Carlile and the ghost

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

By Aaron Davis

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Expressive and textured, Brandi Carlile’s throaty falsetto has gradually brought her into a mainstream light. I had only heard her pop-rock-folk blend on the fringe until this week, and a thorough listen to her new release Giving Up the Ghost (2009/Columbia) had me scrounging to hear more of her older material.

The new disc took over a year to materialize. The songs were written, cultivated on the road in front of audiences and recorded. Then re-recorded. The songs are “time travelers,”  a transition from one life to the next instead of glimpses into the present.

After working with producer T-Bone Burnett on her sophomore release, The Story (2007/Columbia), and now with famed Rick Rubin for Giving Up the Ghost, the curiosity of comparing the two couldn’t be resisted.

“I’ve learned so much, you can’t even imagine,” Carlile said. “Those albums were recorded in different ways, and sonically are worlds apart. T-Bone has a very live approach, is in the room with you playing guitar, whatever. Rick is also a record executive, so there’s more of an internal struggle in terms of commerce. He likes things brighter too.”

Carlile’s modest success story is polar opposite of an overnight pop artist. She grew up a country girl in rural Washington, and taught herself to sing and play piano and guitar around age 17. Since then, she’s never had a “real” job, but focused on being a singer-songwriter.

After working the Seattle scene with twin brothers Tim (guitar, vocals) and Phil Hanseroth (bass, vocals) as her back-up band, they sent a demo to Columbia Records in 2004—resulting in her being signed and releasing a self-titled debut. Her career has since skyrocketed.

“It’s the greatest life, and there’s not one day that goes by that I don’t realize how lucky I am,” Carlile said. “To have the shows well attended is the reason we’re on the road so much, but it’s been a real steady build.”

Carlile went from being in Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Top 10 Artists to Watch” in 2005, to being crowned Best Voice in Indie Rock by Paste Magazine just last year. She has toured non-stop with artists like Sheryl Crow and Ray LaMontagne, and recorded with The Indigo Girls and Elton John.  This enabled her to headline her own tours, first in clubs that held 400 people, then 2000-seat venues. The Mangy Moose will be one of the more intimate stops on her tour.

One dollar from every ticket sold for her “Give Up the Ghost Traveling Show” will go to Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation.

“The foundation benefits whatever needs a helping hand at the time, and right now we are funding a self-defense program for women in Seattle for an entire year,” she said. JHW

Brandi Carlile and her quintet take the stage 9:30 p.m., Friday, at the Mangy Moose. Katie Herzig opens. $20. 733-4913.

Brandi Carlile
COURTESY FRESH CLEAR MEDIA


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Carlile and the ghost | Planet JH News Article: Music Box

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