Armed with her father’s first guitar, a wry sense of humor and a startlingly cohesive and masterful tone to her writing, Elise Leavy writes and sings folk songs that sound like they came straight from Laurel Canyon in the 70's. Often likened to Joni Mitchell and Judee Sill, Elise says it must be the California seawater getting inside her head and heart from an early age. She has been writing songs since she was 8 years old. “I don’t really remember a time before I wrote songs and sang them for people- it’s just always been there…” Since graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music at the tender age of 19, she has taken to the road, having written over one hundred songs at age 27, and traveled the world singing them for the people. She was recently selected as a New Folk Finalist at the Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition, and for an official showcase at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance in Albany, NY. Take note because this young artist has arrived as a songwriting force.
Memorandum
https://doodleev.bandcamp.com/album/memorandum
A word from Elise on ‘Memorandum’:
"This is a group of recordings I made over a span of almost four years. Most of the recordings were made at home, ‘unprofessionally’, and were recorded the day I wrote the song. I wanted people to hear these songs in their most true form, which is always the day I wrote them, when I couldn't stop playing them, basking in the magic of a new song. My hope is to share this glorious magic that I experience when writing a song with my listeners."
“A LITTLE LONGER”
“ Elise Leavy's breezy Laurel Canyon-tinged music belies her depth as a songwriter. On A Little Longer, Leavy's first major solo artistic statement, she deftly explores nostalgia and melancholy over ten tracks that wash over the listener like a gentle ocean tide. Indeed, the record's sound hearkens to an era when the SoCal sound dominated the FM dial. Lush mid-1970s production courtesy of Robin MacMillan shows up in the horns on "Cigarettes and Coffee" or the pedal steel on "I Have Been Trying." Expansive vocal harmonies permeate "Please Don't Ask Me To Be Friends" or "I Won't Be Dreaming Anymore" which reference everything from Motown to The Beach Boys. ”
-Free Dirt Records
Listen Here!
Interviews:
Unkempt with Ashton York / Full Circle with Elise Leavy
https://www.ashtonanny.com/podcast-1/episode/7c8be928/full-circle-with-elise-leavy
Basic Folk Podcast: Elise Leavy is the Faerie Kid of Folk, ep. 247
The Bluegrass Situation
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