Eleanor Whitmore

Many know that I have a 'thing' for ladies who play the fiddle. And it was in my research for ViolinFemmes.com that Pierre Jelenc suggested I check out Eleanor Whitmore, commenting that her hair color is "RED, not ginger or anything wimpy like that." That much is true, but as I was soon to discover, her music and musicianship is what really stands out. And even that is only part of her engaging story, as you can read below ...


Photo by Ed Verosky

Indie Sounds: So, you come from a musical family. Tell us about them and how you got your start in life?

Eleanor Whitmore: I was born in Harris Hospital in Fort Worth, TX. My early years were spent in Justin, TX on a small grass landing strip, where my parents built their first house and flew antique airplanes. My dad worked for Delta Airlines, now retired, and is a folk singer. My mom is an opera singer. They met working at the Six Flags Over Texas theme park. They started me on violin when I was four-and-a-half after taking me to see Itzhak Perlman with the symphony and watching him on Sesame Street. I just found this video!

We later moved to Denton TX, where I joined the orchestra. I have a sister, Bonnie, who got started on cello and bass. We had a little family band, Daddy and the Divas. Bonnie and I also performed in the Brent Mitchell Band together in high school.

Dad taught me how to fly and I got my private pilot's license on my 17th birthday. I also have a degree in Violin Performance from Texas Christian University '99.

IS: When did you begin to play the violin seriously?

Eleanor: I'm classically trained, but I've always played other styles thanks to both of my parents' influence. I'm not saying I've tried to play in all genres, but my instrument has never limited me in the type of music that I choose to play.

I studied jazz briefly and attended the Henry Mancini Institute where I played movie scores and with jazz orchestras. I love playing everything from Shostakovich to classic pop string-arrangements to Texas Swing. I have found a niche playing with songwriters because I'm not a noodler and know how to stay out of the way of the lyrics.

I played a lot more classical music for a living when I lived in Fort Worth after university. Then, I decided to move down to the Austin area to play with more songwriters. I played with Susan Gibson (she wrote the song Wide Open Spaces that The Dixie Chicks made famous) and Slaid Cleaves.

IS: But your life has not been all about music?

Eleanor: Right. In 2002, I was having a particularly slow summer of musical employment and decided to get a part-time job canvassing for Texas Campaign for the Environment. I don't know if it's because I'm a Gemini or just an adventurous spirit, but I'm able to change my life's direction pretty easily if I set my mind to it.

The job was very flexible and I still performed with Slaid and his buddy Rod Picot along with some random classical gigs, but I pretty much did this full time for the next three-and-a-half years. I knocked on doors and protested and was part of a national campaign to get Dell and Apple to start recycling computers. I became a program director and moved back to Fort Worth to help TCE open an office in Dallas TX. I made a lot of life-long friends and it was a great experience. Ironically, I now live next to an oil refinery and a superfund site in Brooklyn!


With Chris Masterson at Banjo Jim's. Photo by Jonathan Troll

IS: But back to music ...

Eleanor: I was finishing out my last days at TCE and living in Fort Worth when I met Chris Masterson at a music festival in Steamboat Springs, CO. I was playing with Susan Gibson (with my sister Bonnie in the band) and Chris was there playing electric guitar with Jack Ingram. We met and I was inspired. I came home and gave my two weeks at TCE, broke up with my then boyfriend, and moved back to Austin to play music for good. I started dating Chris shortly after, bought a mandolin, and wrote Coffee in the Rain, which pretty much says it all.

That was when I started playing with Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis and also started getting serious about writing songs. I wrote every song on my record Airplanes in about a year-and-a-half, with the exception of Just Friends, which was written in college. During this period, I also recorded a lot with Bruce Robison (It Came From San Antonio, New World and His Greatest) and sang on a Neil Hagerty's record, Earth Junk.

IS: And on to Brooklyn ...

Eleanor: Eventually, Chris and I grew tired of the lazy pace of life in Austin and both of us have always wanted to live in NYC. He had joined Son Volt, which has band members across the country, and we were both ready for a change. Since moving, I have performed with Regina Spektor and Allison Moorer, recorded with Son Volt, and launched my solo career.

IS: And you released your debut album, Airplanes ...

Eleanor: Airplanes would not be possible without Chris Masterson. He is my biggest champion and has encouraged and inspired me to make this record. He actually came up with the album title because of my history in aviation and we co-wrote the title track. The artwork is inspired by the red Travelair 2000 that my family had. Chris is an amazing producer. He is so creative in the studio and assembled the perfect cast of characters to make this record. You can get the liner notes here. He brilliantly crafted the sound of the record to fit my quirky lyricism and to showcase my instrumental talents. I could not be more proud of the results.

IS: Not just the music, but you must be proud of the packaging?

Eleanor: The packaging is very DIY and was intended to be temporary. I wanted something that looked nice that I could sell at my shows and hand out to industry types when shopping the record. After suggesting a red bi-plane and a yellow background, the graphic designer that I contacted came back with a proof of a pastel blue, abstract, paper airplane. Uhm, no.

I was also frustrated with my packaging options that mostly involved plastic. I ordered the blank packaging, found an airplane stamp, bought some paint, clear labels, and some pens to sign my name.


Photo by Beth Oliver

The record is on iTunes and CD Baby, but is by no means officially released on any grand scale as long as I'm making the packaging myself, so get one while you can! Hopefully, the record will find a home or I will find some money and hire a publicist and a radio promoter. DIY is sort of all you can do when no one else is doing it for you and you can't afford to hire anyone.

Oh, and there is a video in the works for Just Friends, directed by Pam Romanowsky, so stay tuned on that.

IS: Where have you been performing live?

Eleanor: I've been playing out as much as I can book on my own. Chris is touring with other bands a lot, so it has forced me to start playing a lot more guitar (now, including electric) and to play solo, which has been a blast. Chris is producing my sister Bonnie's new record, and Bonnie and I have some shows coming up next month at Pete's Candy Store and The Living Room, which are two of my favorite places to play in the NYC area. I'll be booking a lot more shows, so check my MySpace page for the latest dates.

When I'm home in NYC, I'm at National Underground on Monday's for Shayni Rae's Truck Stop just watching or sitting in with Kevin Kinney or the Madison Square Gardeners. I love catching my friend Aaron Lee Tasjan, who fronts the Gardeners. Otherwise, you might catch me at The Living Room or Pete's.

IS: What's next?

Eleanor: Well, Just Friends just came up on my shuffle and I have a lot of music in my iTunes, so this has to be a good sign. I just want to hone my craft, build a following, and get my record out into the world. So far, all the reviews for Airplanes have been positive, and I'm still excited about it.

In just the past few weeks, I finally started making some headway and gaining some momentum. I'm still writing songs and starting to perform them at the shows, but it's going to be a while before I can record again. I've got a full tank and I'm still excited to see how far Airplanes will take me.

Blog: eleanorwhitmore.blogspot.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/eleanorwhitmoremusic
Twitter: twitter.com/eleanorwhitmore
- Indie Sounds from Harris Radio

If you’ve seen Susan Gibson, Slaid Cleaves, Bruce Robison, or Kelly Willis perform in the past couple of years, you couldn’t help but notice their fiddle player. With a shock of neon red hair and supreme confidence on her instrument, Eleanor Whitmore stands out in any crowd. She's originally from Denton, spent some time in Austin, and as of February is a resident of Brooklyn, having moved on to a solo career with self-released debut Airplanes. Whitmore and her partner/producer Chris Masterson, best known as guitarist for Son Volt, plus Jack Ingram and Bobby Bare Jr. appear at Stubb’s tonight, bringing a brand of folk-pop that melds Aimee Mann and the Beatles in a tuneful, distinctive way.

Whitmore comes from a musical family: Her mother is an opera singer, her father a singer-songwriter in his own right, and Austin folks will recognize sister Bonnie’s name from gigs around town. Her dad is also a pilot, and his influence led her to obtain a pilot’s license and the title for her disc.


Leaving Austin was a career choice that seems to have worked out fine, Whitmore explains. “I wanted to expand my musical horizons on a national level. I felt I had outgrown Austin in the kind of work that I was looking for and I was looking to pursue my solo career. I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and I’ve always loved New York. It's such a beautiful city and there’s so much diversity and culture. It’s nice to be able to take the subway and not have to drive in the traffic in Austin.�

The move led to gigs touring with Regina Spektor and Allison Moorer this year, but for now she's concentrating on flying solo. “I started writing songs in college around 1996," she relates. "But I didn’t take it that seriously, plus it was intimidating working with people like Bruce and Slaid. When I saw Chris getting checks in the mail, I started taking it more seriously. My relationship with him has inspired my solo career. He has so many great musical ideas. We got into some arguments when we started to record about what he wanted and what I heard in my head. But, ultimately, I decided to listen to his ideas. I trust him as a musician and I’m really glad I did because he did an incredible job of bringing my songs to life.�


Jim Caligiuri, Wed Dec 17, 1:38pm, 2008 - Austin Chronicle

Music Review: Eleanor Whitmore Rises To The Occasion On Airplanes
Written by Michael Bialas
Published January 29, 2009
Part of Pop (Culture) Quiz

Eleanor Whitmore, the subject of this latest Pop (Culture) Quiz, has done practically everything to try and get Airplanes off the ground.

Her debut album, a splendid blend of rock, pop, and folk with a dash of country twang, couldn’t find a record company willing to give the project the proper push for a successful takeoff.

So Whitmore, an adventurous, independent woman who showed no fear of flying solo, decided to make the record herself.

With an added emphasis on make. For starters, she wrote the songs and crafted the string arrangements, played numerous instruments (her trademark fiddle, mandolin, viola and mellotron among them), provided lead and harmony vocals and served as one of the engineers.

Then she really went to work.

Eleanor Whitmore paint The process involved painting a nifty red biplane (almost matching the fiery color of her stunningly hot and curly locks) on each CD package by hand ... then signing and numbering each like a personal work of art ... then letting everyone who would listen know where to find the finished product.

Accompanying Whitmore on this flight of passage was her gifted co-pilot, Son Volt’s Chris Masterson, an accomplished musician himself who handled the producing duties and most of the guitar chores while showing his versatility by also playing harmonica, ukulele, and glockenspiel. He and she threw everything into this project but the kitchen sink, although they did pound some pots and pans on the carousel-like “Waltz of The Mystery Ship,” a nostalgic, 46-second ditty.

Some of Whitmore's friends and family (her father Alex is a folk singer and guitarist; her younger sister Bonnie plays guitar, bass, and cello) went along for the thrill ride as passengers eager to get where they were going.

Without a high-flying publicity machine, though, Whitmore is counting on word of mouth (and a lot of MySpace and Facebook friends) to keep this fleet of Airplanes running.

OK, enough with the plane talk. But flying is a constant theme throughout this record and Whitmore’s life. Of course, there’s the title song, the 12th and final selection, in which she wants to “fly so high, miles above the ground/fly so fast, break the speed of sound.”

Then there’s the achingly beautiful “Fly,” a heartfelt tribute to “a close family friend that died in a plane crash,” Whitmore offered via e-mail.

Preceded by lush violins, Whitmore sings:
“On the first day of summer you fell from the sky/
You were riding on air, and larger than life/
Made us laugh until we heard but today we’re gonna cry/
Fly on up, hero fly.”

While not possessing power (vocal) cords, Whitmore does have a sweet and youthful voice that shines on tender songs like “Fly,” “Awake To Remember Me” (with references to “big red baloons” and “clear teardrops that fall like raindrops from the sky”) and “Sorry.” She’s been compared in the past to Aimee Mann and Liz Phair, but add sultry chanteuses Laura Cantrell and Jonatha Brooke to the mix.

Whitmore utilizes a first-rate group of musicians and singers to kick it up a notch on several faster-paced tracks: “Never Say A Word” is highlighted by Sweney Tidball’s jaunty Jon Brion-like Lowery organ; the uplifting “Sing” opens with Whitmore’s lively fiddle solo and ends with percussion effects sounding more like insects chirping on a hot summer night; and the perky “Just Friends,” swings with a glorious string arrangement that recalls the best of Barry White’s disco days.

The family friendly record feels down-homey but hip, homemade with loving care yet displaying a polished sound with superior production values.

With a wing and a prayer (and a shrewd record executive, if one still exists), Airplanes and Whitmore just might have a chance to soar.

More about Eleanor
• Whitmore, a road warrior of a traveling musician, was born and raised in Texas but now calls Brooklyn, N.Y., her home, just like fiddlin’ friend (and sometimes touring mate) Carrie Rodriguez. Performing with the likes of singers ranging from Diana Ross to Regina Spektor has provided Whitmore with an impressive résumé, and her solid Texas connections have landed her gigs with Austin power couple Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison (the latter contributes harmonies on "The River" and "Keep on Moving") and singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves.

Eleanor Whitmore guitar What you may not know about Eleanor
• Flying is more than a subject of curiosity for Whitmore. “I have about 100 hours and my private pilot's license – most of those hours in a Piper PA-11 Cub,” she said via e-mail. “I don't fly much these days unless I'm home to visit my family.”
• Whitmore’s mother, Marti, is an opera singer who got young Eleanor interested in playing the violin after they attended an Itzhak Perlman concert, much the same way Rodriguez’s interest was piqued.
• The "Just Friends" video (still shot at right), directed by Pamela Romanowsky, is in post-production and is expected to be released this spring.

The Pop (Culture) Quiz: Five Simple Questions
Eleanor Whitmore answered these questions via e-mail on January, 27, 2009.
1. Guitar Hero, Rock Band, or Wii Music?
"I have never played Wii Music, but Rock Band is far superior to Guitar Hero."
2. Brooklyn's Saturday Night Fever disco, Texas' Urban Cowboy two-step, or Mumbai's Slumdog Millionaire Bollywood grand finale?
“I like that two of these answers involve John Travolta. ...I'll let him do the dancing.”
3.Homemade cookies, homemade quilt, or homemade CD?
“Homemade CD, of course.”
4. Airplanes, trains, or subways?
“This is a tough question. I'm loving the subways and the trains in the NE after growing up in Texas where there is nothing but suffering through miles of traffic and smog. I'm sick of commercial air travel and everyone's pajamas and Crocs and Uggs! However, there is something magical about a little red biplane in the clouds.”
5. If you could do only one thing in life: Fiddler, songwriter, singer?
“The concept of only doing one thing in life is sort of absurd to me. My upbringing was pretty adventurous and I'm a Gemini. I could never just do one thing.”
- BlogCritics, Michael Bialas

Eleanor Whitmore, "Just Friends" is featured in Paste Magazine Sampler No. 53.

Track Listing

1. Passion Pit - The Reeling
2. White Rabbits - Percussion Gun
3. Meat Puppets - Sewn Together
4. Elvis Costello - My All Time Doll
5. Iron & Wine - Belated Promise Ring
6. Eleanor Whitmore - Just Friends
7. Winston Audio - Hey Ann
8. Blue Giant - Target Heart
9. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Come Saturday
10. What Bird - Highway Song
11. Danyew - Streetlight
12. Loch Lomond - Field Music
13. The Builders and the Butchers - Barcelona
14. Born Again Floozies
(feat. Jane Nensen and ESW) - Get Up (and Shout)!
15. The Deep Vibration - Thanks To You
16. Phillip Larue - Erase and Rewind
17. History For Sale - Western Star
18. AA Bondy - Devils Loose
19. Venice Is Sinking - Okay
20. Jake Shimabukuro- 3rd Stream

http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/page/sampler_53
- Paste Magazine

Eleanor Whitmore: Her debut album, a splendid blend of rock, pop, and folk with a dash of country twang, couldn’t find a record company willing to give the project the proper push for a successful takeoff.

So Whitmore, an adventurous, independent woman who showed no fear of flying solo, decided to make the record herself.

With an added emphasis on make. For starters, she wrote the songs and crafted the string arrangements, played numerous instruments (her trademark fiddle, mandolin, viola and mellotron among them), provided lead and harmony vocals and served as one of the engineers.

Then she really went to work.

The process involved painting a nifty red biplane (almost matching the fiery color of her stunningly hot and curly locks) on each CD package by hand … then signing and numbering each like a personal work of art … then letting everyone who would listen know where to find the finished product.

Accompanying Whitmore on this flight of passage was her gifted co-pilot, Son Volt’s Chris Masterson, an accomplished musician himself who handled the producing duties and most of the guitar chores while showing his versatility by also playing harmonica, ukulele, and glockenspiel. He and she threw everything into this project but the kitchen sink, although they did pound some pots and pans on the carousel-like “Waltz of The Mystery Ship,” a nostalgic, 46-second ditty.

Some of Whitmore’s friends and family (her father Alex is a folk singer and guitarist; her younger sister Bonnie plays guitar, bass, and cello) went along for the thrill ride as passengers eager to get where they were going.

Without a high-flying publicity machine, though, Whitmore is counting on word of mouth (and a lot of MySpace and Facebook friends) to keep this fleet of Airplanes running.

Edited by RCori on 17 Jun 2009, 21:53

http://www.last.fm/music/Eleanor+Whitmore - Last FM