Emily Warren & The Betters
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
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The crowd pushed close to the stage, dancing and singing along with Emily Warren & The Betters as the group finished its recent Saturday night show at Webster Hall Studio in New York City on February 12. The closing number, "Not at All," was recently featured on MTV's latest teen drama Skins, a welcome exposure boost for any young band, but the quartet didn't seem interested in capitalizing on any association with Music Television -- putting on a loud, energetic live performance was the order of the evening instead.
Although bassist Gab Bowler and his brother, drummer Etienne Bowler, have been playing with Warren for a couple of years, the group recently reformed under its current moniker, along with the keyboard player Matt Porter, releasing a self titled EP in October. The material included there has a more aggressive dance feeling than Warren's earlier recordings, and that approach was pushed up another notch during her concert. Dressed in black and silver studs with a guitar slung over her shoulder, she fronted her band, all in black suits and skinny ties, through the driving introduction to "Bottom Line" to open the show. The following "You'll Regret This" featured excellent drumming and washes of keyboard effects -- in fact many of the songs in the set burst out of brief, dense barrages of sound and hit the ground running with a bouncy, old school rock steady groove.
Earlier in her career Emily leaned closer toward a singer/songwriter vein, but her lyrics and vocal stylings still shine through the more intense, and in some ways more sophisticated, instrumentation of her current set up. Her delivery is made up of not quite equal parts rhythmic gesture (you can hear the backbeat in much of her singing) and a modulated jazz inflection with which she toys with the ends of lines. It's an enticing combination that was particularly clear on "Let Me In" played mid-show, a swooning Golden Age rock and roll heartbreaker of a number. Much of her material presents an appealing combination of intimacy and recognizable pathos -- it leaves you wanting to know more, even though the feeling is familiar -- but it doesn't whine or simper. If anything her songwriting is characterized by a rejection of rejection.
Emily Warren & The Betters debuted two new songs at Webster Hall, the second, "Red Flag," being a stand out, showing the group's promise as it moves forward. They perform next on March 5 at The Cake Shop in New York City. For more information check out www.myspace.com/emilywarrenmusic. - The Huffington Post
Discography
Emily Warren & The Betters - EP
Photos
Bio
Emily Warren, born and raised in New York City, first fell in love at the age of ten. Lost, confused, and completely unsure as to how she should deal with this new and wildly complex emotion, she discovered that the only way to cope was to sit down and write a song.
For the next five years, Emily continued to write. By the time she entered high school she had written over twenty songs and recorded and released several of them onto iTunes.
Then, one morning before school, Emily had a revelation: it was time--she was ready to play a show. She didn't have to look far to find Gab Bowler (bass), Etienne Bowler (drums) and Matt Porter (keyboards), who all attended high school with her older brothers.
Fusing together their notably diverse and unique musical backgrounds and preferences, the four soon realized that what were creating was not ordinary--it was BETTER.
Since January of 2009, Emily Warren & The Betters have worked with well-known producers David Kahne (Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney, Sublime) and DibS (Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Cat Power), played at numerous venues in and around New York City (such as Santos Party House, Webster Hall Studio, (le) Poisson Rouge, Arlene's Grocery), released an EP onto iTunes, and made even the most timid, reserved, and apprehensive wallflowers get to their feet and dance like there's no tomorrow.
Named Deli Magazine's "Artist of the Month" in February 2011, a song featured on the soundtrack of the new MTV series, "Skins", a plethora of upcoming shows and events, a steadily increasing buzz and brand new outfits, it seems pretty clear that 2011 will be a big year for Emily Warren & The Betters. Be sure to check www.myspace.com/emilywarrenmusic for upcoming dates and shows so that you yourself can get a taste. This band will, without a doubt, make you BETTER.
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