DB Leonard

Artist Information

Biography

Summer 2011
Artist Statement

DB LEONARD is a Singer and Parlor Guitar Player and a Teller of Tall Tales. He creates atmospheric narratives embedded with bits of electronica and bites of a full band. His work has been classified as ‘music noir’- meaning heavy in mood and imagery, with an emphasis on the spaces in between.

With songs placed on The Hills (MTV), scores for independent films and collaborations with electronic musicians, Leonard fuses the elements of the Story with the Song in expanding territory. Recently featured on NPR’s ‘Everyday Heroes’ for his eccentric output, he connects his songwriting with a passion for black and white photography.

A published poet, these moments shine all over WHEN YOU COME AROUND, Leonard’s latest release, the highly anticipated follow up to 2009's INFINITY SESSIONS. Though a late entry, INFINITY SESSIONS was immediately recognized by the Hudson Valley’s The Daily Freeman as one of the top 10 regional albums of 2009.

His restless spirit started in Boston on heavy doses of Morphine [the alt-rock band] but it was in New York City where he experienced his coming of age. It started out in the subways and continued on through the stages, playing some of the city’s best-loved music rooms for nearly a decade. The Living Room, Mercury Lounge, Village Underground, CBGB’s (rip). For live shows he put together some smart bands. Most notably, The New Europeans, which eventually split into a duet (Chris Benelli on drums) and an electronic collaboration with producer Harvey Jones, SEX AND SORROW, who just released their second album, EASY LIFE.

Tours up and down the coasts of the United States, Amsterdam, Costa Rica, Mexico and Canada have supported a growing cult-like following for Leonard's unique vibe.

It was in the mountains of the Hudson Valley where Leonard put together the hidden gems of a decade of recordings. Now he’s emerging from the woods, with a merging of passions as he performs his songs to moving still shots of all original black and white images.

http://www.dbleonard.com

Instrumentation

DB Leonard. Voice. Words. Jezebel, 1932 Parlor Guitar.
Chris Benelli. Drums. Loops. Percussion.

Discography

Joyous World (Sex and Sorrow) 2007
The Infinity Sessions (DB Leonard) 2009
Easy Life (Sex and Sorrow) 2010
When You Come Around (DB Leonard) 2011

Official Website

http://www.dbleonard.com

Links

• BLOG

Audio

• Velvet
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• Angels By Name
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• In The Quiet
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• January
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• Cry
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Cry

Video

DB LEONARD

Photo Gallery

Press

• A Shot of Adrenaline [+ Show ]
  

  DB Leonard is a shot of adrenaline to a listless industry. He has reinvented music and made it his ...DB Leonard is a shot of adrenaline to a listless industry. He has reinvented music and made it his own creation. Something magical happens when this album plays. It just feels right...

• River of Current [+ Show ]
  

  A mix of Sting and Peter Gabriel. A silky smooth, riffy, dark and spooky electrified river of curren...A mix of Sting and Peter Gabriel. A silky smooth, riffy, dark and spooky electrified river of current- could we be uttering Db leonard in the same breath as Daniel Lanois in the future?
  

• God is it good [+ Show ]
  

  Isn’t this just a multi-talented superstar waiting to happen? Emotional and engaging. Leonard’s voic...Isn’t this just a multi-talented superstar waiting to happen? Emotional and engaging. Leonard’s voice is perfect for the songs he sings- emotive, fresh, unafraid to yell or be quiet. God is it good. One of those moments you find on acoustic albums where you can hear the emotion, hear the feelings, cause it’s all you hear. You hear me?... Overall, what a beautiful album.
  

• Dylan in the spirit of Joe Jackson [+ Show ]
  

  Try to imagine Dylan embodied in the spirit of Joe Jackson- a bit husky with a little vibrato and go...Try to imagine Dylan embodied in the spirit of Joe Jackson- a bit husky with a little vibrato and good emotional range... informs the personal, introspective sonic quartet with necessary emotion and power. These are observational songs about life and love, pain and sacrifice, retribution and redemption...
  

• The Music in Language [+ Show ]
  

  DB's work is served by a virtuoso understanding of the music in language. His songs, poetry and fict...DB's work is served by a virtuoso understanding of the music in language. His songs, poetry and fiction play off each other. And each is informed by an intuitive sense of text's roots in oral forms. Furthemore, the warmth and intelligence in his diverse body of work readily enables audiences of all kinds to experience the 'singing underneath', the singing deep within writing.
  

• Comfortably Wrapped Up by their Design [+ Show ]
  

  The laid back ethereal jaunts of DB Leonard are so casual and unassuming that you find yourself bein...The laid back ethereal jaunts of DB Leonard are so casual and unassuming that you find yourself being comfortably wrapped up by their design. A sinfully languid musical offering with clever tact and purposeful precision. There’s no pushing and pulling here, but rather the band’s ingenious ability to let the music develop on it’s own terms. A stellar recording and one of the best efforts this year from the irrepressible DB Leonard.
  

• Sketchy Characters
  

  Concerned largely with sex and character sketches of sketchy characters.

• Stirring Subject [+ Show ]
  

  Though I don’t want to praise him with faint damns, this sounds more than a little bit like the firs...Though I don’t want to praise him with faint damns, this sounds more than a little bit like the first Paul Simon solo album to my nostalgic ears. The sort of music the label ‘introspective’ seems tailor made for. It has a soft, folky ambience and stirring subject matter throughout...
  

• Larger Pictures [+ Show ]
  

  A big unforgettable and assertive voice. Vivid sketches of what seem like detail, yet they actually ...A big unforgettable and assertive voice. Vivid sketches of what seem like detail, yet they actually paint larger pictures. DB Leonard knows how to do it- write songs, craft melodies and pick his supporting cast...

• Over the Top [+ Show ]
  

  Top honors for this singer-songwriter- very nice arrangements. But what puts this effort over the to...Top honors for this singer-songwriter- very nice arrangements. But what puts this effort over the top is the writing. Now, comparisons are the ground beef of this little butcher shop called music reviewing, but I will add a couple of my own lean grinds- Himmelman, Penn.
  

Setlist

One or Two Forty-Five minute sets of pin dropping originals. Accompanied by Chris Benelli on Drums and Loops. Steve Silver on all things electric. Also featuring a multi-media presentation of original montage of black and white photographs and video collaborations with Nice Driving Films and Diet Kong.

Basic Requirements

Calendar