Led to Sea
Seattle, Washington, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
...it'll likely be one of the records that local music critics will mention in their top lists at the end of the year. Alex Guy writes mostly viola-based songs are as unique as they are eerily lovely. Comparisons to Andrew Bird are bound to happen, but Led to Sea have a far more organic sound. The orchestration is light and the accompaniment is sparse but smartly put together. There isn't an overbearing moment in there. Go if only for the sake of watching a talented violist stun a talkative Seattle audience into silence. - Seattle Show Gal
Overall, between the perky, poppy tracks and the lengthy, moody ones, Into the Darkening Sky is one of this year's most pleasant surprises. One would imagine these songs would be particularly exciting to hear in a live setting, and with a little bit of luck perhaps her upcoming string of tour dates with Laura Veirs both in the United States and Europe will lead to a great increase of Last.fm listeners. Led to Sea certainly deserves any attention she gets. - In Your Speakers
Led to Sea played afterward and blew the audience away.... You could identify people in the
audience who had not seen her perform before because they were picking
their lower jaws up off their tables. According to the band's MySpace
page, Led to Sea usually consists of three members playing a variety
of instruments. This evening, however, it was one person with a viola,
a loop station and a microphone. The performance was nothing short of
enigmatic. The layered viola melodies coupled with an incredible voice
was enough to hypnotize me for the duration of her set."
-Bellingham Herald - Bellingham Herald
Discography
Into the Darkening Sky (LP, Self-released, 2010)
Led to Sea (Self-titled LP, Eleven Records, 2008)
Radio airplay: KEXP: Is this the last time
streaming:
Is this the Last Time
Rust
Night calls to the Humble
Photos
Bio
Led to Sea is the unusual and magnetic work of Seattle-based string player Alex Guy. Her live show as a solo string player and vocalist has captivated audiences all over the U.S. and Europe, and draws comparisons to St. Vincent and Andrew Byrd. Her local appearances, accompanied by some of Seattle’s most talented and creative players, include an in-studio on KEXP and shows at Neumos, the Crocodile and Chop Suey.
Led to Sea’s latest album, "Into the Darkening Sky", is a beautiful collection of orchestral compositions and stripped-down songs for viola, voice and drums, and has critics raving. She's joined on the record by a crew of incredible Seattle musicians, including Lori Goldston (Nirvana, Black Cat Orchestra) on cello, Jherek Bischoff (Carla Bozulich) on bass and Paris Hurley (Kulture Shock) on violin.
Alex recently returned from a month-long European tour opening, as Led to Sea, for Americana songster Laura Veirs to sold out houses and ecstatic reception. Her upcoming tour this spring will take her all across the U.S. as the support act for Mirah and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down..
Over the last seven years, Guy has toured with Mirah, Laura Veirs, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down and Danny Barnes. She has recorded on the albums of Xiu Xiu, the Dead Science, Parenthetical Girls, and the Pharmacy.
"Alex Guy (as Led to Sea) is one of those artists, like St. Vincent or Andrew Bird, who approaches pop music with the eye of a classical composer, breaking down and rebuilding pop tropes into something resembling fine art. It's a constant balancing act, combining classical and pop. But in Led to Sea's case, Guy is able to have her cake and eat it too. " — Weekly Volcano
"...it'll likely be one of the records that local music critics will mention in their top lists at the end of the year. Alex Guy writes mostly viola-based songs are as unique as they are eerily lovely. Comparisons to Andrew Bird are bound to happen, but Led to Sea have a far more organic sound. The orchestration is light and the accompaniment is sparse but smartly put together. There isn't an overbearing moment in there. Go if only for the sake of watching a talented violist stun a talkative Seattle audience into silence." — Seattle Show Gal
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