stage in front of the fireplace to entertain her parents’ guests through her plastic microphone. Up until her venture to New York in 2009, Chiara stirred the music scene of the Bay Area with her haunting and nostalgic vocal performances. Amoeba Records titled her as an “Artist of the Month” while also placing #16 out of hundreds for MTV2’s Bay Area Break Out Artist, and showcasing at the International Folk Alliance in Memphis.
Set to be released in September of 2010, Bird Call’s The Animals Know EP will be digitally released under the artist’s own label, FHC Records with extensive touring on both east and west coasts to follow, including an EP release show in Brooklyn at Pete's Candy Store on Saturday, September 25th.
NOTED ACHIEVEMENTS & FESTIVALS:
Amoeba Records "Home Grown" Artist of the Month- March, 2009
International Folk Alliance Conference- Memphis, TN 2009
Emergenza International Music Festival- 5th Place in West Coast North America, 2006
Multi Cultural Festival- Santa Cruz, CA 2005
Multi Cultural Festival- Santa Cruz, CA 2004
CHANNEL 104.9 (San Jose, CA) w/ Johnny X Competition: Top five bands contest to open for MAROON 5, 2nd Place - May, 2003
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY:
"...I have to say I was really impressed both with Chiara’s artistry and her on the fly studiousness. She’s got a very unique voice with a peaty ambiance that reminds me of a rare single malt; something with a maturity that belies her age..."- Brian Gore
"...her surprisingly powerful soulful vocals definitely left an impression, lingering over bluesy piano rhythms with a touch of Bob Dylan and Rufus Wainwright..." WearsTheTrousers.com
"...Her latest offering, the full-length Masquerade, highlights the tremendous vocal prowess of the angelic singer against soulful, folk-inspired instrumentals." -Brian Echon for Good Times, Santa Cruz, November, 2008
"Physically, Angelicola is petite and unassuming, but her vocal chords are another story. Her vibrant, soulful wail at times recalls the romance of Billie Holiday or the sideways grin of Macy Gray, while challenging young contemporaries like Adele and Duffy. Stellar guitar and organ accompaniment help make this a standout local album." -Nate Seltenrich for East Bay Express, The Daily Lick, November, 2008
"Top-ranking artist from OurStage, and URB agrees."-UrbMagazine.com
" The rich, viscious vox of this SF based songwriter draws you in; her sound, a sassy gospel, and lyrical references to 'Mr. self-righteous,' rampant masqueraders and 'misplaced self-interest' keep you put." -Amanda Martinez, Good Times March 2008, Santa Cruz
"...The five tracks on Chiara Angelicola’s new Bird Songs EP show her to be a fine vocalist, capable of setting her uncommonly pure voice to Silky, Gutsy, Sad, Sultry or Pissed with the flick of a dial...."-Damon Orion, The Good Times 2007, Santa Cruz
"And now for something completely different. Like a breath of crisp Autumn air, Chiara Angelicola is wonderfully refreshing amidst what can sometimes seem like a monotonous supply of local music offerings..."-Sara Ferracone, SF Daily, September 2007
"Angelicola has songs like "Sake Of", which recalls the haunting atmospherics of Portishead, along with the stripped-down, piano-based "Unkind." -Stuart Thornton, Monterey County Weekly, May 10-16, 2007 Edition
"Chiara Angelicola has the voice of a deity..."-Bunny LaValliere, BEAT Newsletter, San Francisco Art Institute , 2006
"What stands out like a snowflake in a sauna is that voice: sweet, vulnerable, yet prone to lapse into a bluesy growl..." -Damon Orion, The Good Times 2005, Santa Cruz, CA
"I simply loved the music. It is so different and so wonderfully compelling! Romantic with an edge, rough and yet lyrical in all the right ways! And her voice is undeniably one of the finest musical instruments I've heard!" -Douglas Newsom, BBS Radio (www.bbsradio.com), August 2007
