Emily Wells
Wells performing at Treefort Music Fest 2015
Wells performing at Treefort Music Fest 2015
Background information
Born (1981-11-20) November 20, 1981
Amarillo, Texas, United States
GenresAlternative, experimental, classical[1]
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger, producer
Instrument(s)Violin, piano, cello, viola, guitar, drum programming, synthesizer, etc.
Years active1999–present
LabelsPartisan Records, Creative Control Records, Thesis + Instinct Records, Lefse Records
WebsiteEmilyWellsMusic.com

Emily Wells (born November 20, 1981) is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and producer whose genres encompass alternative, experimental, hip-hop and classical.[1] In addition to playing instruments such as violin and analog synthesizers, she uses loops, sample pads, and acoustic drums to achieve a layered effect.

Early life

Emily Wells was born in Amarillo, Texas, United States.[2] Her father was a music minister,[3] and Wells began playing the violin at age four.[4][3] In 1990 she moved with her family to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she lived until she began traveling in 2000.[5] While traveling she made her residence primarily in New York, where she would later move after an 8-year stay in Los Angeles.[6][7]

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)

Wells tuning her drums before her show at Treefort Music Fest 2013 at the Neurolux in Boise, Idaho
External videos
video icon 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 American Songwriter,[19] Impose Magazine,[20] and The Huffington Post,[21] and she has appeared live multiple times on NPR, with an interview on All Songs Considered on April 4, 2013, and a live performance on KCRW on July 11, 2013.[22] In 2013 she composed a song for director Park Chan-Wook's movie Stoker and toured South Korea promoting the film.[21] A single titled "Passenger" for a then upcoming acoustic version of Mama was released in 2013.[3] The Guardian named her New Band of the Week No. 1,503 on April 30, 2013.[3]

An acoustic version of Mama was released in on June 11, 2013, in the United States and United Kingdom through Partisan Records.[23] It had been recorded with a Tascam 388, with no digital effects added to the basic instrumentation.[24] Her songwriting methods were featured in a July 2013 edition of Performer Magazine.[24] Among other shows, Wells performed at Le Guess Who? festival in The Netherlands in November 2013,[25] and also that year she collaborated live with Questlove at Electronium in 2013.[26] She performed with The Roots and Aloe Blacc at the Rock the Clinton Global Initiative event that year as well.[27]

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 WQXR in March 2015, when she performed at Ecstatic Music Festival for the 80th birthday party of Terry Riley, along with other musicians such as Marco Benevento, Nancy Whang, and Face the Music.[32] Since 2016 she has released three full-length albums on the imprint Thesis and Instinct.

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 music theorist John Cage, the minimalist composer Philip Glass, and the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.[29][30]

Discography

Solo releases by Emily Wells[8][33]
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

Solo EPs by Emily Wells
Year Name Release details
2009 Dirty Creative Control Records (2009)

Singles

Incomplete list of songs by Emily Wells[8]
Year Title Album Release details
2008 "O Holy Night" Single onlyCreative Control (Oct 10, 2008)
2012 "Becomes the Color" Single onlyMilan Entertainment (Oct 30, 2012)

Collaborations

Year Name Label Release details
2013 Pillowfight (Emily Wells with Dan the Automator) Bulk Recordings/EMI 2013

Guest appearances

Selected songs featuring Emily Wells
Year Single name Primary artist(s) Album Release details
2008 "Symphony 3: The Story" (with Emily Wells) Dwight FarrellThe SymphoniesCreative Control (2008)
"Gee Whiz" (with Emily Wells) Buck 65Dirtbike 1/3(Aug 2008)
2013 "Becomes the Color" (ft. Emily Wells) VariousStoker soundtrackScott Free Productions (Jan 20, 2013)
"If I Ever Had a Heart" (ft. Emily Wells) VariousScott Free Productions (Jan 20, 2013)
"My Only Love" (ft. Emily Wells) Deltron 3030Event 2Bulk Recordings (Sept 30, 2013)

Personal life

Wells identifies as queer.[34]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Wells, Emily (2008). "The Symphonies: Dreams, Memories and Parties". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
  2. ↑ "Breaking Out". Spin. June 2009. p. 44.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Lester, Paul (April 30, 2013). "Emily Wells (No 1,503)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  4. ↑ "Violinist's Style As Much Hip-Hop As Haydn". All Things Considered. NPR. November 29, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Feature: Emily Wells Interview". Room Thirteen. October 29, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Emily Wells – AIM Interview". LA Snark. September 17, 2008. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  7. ↑ "The Evolution of Emily Wells, New York Phase". Tom Tom Magazine. February 3, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Leahey, Andrew. "Emily Wells". iTunes. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
  9. ↑ "Frank Caliendo; Casey Currie. Also: violinist Emily Wells performs". Rotten Tomatoes. September 18, 2009. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
  10. ↑ "Emily Wells and Shilpa Ray @ City Winery 9.10". The New Yorker. September 22, 2010. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  11. ↑ Donohue, John (April 10, 2012). "Listening Booth: The Alabama Shakes and More". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  12. ↑ "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.
  13. ↑ Murphy, John (June 5, 2013). "Emily Wells – Mama". Music OMH. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  14. ↑ "Emily Wells Makes MAGNET A Mix Tape". Magnet Magazine. April 16, 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  15. ↑ "Emily Wells - Apr 6, 2012 - Studio Paradiso, San Francisco, CA". Daytrotter.com. Apr 6, 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  16. ↑ "Emily Wells: Layering Folk With Electronics, In The Studio". Soundcheck. May 24, 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  17. ↑ "Video Sessions: Emily Wells". LaundroMatinee.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Emily Wells - Morning Becomes Eclectic". KCRW. June 12, 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  19. ↑ "Tour Diary: The Adventures of Emily Wells". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  20. ↑ Wells, Emily (June 29, 2012). "On Touring with Your Dog: A Cowboy Romance". Impose Magazine. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  21. 1 2 Wells, Emily (2013). "My South Korean Adventure". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  22. ↑ "Emily Wells articles". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  23. ↑ Horowitz, Steve (June 11, 2013). "Emily Wells - Mama Acoustic version". PopMatters. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  24. 1 2 Ricci, Benjamin (July 9, 2013). "Emily Wells on Re-Evaluating Creative Choices & Stripping Songwriting To Its Core". Performer Magazine. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ "Electronium: The Future Was Then". bam.org. 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  27. ↑ "OKP TV: Aloe Blacc & The Roots Rock The Clinton Global Initiative". OkayPlayer. 2014.
  28. ↑ Souza, Ana (January 15, 2015). "Watch: 'Bates Motel' Season 3 Trailer Elevated By Visual Flair". IndieWire. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  29. 1 2 "Emily Weels discuses purposeless pay at Hackfort". Boise Weekly. March 29, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  30. 1 2 "Check Out # Hackfort 3". Go.boisestate.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
  31. ↑ "Artists at Yogafort". Treefort Music Fest. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Listen: All-Star 80th Birthday Celebration for Terry Riley". WQXR. March 18, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Emily Wells". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
  34. ↑ "Exclusive: Emily Wells Honors AIDs Activists With Her Newest Album". Advocate Channel. 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
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