Rosy Nolan

Artist Information

Biography

Rosy Nolan combines nearly all of the American music traditions to form a heart-wrenching isle of authenticity. Her soulful vocal style harkens back to many of the great American blues and country singers while barreling full speed through a gritty spectrum of confessional hymns and folk-tinged melodies. Her presence as a performer reels in audiences with a charming poetic wit and an unforgiving realism towards love, redemption, and sacrifice. She has the intention of a young Lucinda Williams with multi-dimensional poetry all her own. She has been a regular at New York City's hottest folk club, Rockwood Music Hall.

She began her musical career at age 14; playing drums for the all-girl punk band The Rape Utic. At 16, Rosy picked up the guitar and began composing her own songs. It wasn't until she moved to New York, after a brief stint in London and a longer stay in Los Angeles, that she formed a band to back her own compositions.

“Phantom Hymns,” released in the spring of 2006, delivers a harmonious brand of country rock reminiscent of Neil Young and Crazy Horse, weaving the throaty cadence of Patsy Cline with the enigmatic incantation of Mazzy Star.

As a live performer, Nolan captivates audiences with her emotive voice and poignant song writing. Her writing is haunting, poignant and commanding. Her melodies are both infectious and reassuring. Just off a 2 month national tour last fall, playing 40 shows in 20 states, Nolan, is currently looking forward to recording her second album this spring with musicians, Gerald Menke (pedal steel), Ian Riggs (bass), and Brian Geltner (drums).

Instrumentation

Rosy Nolan, guitar and vocals
Gerald Menke, pedal steel
Scott Metzger, electric guitar
Hilary Hawke, banjo and harmonies
Rob Calder, bass
Brian Geltner, drums

Discography

The Rosy Nolan Band EP
Phantom Hymns

Official Website

http://www.myspace.com/therosynolanband

Audio

• Human Cannonball
  Listen  
• Mother Nature
  Listen  
• Young Ranger
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Human Cannonball
• Mother Nature
• Young Ranger

Video

Rosy Nolan at Rockwood

Photo Gallery

Press

• Rosy Nolan [+ Show ]
  

  Rosy Nolan is what I truly consider one of NYC’s undiscovered talents, and a good listen through her...Rosy Nolan is what I truly consider one of NYC’s undiscovered talents, and a good listen through her repertoire will convince any skeptic. Her influences are obviously country and folk rock, but there is also a slight mark of grunge scattered about her style. Nolan’s voice is powerful and fluid, reminiscent of singers like Dusty Springfield yet mixed with down to earth Dylan-esque inspirations. The lyrics are crafted with great thought and care, bringing Nolan’s message to her listeners in a more intimate manner. The music itself is composed with deep structure, making the positive chemistry between Nolan and her band very apparent. “Human Cannonball” and “Janina” are two of the groups’ catchiest tracks, but “Little Boxes” is my personal favorite. This tune is perfect all around, in terms of lyrics, music and, of course, Nolan’s beautiful voice.

• The Rosy Nolan Band [+ Show ]
  

  The Rosy Nolan Band’s debut effort “Phantom Hymns” - A strong contender for one of this year's Must ...The Rosy Nolan Band’s debut effort “Phantom Hymns” - A strong contender for one of this year's Must Have albums...
  The Brooklyn-based Rosy Nolan Band release their debut album, “Phantom Hymns”, which has already caused quite a splash across the pond with their spiky, rustic, country-inspired style of music and Nolan’s disarmingly honest lyrics.
  Think Neko Case with the dramatic narrative of Stevie Nicks, and the Country Rock ethic of Neil Young, and apply that to Nolan’s powerful roller-coaster vocals which veer from the drunken bar ballads (“Drain the Poison”) to songs of tender vulnerability (“Lullabye”), and you may have hit “Phantom Hymns” on the head. Rosy Nolan might look like a China doll, but her voice is powerful enough to shatter glass at 300 meters, and judging by the content of her album, it’s very highly likely that she is made of sterner stuff.
  Nolan’s charismatic vocals dance somewhat acrobatically over of the rolling stomp that the band produces on “Janina”, which then skips into the joyous rock n roll number “Filler”, which sees Nolan pleading to the listener, “I’m looking for someone/ to take what’s wrong and make it feel right”. The blinding “Red Flags” is simply epic and “Chewy Gum” is a sweet punky love song that’s instantly catchy and will stick to your brain after just one listen.
  The Rosy Nolan Band brings various styles and genres to the table. Although there is a distinct Alt. Country feel, there are massive punk undertones that give their music quite a jagged edge. This isn’t surprising, given Nolan’s seemingly permanent involvement in various bands since age 14, where she started out bashing the drums for an all-girl garage punk band called The Rape Utic, spent time living and playing in London, Los Angeles, and probably many other places in between, before landing in New York. The world of experience comes out in her music if you pay enough attention.
  As Nolan sings in “Human Cannonball”, “I’m trying… to touch the sun/ And if I burn, it’s just my turn”, which pretty much sums up the feel of this album. The Rosy Nolan Band is definitely, absolutely, utterly one of the bands to look out for.
  Reviewer: Sian Claire Owen
  Reviewers Rating: 10 of out 10
  Related web link: www.therosynolanband.com
  

• Unsigned: The Rosy Nolan Band [+ Show ]
  

  Even though Rosy Nolan is based out of New York, she seems to be perfectly aware that her country ro...Even though Rosy Nolan is based out of New York, she seems to be perfectly aware that her country roots may seem a bit geographically out of place. Regardless, who ever said that the creation of contemporary Southern rock was limited to the South? Following in the footsteps of fellow Southern influenced revivalists Neko Case and Jenny Lewis, The Rosy Nolan Band are the latest to emerge from the thriving scene. Much like Rilo Kiley and The Corn Sisters, the group’s most immediate and recognizable feature is the powerful vocal performance and stage presence of the front woman. In this case, it is the talented Rosy Nolan. Ever since a young age, Nolan has incorporated herself with the creation of music. At the age of fourteen, she was the drummer for the all-girl punk band The Rape Utic. After she grew tired of percussion, she started playing guitar at the age of sixteen and has found it hard to put it down since. Throughout her later teen years, she played with a variety of alternative bands as she continued to mold her own musical style. With inherited experience and a luminous vision, Nolan brought together the members of The Rosy Nolan Band, consisting of herself on vocals and guitar, Jeff Bailey on bass and piano, Jason Chester on percussion and harmonica, and Dan Weber on lead guitar and backing vocals. Their debut album Phantom Hymns was written almost entirely by Nolan herself, as the songwriting process usually consisted of her writing the song on an acoustic guitar and then showing it to the rest of the band in order to orchestrate it into something much larger. Much like the previously mentioned Neko Case and Jenny Lewis, major influences include Stevie Nicks, Lucinda Williams, and Neil Young.
  Nolan’s vocals are a journey in itself. As demonstrated in the delightful ‘Janina’, Nolan has the capability to extend her vocal emotions to a point where the song’s fantastic musical composition seems nearly secondary. The song stands as a testament of determination from the beginning to the end, as Nolan opens the song with, “songbird sings so pretty, even with those broken wings”. Nolan crafts the song appropriately, informing the spoiled public to focus on their own strengths rather than their harmless weaknesses. Don’t even mind that it may appear to hold a bit of favoritism towards those who are able to sing skillfully. Nolan works against a sparkling background of twangy guitars, with the vitally executed rhythm section proving to be surprisingly dynamic. ‘Filler’ is filled with more distortion and fast-paced aggression, though Nolan continues to maintain her nonchalant vocal style that should award her some new fans shortly. ‘Filler’ is more typical in terms of lyrical content, speaking of anger and confusion after the sullenly common situation of a broken heart. It is further complemented by a nice guitar solo by Dan Weber with a rhythmic halt shortly thereafter, demonstrating a modest display of effective diversity. ‘Nobody’s Fool’ on the other hand, is more mellow and musically articulate. Though it lacks the excitement of the first two tracks, it will fill that certain desired emotional void of realistic romanticism that the other two tracks leave open. The song also sports a cleverly executed vocal resemblance that resembles Stevie Nicks, just enough to hold a grin. Despite a few tracks that wear Nolan’s vocals too thin with a repetitive element that is hard to avoid with their risky delivery, Phantom Hymns is an impressive debut album from an emerging and significantly promising songwriter. Though Nolan’s band is currently unsigned, Phantom Hymns was sent out by personal distribution a few months ago so you can purchase it at most popular stores online. Even if significant commercial success is a far reach, at least The Rosy Nolan Band can show those ignorant few who still believe that all bands from New York sound like The Strokes some right from wrong.
  

Setlist

Janina
Filler
Miserable
I Know Better
Let's Keep Going
Put You Down
Trouble
Young Ranger
Human Cannonball
Can't Let Go (Lucinda Williams)
Nobody's Fool
Got Nobody
Mama Says
Drain This Poison
Diamonds and Rust
Blackest Crow

I can play one to two sets, from 40 to 120 minutes.

Basic Requirements

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