Artist Information
Biography
La Malaise was formed in January 2005 on a whim by classically trained musicians Eliza Michelle and Shirley Hunt to play covers and relieve stress while students at Northwestern University. Over the course of the following summer, Eliza Michelle developed as a songwriter in her own right, producing the bulk of La Malaise originals.
Eliza Michelle's vocals have been described in comparison to Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Aimee Mann, Natalie Merchant, Chrissie Hynde while providing solid rhythm guitar work. Shirley's cello is the secret weapon; she is able to anchor the ensemble and then switch to explosive cello solos within a given song.
With the arrival of 2006, La Malaise is poised to grab the attention of the Chicago music scene with their chamber-like approarch to rock music. La Malaise recently played their inaugural show at Bill's Blues in Evanston to a packed house and are currently looking to book shows in the Chicagoland area. While taking such bands/artists as Andrew Bird, Carissa's Wierd, Aimee Mann, Chirstina Rosenvinge, and Lovers as templates, they refuse to fit into standard rock categories and incorporate elements of jazz, folk, pop, classical rock to create a sound that can only be attributed to La Malaise.
Instrumentation
Eliza Michelle- Vocals, Guitar
Shirley Hunt- Cello
Discography
Homecoming Queen Demo. 2 songs, "Homecoming Queen", "Cruel Summer". Self-produced and released. Featuring Alex Rowney on piano.
Video
Press
Setlist
Set list ranges from 30-60 minutes. Originals: "Run Like Hell", "Release", "Lost Weekend", "Without a Trace", "Crash and Burn (One of these Days)", "Obessively Compulsively", "Homecoming Queen", "Waltz of the Dispossessed", "Just a Dream", "Sunspots", "Clean Slate", "Like History Never Happened". Cover: "Cruel Summer" (Banarama), "On Your Own" (The Verve).