Biography
Emily Strand is a songwriter/guitarist/singer "who specializes in smart, confident and organic Pop songs." (Cincinnati CityBeat) Strand writes in a style that is reminiscent of James Taylor's melodies and Joni Mitchell's jazz sensibilities, with a vocal delivery akin to Aimee Mann’s: fragile and emotive. A Cincinnati native, Strand plays regionally out of Dayton, OH, with her dynamic and roots-rocking band, The Town. Made up of Cincinnati veterans Shawn Elsbernd, Scott Hacker, Ashley Shepherd and Whitney Barricklow, The Town won the top prize of "Tri-State's Best Unsigned Band" in modern rock radio station's 97X (now WOXY.com) "97Xposure" competition at the band's inception in 2003. Strand and The Town were also named as one of the Top Ten acts of 2004 in a year end critics' poll in CityBeat.
Strand's talent for songwriting has not gone unrecognized. Her melancholy waltz "Lou" took the prestigious Grand Prize in the Folk category in the 2004 John Lennon International Songwriting Competition. "Lou" was chosen out of thousands of entries from all around the world by an Executive Committee of judges featuring such noted performers as Elton John, Judy Collins, Foo Fighters and Björk among many others. "Lou" can be found on her second independent LP, Delay in the Connection, released in 2004. Delay in the Connection was recorded in Nashville with producer Eric Fritsch (Scott Miller, Upside Downside) and has garnered much critical acclaim. It was listed among Cincinnati CityBeat's hottest album picks for summer 2004, and was also named one of the top 10 local releases by both the Dayton Daily News and the Cincinnati Post.
In summer 2006, Strand and the Town toured the region in support of their new self-titled EP with Cincinnati producer Ashley Shepherd (Blessid Union of Souls, Brian Lovely). The press has called the EP "a charmer" (Dayton City Paper), and "elegant... richly produced... with lush and intricate vocal arrangements" (Cincinnati Post).
Strand and the Town continue to perform regionally at campuses, clubs and festivals. The band consistently delivers a tight, talented, energy-packed performance of well-written progressive-pop tunes. They are the perfect opener for national touring acts ranging from rock to pop to folk to alternative, but are polished and charismatic enough for the headliner spot.
Updated tour schedules and more can be found at www.emilystrand.com.
Instrumentation
Emily Strand - vox, acoustic and electric guitars
Whitney Barricklow - harmony vox, percussion
Shawn Elsbernd - drums
Scott Hacker - electric guitar
Ashley Shepherd - bass
Discography
Emily Strand, Evansville (indepedent LP, 2000)
Emily Strand, Delay in the Connection (independent LP, 2004)
Single "Voodoo Doll" - airplay on 97X (WOXY Oxford, Oh)
Single "Delay in the Connection" - airplay on WNKU, Newport, KY
Emily Strand and the Town, self-titled album (independent EP, 2006)
Links
| http://www.emilystrand.com |