Aileen Paron
Bellevue, Washington, United States
Music
Press
Three things strike you immediately as you give a first listen to this fine debut CD. First, as the opening notes make clear, this is a piano-based fusion of pop, rock and jazz. Not keyboard-based; the instrument here is specifically a grand piano and it sounds fabulous. I’m reminded of the critic long ago who thanked Bruce Hornsby for bringing the grand piano back to rock—Aileen Paron makes me feel similarly. The piano parts are strong, rhythmical, fascinating, haunting; they are the foundation blocks that each song is built upon. The second thing that strikes you is that this is an important new voice—both powerful and sweet, moving, attention-grabbing, with an utterly seductive vibrato that provides a gentle, nearly erotic shake to the close of each line. Influenced, it seems, by the powerful female singer-songwriters of the Northwest, many of whom in turn owe a great deal to Ani DiFranco, Aileen nonetheless has a voice of her own. It is unique and it will undoubtedly grow into an instrument of tremendous depth and richness. Third, then, you notice that Aileen crafts fine songs, filled with the pain and fleeting joys of myriad experiences that most of us can relate to all too easily, and graced with choruses and bridges that get stuck in the mind. - Bill Fisher, Victory Review
"Aileen’s voice has diversity, richness, beauty, and all the other things that go into heart, soul and spirit candy…. the arrangements are spectacularly embroidered and intricately conceived…”
— Colin Lynch, R Cat Communications
- Colin Lynch, R Cat Communications
“...a wonderfully dark piano pop album.”
—Jake Nuckolls, CDReviews.com
- Jake Nuckolls, CDReviews.com
"With distinct vocals, Aileen Paron takes an evocative and sometimes darkly personal approach to the songs on her debut release."
--ChurchofGirl.com
- Church of Girl
Discography
Anonyma, 2006
Photos
Bio
Aileen Paron now calls the wild, wet Northwest home, having previously criss-crossed the nation and abroad due to her family's military roots. She originally came to Seattle for its vibrant theatre scene, but soon found herself doing more songwriting than acting. Although vocally trained, she is largely self-taught on the piano, with influences running the gamut from Tori Amos and Fiona Apple to Queen and the Cure. For her debut release, Anonyma, she teamed up with local producer Vincent Gates (Andrea Wittgens, Sugartown) and a host of local musicians including Ryan Smith, Dylan Rieck (Harvey Danger), Paul Kemmish and Mark Guenther.
The music speaks of broken love, lost ties, and even political allegory, woven through catchy melodies and pop hooks and sung with a dynamic voice that registers both sultry and sweet. The moody melange delivers darkly reflective songs that are sophisticated, yet accessible.
Currently, Aileen Paron is working with her newly formed band and looking forward to playing larger venues within Seattle and touring the Northwest region throughout the next year, as well as recording new material for the next album.
Recent Venues:
Sunset Tavern
Skylark Club
Rendezvous Jewelbox Theater
Egan's Ballard Jamhouse
Caffe Bella
Mr. Spot's
Victor's Coffee
Trabant Chai House
Featured On:
KCWU 88.1 "The Burg"
KKNW 1150AM "Kevin McDonald Presents"
Performed With:
Boxcar Rebellion
Anastasia Stasko
Bone Cave Ballet
Sue Quigley
Carrie Clark
The Sunbreaks
Links
