Music
Press
So finally, at long last, what we'd all been waiting for... and Ember certainly delivered! From the first
moment when Emily and Rebecca began with their French a capella duet, they were utterly captivating,
confident and assured. With Emily and Rebecca on guitars,
violin and clarinet, the combination of instruments kept changing to keep things interesting, and there was a fine mixture of more wistful tunes with rollicking bluegrass interludes and rattling good choruses. Ember have developed their writing recently
in such a way that they can really please a crowd whilst maintaining a total integrity in their style that is rare in such a (relatively) young band. They must be one of the most polished and satisfying acoustic acts in the country today! Fabulous Furry Folk lives and breathes for the likes of Ember, and it was hearing their music three years ago at Priddy Folk Fayre that first inspired me to begin the arduous task of bringing acoustic acts of excellence to the Assembly
Rooms in Glastonbury. -- Nathan Lewis Williams - Fabulous Furry Folk
Ember have been quietly taking their 'easy roots' style to the wider world outside Powys for a time but this is the album that will open doors for Emily Williams and Becky Sullivan. Dylan Fowler and percussionist Job Verweijen give their acoustic creations wider scope and accessibility. There's a light atmosphere, great harmonics and a gentle swing to a collection that touches on far more than folk. - fRoots Magazine
Over the course of the past eight years, Emily Williams from mid-Wales and Rebecca Sullivan of Utah have gathered an impressive reputation for their contemporary, multi-instrumentalist approach to folk music. The duo's expansive, harmony-drenched fourth album, skilfully produced by Dylan fowler, is sure to garner further critical praise and increase their already sizeable fanbase. This excellent set kicks off with "A Murder Song," a powerful addition to the historic canon of folk tunes dealing with family betrayal and jealousy, and never lets up. - Musician Magazine
Hailing from deepest Wales (Machynlleth) and the US (Utah) respectively, Emily Williams and Rebecca Sullivan have together been delighting discerning audiences over five years and three albums with their quirkily individual brand of acoustic magic that's been variously compared to Be Good Tanyas, Pooka and Indigo Girls. The girls' striking and intuitive vocal harmonies and sparse but considered instrumental work create their personal magical world where feelings are conveyed with depth and sensitivity, yet often also with an edgily whimsical sense of humour.
Ember songs may nod in the direction of home-grown nu-folk and Americana, but manage to retain their own distinctive, attractive, if occasionally idiosyncratic voice. Their simple yet mildly enigmatic poetry expresses romantic desires and attendant complications, but this time there's even a quasi-traditional murder ballad too! The duo's augmented on this CD by (among others) Dylan Fowler and percussionist Job Verweijen, but skilfully and selectively so, with the result that the girls' unique, intimate charm remains intact. This fabulous disc will, I'm sure," open all the doors" for Ember. - Properganda
Discography
Full-length Albums:
Open All the Doors (2008)
Spark (2005)
Land Under Water (2003)
Winejig (2001)
Compilations:
Folk Rising 2 (2008)
Rock 'n' Reel Covermount (2008)
Neil Fatea's Duo Showcase (2008)
Taplas Magazine Covermount (2007)
Photos
Bio
With the release of their fourth album “Open All the Doors” in early 2008, Ember has garnered attention from a number of movers and shakers in the business. Proper Distribution snapped up distribution rights early on, making an Ember album available for the first time on the high street. Frank Hennessey of Radio Wales included Ember on the line-up at his concert featuring up-and-coming Welsh bands, and there’s been a steady flow of interviews and airplay on BBC stations, including Radio 4’s show Something Understood. Even America’s National Public Radio has taken note, with airplay and a podcast by the syndicated folk show Thistle & Shamrock.
Named by BBC Wales in 2007 as “one of the UK’s hottest underground folk acts,” the ladies have rounded off their busiest year yet, with tours in the UK and Europe, and studio time leading to the hotly-tipped new album. With roots firmly planted in mid Wales, their songs contain an intriguing mixture of neo-traditional Celtic folk -- along with a certain swing imported by the American half of the duo. Perhaps most striking is the fusion of two distinct voices, with “harmonies to die for,” according to Taplas, the magazine of folk in Wales and the Borders.
Over the years Ember has earned enthusiastic audiences at dozens of UK festivals, including: Cambridge Folk Festival, Sidmouth Folk Week, Glastonbury Festival, Priddy Folk Fayre, Broadstairs Folk Week, Warwick Folk Festival, Moor & Coast, Stainsby, Big Green Gathering, Sunrise Summer Solstice Celebration, Bideford Folk Festival, Otley Folk Festival, Wheaton Aston and SolFest. Theatres and folk clubs have also caught on to the magic, and now Ember has played at too many of them to name! Perhaps the most unexpected request was from Samsung Corporation reps, who invited Ember to play in the athletes’ marquee during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
A common question pitched by listeners after an Ember gig is “Are you two sisters?” It’s clear from the questioner’s face that he wants the answer to be “yes,” so as to explain the extraordinary blending of voices, the mind-reading and contagious laughter that occur when these two curly-haired women take the stage. To be fair, this is a sort of sisterhood built on eight years of musical collaboration, which began the evening Rebecca and Emily met by chance in a Barcelona youth hostel. Since then, a growing repertoire of inspired lyrics, skillful instrumentation and an easy audience rapport have meant that Ember is in increasingly high demand at venues around Britain and Europe.
The band’s dynamic personality is clearly an attribute, but the music holds up its end of the bargain, too. The latest album is an admirable showcase for the talents of core duo Emily Williams and Rebecca Sullivan, but the overall recorded sound owes much to Dylan Fowler, who produced the tracks in his South Wales studio. Fowler also brings his melodic know-how to the project, appearing on several songs with his piano, guitar and whistles. Job Verweijen of the Netherlands offers up a palette of world percussion, and there are cameos by Jamie Smith (of Welsh band Mabon) on accordion, Gillian Stevens on cello and others. Working in-studio with these musicians has since led to some exciting collaboration in the live arena. Now Ember are often joined by Job Verweijen or Jamie Smith at gigs, which brings a fresh element to the act. Whether as a duo or a larger group, Ember promises a lively show wherever they play!
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