| Photo Cred: Giant Eye Photography |
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| California based singer-songwriter, Ismay, has released the second single, “The Stones” off of their upcoming debut record, Songs of Sonoma. The single was shared with GroundSounds praising, “‘The Stones” begins with beautiful guitar-work and unfolds into a captivating narrative that does a great job of painting a picture for the listener. Fantastic song – short but sweet.”
In describing the inspiration of “The Stones” Ismay says, “While on the Klamath River, I was out trying to record oral histories, and heard about this nylon string guitar player Rex. We drove down a dirt road on a cliff to what must have been one of the most remote towns in California, and all the while I was thinking about all of the questions I’d ask. We arrived to his house was which was hand-built, and waited patiently for several hours while he talked. Only after those hours of listening did he share that he wouldn’t be willing to talk on tape. But, he was willing to show us something very few people had seen. So he brought us into the bedroom, and opened a box. There were a few plain looking rocks, and he explained he had found this unique rock right here on the Klamath, and then revealed what was so special–after turning on a special light, you could see what looked like galaxies of stars there in the stones.”
With the release of “The Stones” Ismay also announces that their debut LP, Songs of Sonoma, will be released in February of 2020. |
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Five years spent working and living on the family ranch informs Ismay’s debut full-length record, Songs of Sonoma Mountain. This album was recorded in a 100-year-old sheep barn at the ranch, seeking to immerse the listener in the world of Sonoma Mountain, and to evoke the sense that we aren’t as separate from nature as we may think. Co-produced by Robert Cheek (Engineer: Band of Horses, Chelsea Wolfe) and Avery Hellman, Songs of Sonoma Mountain features live vulnerable performances that bring out the character of the space. These songs tell stories from the perspective of the mountain, the animals upon it, and Ismay themself to examine gender identity, loss, and a search for belonging. The record interweaves field recordings with intricate songwriting and experimental production. Ismay has also compiled a series of narrative documentary stories about Sonoma Mountain to accompany the record, to be released as a podcast entitled Where the World Begins in early 2020.
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Songs of Sonoma – TRACKLISTING01. A Song in Praise of Sonoma Mountain
02. The Stones
03. The 100 Mile View from Virginia City
04. When I Was Younger, I Cried
05. The Bird in the Shed
06. In the Hospital Room
07. Sonoma Mountain Theme
08. On Leaving Sonoma Mountain
09. The Song of the Mourning Dove Spoken Word
10. The Song of the Mourning Dove |
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ISMAY BIO
Named after a town of 19 in the Northern Great Plains, Ismay represents the work of singer/songwriter Avery Hellman. Just as with the name, Ismay seeks to uncover ways in which the place we live changes us, and how the natural world provides deeper meaning. For Ismay, a life lived in rural California connects them with the landscape, providing a freedom to express gender identity, and the space to create music. Mystical lyricism, ethereal vocals, and dynamic fingerpicking on guitar are the defining features of their music. With works covering wild horses to wildfire, Ismay’s sound is unmistakably connected to the landscape in which they live.
Ismay was introduced to the musical world through the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, created by their banjo-playing grandfather Warren Hellman. An upbringing immersed in roots music shaped a love of the old-time aesthetic and early recordings of American folk music. Ismay learned to write, sing, and play by listening to the songs of Emmylou Harris, Hazel Dickens, Mississippi John Hurt, and Leonard Cohen, as well as Alan Lomax’s field recordings. As Avery grew older, artists such as Cat Power, Lee Hazlewood, Phosphorescent, Captain Beefheart, and Angel Olsen further influenced their work. After a many years of playing music mostly in their bedroom, Warren’s passing in 2011 created a chance for Avery to play Bluegrass music at his memorial, pushing them onto a public stage for the first time. It was there that the seeds of Ismay began, leading to the project’s debut in 2015.
Ismay performs as both a solo artist, duo, and a full band, with a combination of electric fingerpicking guitar drums, bass, cello, and violin. Additionally, Ismay plays a unique set combining storytelling and songs, which will debut at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in October 2019. Ismay has appeared throughout the West Coast at music festivals such as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2016 and Strawberry Music Festival 2017; at renowned venues such as the Great American Music Hall, Slim’s, the Golden State Theater, and the Mystic Theater, and as an opening act for acclaimed artists including Steve Earle, Mandolin Orange, Justin Townes Earle, Robert Earl Keen, Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express, The Mother Hips and the Brothers Comatose. Ismay is based in the rural area outside of Petaluma, CA, and was raised in San Francisco/Marin County CA.
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