
Brooklyn, NY native Rebecca Pronsky continues to impress with a terrific
new record and countless live performances across the US and Europe.
NPR says Rebecca's music is "personal, anecdotal and emotional
[and] her voice conveys the wisdom of experience." All Music
Guide says "Pronsky is an allusive, poetic lyricist"
and Time Out NY says her songs are "literate, passionate and
wry."
Rebecca Pronsky may be Brooklyn born, raised, and based but the twangy
folk she creates on her Nine
Mile Records sophomore disc 'Viewinder' sounds
more at home in the deep woods and green pastures of Parsonsfield, Maine
where it was recorded. Rebecca spent two weeks holed up with her band
at Great North Sound Society
with engineer Sam Kassirer
(Josh Ritter, John Prine, Langhorne Slim) creating the sweeping soundscapes
that dominate 'Viewfinder'. The songs convincingly range from broodingly
ambient to upbeat twang.
'Viewfinder' has received loads of accolades on both sides of the Atlantic.
UK's R2 gave it 4 stars saying she's "head and shoulders above
most of her contemporaries, an outstanding lyricist with the ability
to stop you in your tracks" and Common Folk Music calls the
album "one of the finest singer-songwriter records of 2011."
NPR
chose track one "Hard Times" for their Song
of the Day program.
Rebecca has been touring heavily for the past five years with lead guitarist
Rich Bennett who "puts the trimmings
on the music with a battery of echo drenched, twangy leads."
~Blurt The duo has shared the stage with Shawn Colvin, Freedy Johnston,
Patty Larkin, Peter Case, Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown, Loudon Wainwright
III, Caroline Herring, Sarah Bettens of K's Choice, Elvis Perkins in
Dearland, The Everybodyfields, Shannon McNally, Catie Curtis, The Bowerbirds,
Eilen Jewell, Tracy Grammer, Carrie Rodriguez, Wayne Hancock, Steve
Forbert, and many more.
Rebecca's musical life began early. She was identified as a talented
singer as a child and received vocal training in New York City. But
it wasn't until she was 16, after many years of singing other people's
songs, that she picked up the guitar and began to write her own. At
Brown University, Rebecca discovered ethnomusicology and jazz singing
and recorded her first demo of original music. Demo and diploma in hand,
Rebecca moved back home to Brooklyn. Soon she met guitarist and composer
Rich Bennett who helped her record her first
EP and has been her musical partner and co-producer ever since. When
not on the road, they are at home in Brooklyn with their three cats
Basil, Cybele and Sven.
__________
In case you were wondering, Rebecca's top albums are:
1.) Hejira (Joni Mitchell)
2.) Hissing of Summer Lawns (Joni Mitchell)
3.) Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (PJ Harvey)
4.) Glow (Innocence Mission)
5.) Club de Esquina (Milton Nascimento)
6.) A Bird Flies Out (Deb Talan)
7.) Little Steps (Merrie Amsterburg)
8.) Aja (Steely Dan)
9.) Flaming Red (Patty Griffin)
10.) Heaven or Las Vegas (Cocteau Twins)
11.) Carney (Leon Russell)
12.) Nine Objects of Desire (Suzanne Vega)
