Sorcha

Artist Information

Biography

Sorcha’s “sultry and jazzy” voice captures the blues, jazz and country influences in her music. Wielding acoustic guitar and claw hammer banjo, this 2012 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist “unveils a suite of musical styles that shows a wide-ranging songwriting ability. . . witty verses with smart rhymes” (Portland Pheonix).

An old piano in the laundry room in her artsy, rural coastal Maine home fueled her propensity to create. Having come to songwriting following a significant loss, Sorcha is committed to empowering people to use creative expression to support healing through loss or transition. She continues to deepen and expand her collaborations with the Center for Grieving Children, assisted living facilities, schools and artists from all genres. Her third and latest release, Laughing Lamenting (2010), is a half-solo, half-duo celebration of loss and growth.

Sorcha has shared the stage with Edie Carey, Tab Benoit, Tom Rush, Obo Addy and the late Bill Morrissey. Her music has taken her from Portland, Maine’s Old Port Festival to Boston’s Club Passim and Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY to the streets of Nashville.

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BAND BIO: Sorcha & The Clearing

Sorcha - lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Joe Farrell - vocals, electric guitar
Patia Maule - vocals, keys, fiddle
Adam Montminy - vocals, bass
Chas Lester - vocals, drums

Sorcha’s voice captures the blues, jazz, country and latin influences of her new five piece band. This 2012 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist expands her rock and soul side with Joe Farrell (vocals, electric guitar), Patia Maule (vocals, keys, fiddle), Adam Montminy (vocals, bass) and Chas Lester (vocals, drums).

Backed by a seasoned rhythm section, inventive instrumentalists and rich harmonies, Sorcha has the space to stretch out her whispers and wails, broadening her “suite of musical styles that shows a wide-ranging songwriting ability. . . witty verses with smart rhymes” (Portland Pheonix).

Learn about other collaborations at www.sorchastudio.com.

Instrumentation

Sorcha - vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo

Available solo, with a 2-4 piece folk-jazz ensemble, or with Ramblin' Red, folk-bluegrass quartet.

Discography

SOLO/BAND:

Laughing and Lamenting (2010)
*Radio Airplay: Maine Public Radio, WCLZ, WMPG, WERU-FM

Walk It Once (2006)
*Radio Airplay: Maine Public Radio, WCLZ, WMPG, WERU-FM

Balance (2001)
*Radio Airplay: WERU-FM

COLLABORATIONS:

The Acorn EP, Ramblin' Red (2011)

GUEST ARTIST APPEARANCES:

- Goldrush (Putnam Smith, 2008) - harmony vocals
- Falling Out of Airplanes (Pete Morse, 2008) - harmony vocals
- Fame Without Fortune (Jordan Benissan, 2005) - harmony vocals
- Let Me Play My Music (Jordan Benissan, 2004) - harmony vocals, electric guitar, original song "Give It Time"

PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE CREDITS:

Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes (James Cotton, 2004) - Telarc Blues

Love Wants To Dance (Maria Muldaur, 2004)

Friends (Eric Bibb, 2004) - Telarc Blues

What About Love? (Deborah Coleman, 2004) - Telarc Blues

Official Website

http://www.sorchastudio.com

Links

• Facebook

Audio

• Miss Marlene
  Listen  
• Garlic, Goats and Rhubarb
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• Patience
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• Farmer's Luck
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• Hold Me Close
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• Good Lovin'
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• Pokerface
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• Beauty And The Mystery
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• Long Country Road
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• Heartbreakin' Woman
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Lyrics

• Miss Marlene
• Farmer's Luck
• Hold Me Close
• If You Get Too Close

Video

OLS debut 1.10.13_In Your Company.MP4

Photo Gallery

Press

• Walk The Line: Sorcha travels far on her full-length debut [+ Show ]
  

  An album with ADD, Sorcha’s Walk It Once just can’t sit still. Like Jack Kerouac in the 1950s, the w...An album with ADD, Sorcha’s Walk It Once just can’t sit still. Like Jack Kerouac in the 1950s, the whole disc has the itch. Sorcha travels down a “Long Country Road,” spends time “Chasing a Moving Train,” rides a “Helium Balloon,” and returns via a “Road of Second Chances.” Along the way, she travels all over the musical spectrum and unveils a suite of musical styles that shows a wide-ranging songwriting ability delivered with an enjoyable and consistent aesthetic.
  
  In fact, anybody expecting touchy-feely singer/songwriter stuff will be pleasantly surprised from the get-go by the jazzy and upbeat “Don’t Hold Back,” with a melody dominated by a descending mandolin line supplied by Pete Morse, who also recorded and mixed the album at his Busted Barn (see “Just a Day Away,” by Sam Pfeifle, February 9, 2006) recording studio. Sorcha displays some serious bravado, belting out the chorus and walking the talk at the same time: “Say what you feel and do what you need to/Don’t hold back.”
  
  Even when the music is slower and more relaxed, Sorcha doesn’t do a lot of holding back. With “Good Lovin’,” she gets pretty damn sexy, using a sultry doubled vocal to croon that she’s “ready for you to give me some good lovin’/I am ready for you to make my head spin.” See, she’s “more of a make-up-your-mind-and-do-what-you-want-right-now kind of lady.” Sounds good to me.
  
  That same aggressiveness sometimes has her sounding like Heart’s Wilson sisters, as on “Barely Survivin’,” but she generally keeps pretty contemporary. “Moving Train” should remind local fans of Emilia Dahlin’s last album, with a driving snare supplied by Zak Trojano and a quick, staccato delivery from Sorcha that ought to get you out of your seat and heading toward the garage to get behind the wheel: “Let’s drive all night/Let’s try/To imagine what else we’ll find, outside/Of this town, this city, this state line.” Here, and all over the album, she opens and finishes with the chorus, in between sneaking in witty verses with smart rhymes like “time,” “behind,” and “North Caroline” (a shortening the Old Crowe Medicine Show are fond of, as well).
  
  That start-with-the-chorus construction gets a little repetitive, though, and there are a few times when she uses an instrumental break as a bridge when a change of pace with lyrics would add more to the song. When you start with the chorus, then finish with chorus-break-chorus, that chorus can get tiresome, even if it’s a good one.
  
  “All Night” shakes it up a bit more. It’s a great slow burn in 4/4 at the start. Sorcha’s voice is at its best come-hither, espousing a night that would make Homer Simpson happy: “I’m going to sit you down/in my living room [she busts out a great vocal bend there] with a cold beer/and if the phone rings/I’m just going to let it ring/cuz tonight I’m right here.” Then it picks up the pace for a pre-chorus (which graduates through the song) and chorus, before returning to the verses’ pacing with a chill electric guitar break from Morse.
  
  “Helium Balloon” and “Lemon Tree” follow, comprising the album’s most engaging segment. “Balloon” features Sorcha displaying some impressive range, dipping down for the finish of the phrase, “when I try to let you go, gravity fails,” with some serious timbre. “Lemon Tree” is some of the most playful material here — “I want life to be sugary, for my sweet, sweet baby/But you’re as bitter as can be” — but the highlight for me is the all-stop that features nothing but finger snaps. Tight.
  
  In all, the album is surprisingly cohesive for a solo artist working with studio musicians who have become her band. The full-band material sounds completely natural, as though Sorcha penned it that way in the first place, and the instrumentation (including a heart-breaking banjo on the title track) is consistently interesting without seeming like random experimentation. But, with all that said, my favorite tune is the final track, which features nothing but Sorcha and her acoustic guitar.
  
  “Pokerface” has a quick and bouncy delivery, with a lilt in Sorcha’s voice that’s very inviting. You can barely hear the guitar, which, considering the strength of her voice, is an indication of a great mix. I love the way she changes the pacing of her vocals while the accompaniment never varies. “I don’t mean to sound so cheap,” she sings, “I’ve just convinced myself that I don’t need to.”
  
  And I’d agree; she’s worth every penny.

• Old Port Fest '05: Flooded with people and music [+ Show ]
  

  "...Singer-songwriter Sorcha Merrill was one of these talented acts. Her groovin' guitar playing and..."...Singer-songwriter Sorcha Merrill was one of these talented acts. Her groovin' guitar playing and luminous voice were the two driving forces behind her jazz-folk sensibilities."

• Maine Songwriters Stage [+ Show ]
  

  "...One particularly impressive performer was Sorcha Merrill. Armed with her acoustic guitar, Merril..."...One particularly impressive performer was Sorcha Merrill. Armed with her acoustic guitar, Merrill drew a large group of listeners to the stage [at the 2005 Old Port Festival]. She performed original songs and demanded the audience’s attention with her strong vocal rhythms and spicy stage presence..."
  

• Maine Songwriter Showcase Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  “Sorcha Merrill...has true poise, pure and simple. Her themes are gutsy with social and relational r...“Sorcha Merrill...has true poise, pure and simple. Her themes are gutsy with social and relational relevance. There was lots of dynamic, rhythmic interest. With a funk-influenced band behind her, much of her stuff would be impossible not to dance to. Her songs are very well crafted, honest and soulful. She has inventive, unforced rhyme schemes. Her vocal prowess was no less remarkable. She has a powerful, chesty voice with tons of low-end punch. There was significant variety between songs. Sorcha is truly refreshing.”

• CD Review: Ramblin' Red, "The Acorn EP" [+ Show ]
  

  Four women, four bright originals and a Dolly cover leave us hopeful By AIMSEL PONTI If sunshine...Four women, four bright originals and a Dolly cover leave us hopeful
  By AIMSEL PONTI
  
  If sunshine could be recorded, it might sound like Ramblin' Red's debut record, "The Acorn EP." With shiny rays of bluegrass and folk, the four women of Ramblin' Red drop five songs on us -- four originals and one commendable Dolly Parton cover.
  
  Sorcha Cribben Merrill's music, lyrics and lead vocals start it off with "Beauty and the Mystery." Patia Maule's fiddle sets the song up superbly. "Oh I get weak in the knees when you smile/ Oh I'm gonna feel this way for a long, long, long while" offers Merrill, along with her banjo.
  Anna Maria Tocci's "Over the Heights" is next, and the fiddle flows through it like a river. Tocci's vocals are bright and full, and Merrill's banjo is full of optimism. Meanwhile, Theresa Workman's bass carries the song, and gorgeous harmony vocals from Workman, Merrill and Maule fill the song out. Workman penned "Sunny Saturday," the perfect cup of cheer for any day of the week.
  
  Ramblin' Red took a risk in deciding to cover Parton's jealousy tour de force anthem "Jolene." The risk paid off with Tocci on lead vocals and Workman's percussive banging on the side of her acoustic guitar. Add to the mix Maule's determined fiddle and Merrill's banjo and, yup, they're winning on this one.
  
  "Wide Open" closes out "The Acorn EP." It's another Merrill-penned ditty, and at just under six minutes long, it tells tales of old-fashioned heartache and forgiveness: "When you came to me like an unfinished symphony waiting for me to finish the score, you're like an open-wide open seashore." Merrill's voice soars, and the harmonies are spot-on fantastic.
  
  "Wide Open" is a slow and rambling tune with an old-timey flavor. It left me wanting more, so here's hoping the ladies of Ramblin' Red continue down the path they're on and gives us a full-length album.
  
  The Acorn EP is available on cdbaby.com and iTunes.
  
  Aimsel Ponti is a Portland freelance writer. Contact her at:
  aimselponti@yahoo.com

• Let Me Play My Music [+ Show ]
  

  "...Benissan also finds great collaboration with Sorcha, a singer/songwriter…Sorcha fronts ‘Give It ..."...Benissan also finds great collaboration with Sorcha, a singer/songwriter…Sorcha fronts ‘Give It Time,’ a song she penned that could have come off the last (only) Relishgruv album. The vocals are sultry and jazzy, supported by Benissan’s background wails and whoops, before giving way to an extended percussion break that sounds like something Mickey Hart might bust out for the Dead’s set two."

Setlist

Original compositions. Occasional covers include Gillian Welch, John Prine, Peter Rowan, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Patti Griffin, Concrete Blonde.

Basic Requirements

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