Rachel Harrington
Seattle, Washington, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
FOUR STARS: “ancient-sounding country noir … Harrington is all about what’s left off her songs, and the skeletal arrangements leave the listener to fill in the unspoken terrors and tenderness that lie beneath”
Bury Me Close: #34 on Q’s 50 Essential Tracks To Download This Month
~Q magazine (Feb 2011)
FOUR STARS: “songs that conjure the ghosts of old America”
~Mojo (Feb 2011)
FOUR STARS: The Irish Times Top-10 Albums of the Year List includes cds by Bruce Springsteen, Richard Thompson, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant and Neil Young. At #7, Rachel Harrington's Celilo Falls.
~The Irish Times (Dec 2010)
FOUR STARS: “a compelling blend of twang and swing … a sharply rendered sound portrait”
~Songlines (Jan 2011)
“some of 2010's most heart warming tracks with its timeless, traditional take on American folk. An inspiring album indeed!”
~Neon Filler (UK) # 6 Album Of The Year (2010) ~Bluebunny
FOUR ½ STARS: “drawn from traditional American folk, shades of bluegrass, country and a rural soul, it is music which transcends its own influences (Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, the Carter Family and all the way down those Smithsonian Folkways) before being realised as a wonderfully authentic sound”
~All Gigs
“Harrington returns to the alt-country fore with another melancholic slice of beautifully doomful Americana … an album stripped back to beautiful basics with a raw beauty and solitary campfire pathos”
~AU
“Rachel Harrington belongs at the top of Americana today, on equal altitude with Gillian Welch or Emmylou Harris”
~Rootstime
“There's an old saying that ‘the third time's a charm.’ Well, Rachel's third CD release, Celilo Falls, is more than just charming; it's another top notch release by a first-rate artist and songwriter.”
~Dennis Brunnenmeyer, DJ, Nevada City Limits, KVMR-FM
“conjuring Emmylou … could have come from the Louvins’ catalogue … [Harrington is an] angel on earth.” ~NetRhythms
“haunted, gothic Americana … FOUR STARS!”
~The Daily Mirror
“Harrington is one of those artists Brits get before she registers with her fellow Americans. Listen up, America!” ~Electric Ghost
“I don't think we'll have a better folk record this year”
~Dani Heyvaert, DJ
“it has fallen straight into my top CD of 2010 slot and hasn’t been out of my CD player since it arrived … Celilo Falls will find its place among the best material out there”
~Flyin Shoes
“a first rate songwriter and performer, with a collection of highly personal songs that pull no punches”
~Northern Sky
“personal heartaches, break-ups, dissatisfaction, the inevitability of death and loss in general. It's a brave move - but a rewarding one ….With deep, heartfelt lyrics and exemplary musicianship, Celilo Falls is a very welcome and worthy addition to Harrington’s growing and impressive body of work.”
~Marsh Towers
“it is beyond words. It moved me so much (it is a fact that I cried listening to the beauty of your album) ... this Cd is a musical gem!”
~Mike Penard, DJ
“winning formula … the American folk of pre-electric country … an accomplished and engaging musician and singer …Harrington's honest unaffected voice injects that essential leavening of "truth" into her songs, ~Americana UK
“superb country-folk songs”
~Alt Country NL
“[the 13 tracks] score Harrington thirteen homeruns … a cd that stands beside the best of Gillian Welch, Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams”
~CTRL. ALT. COUNTRY
Spotlight: CD of the Week ~Roots Revival “Harrington is a rescuer of lost souls … urgently recommended!”
~Hooked On Music
“One to watch!”
~Music Missionary
“like turning the clock back a century … each and every note is audible, and counts …haunting and plaintive vocals …the whole album demands serious listening”
~Get Ready To Rock - Celilo Falls:
~UK/EUROPE RADIO PLAY Continued ~
The Miller Tells Her Tale (UK)
Country Stew, on Radio Compagnie (Netherlands)
House of Mercy Radio (UK)
Roots and Fusion Radio (UK)
Goodno(i)ose Radio (Netherlands)
Bay Country FM (UK)
The Comfort Zone - CMT Nashville (UK)
FolkRadio.co.uk
~ SELECT US RADIO PLAY ~
KBCS, Christine Linde, Seattle, WA
KBOO, Early Morning Gumbo with Diane Karl, Portland, OR
KCLC, The Acoustic Edge with Naomi Soule/Terry Moses, St. Louis, MO
KCUB, Shayne Hollinger, Stephenville, TX
KEXP, Seattle, WA
KFAI, Ellen Stanley, Minneapolis, MN
KFAN, Dawn Dale, Fredericksberg, TX
KGLP, Tom Funk, Gallup, NM
KGNU, Roger Wise, Westcliffe, CO
KNBA, Bud Johnson, Tok, AK
KRCB, Bill Frater, Santa Rosa, CA
KRCB, Johnny Bazzano, Santa Rosa, CA
KUT, Tom Pittman, Austin, TX
KVMR, Dennis Brunenmeyer, Nevada City, CA
KVMR, Larry Hillberg, Nevada City, CA
KVMR, Laurie DesJardins, Nevada City, CA
KZSC, Clytia Fuller, Santa Cruz, CA
KZSU, Bruce Ross, Stanford, CA
WBGU, David Sears, Bowling Green, OH
WCNI, Brian Bourgoin, East Haddam, CT
WDBM, Douglas Neal, East Lansing, MI
WDBX, Gaye & Randy Auxier, Carbondale, IL
WDVL, Mike Wuerstle/Ginny Lee, Kintnersville, PA
WEFT, Kevin Elliott, Champaign, IL
WETS, Wayne Winkler, Johnson City, TN
WHFR, John Bommarito, Dearborn, MI
WFIT, The Shuffle with Todd Gross, Melbourne, FL
WGDR, Mark Michaelis, Marshfield, VT
WHUS, Matt Schuyler, Storrs, CT
WIKX/Clear Channel, Larry Timko, Port Charlotte, FL
WLRN, Michael Stock, Miami, FL
WMBR, Lost Highway with Doug Gesler, Cambridge, MA
WMHB, Jerry Saint Amand, Waterville, ME
WNCW, Martin Anderson, Spindale, NC
WOJB, Mark Pedersen, Barron, WI
WOUB, Rusty Smith, Athens, OH
WRIR, Garry Morse, Chester, VA
WRIU, Dan Ferguson, Peace Dale, RI
WRKF, Hootenanny Power with Taylor Caffery, Baton Rouge, LA
WSDP, Bill Keith, Canton, MI
WSLR, Craig Huegel, Seminole, FL
WSLU, The Folk Show with Mike Alzo, Canton, NY
WSPN, Chris McGill, Saratoga Springs, NY
WTIP, Cathy Quinn, Grand Marais, MN
WTSR, Peter Kernast, Ewing, NJ
WTTU, Tristessa Howard, Cookeville, TN
WUNC, Chapel Hill, NC
WVGN, Douglas Dick, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
WVUD, Mark Taylor, Newark, DE
WWUH, Ed McKeon, Hartford, CT
WWUH, Steve Theaker, Glastonbury, CT
WYEP, An American Sampler with Kenneth Batista, Pittsburgh, PA
WZBC, Sunday Morning Country with Cousin Kate, Chestnut Hill, MA
Taproot Radio, Calvin Powers, Chapel Hill, NC (podcast)
Live 365, Radio Wayne with Wayne Green (podcast)
Online Folk Festival, Greg Grant, Columbus, OH (podcast)
Complete US Radio Play Map for Celilo Falls: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=205756170037380291043.00049d0dae3e49ee446b0&ll=41.112469,-83.144531&spn=48.374705,115.488281&z=3
- Celilo Falls:
5 of 5 STARS, Album of the Month (Dec 2010): “Americana as a musical genre is too often a catchall term for singer songwriters wishing to hide the fact that they are singer songwriters. But there are times when you find a performer who not just fits but also seems to define the genre. With her third album “Celilo Falls”, Rachel Harrington shows us her true calibre.”
~Bluesbunny
Feature Spotlight – “eagerly anticipated third album”
~M Is For Music
“Harrington’s voice is extraordinary, her songwriting consistently strong”
~Backroads Music
“as evocative as ever”
~Folk and Roots
“an album of short stories that’ll take you back in time”
~Leicester Bangs
“superb material … Harrington’s a class act, for sure!”
~Bristol Evening Post
“evokes images of worn guitars, wooden porches and passion within … Harrington is turning stories into songs”
~Soundblab
FOUR STARS: “an album that reaches deep into the soul”
~Country Music People
“Harrington’s scope is positively cinematic – an immense and awe-inspiring soundtrack.”
~Taplas Magazine (Wales)
FOUR STARS: “a beautiful sounding record packed full of inspirational and stirring Americana that stands her apart from many of her contemporaries. Harrington deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Nanci Griffith, Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris and this album will make sure she is.”
~The Music Critic
"Best known to UK audiences as a cult live performer, including acclaimed performances with Lindisfarne’s Rod Clements, Oregon-born Rachel Harrington’s third LP Celilo Falls, [has] rustic country charm imbued with bluegrass flourishes and gospel melodies. … unfailingly tasteful … wonderful lewd … desperately pretty and sad”
~Wears The Trousers
“a voice from an [older] generation … angelic … twangy”
~Pennyblack Music
“even though many of her songs are set in the here and now they have the feel of timelessness that lasting music should have”
~Lonesome Highway
FOUR STARS: “an album of incredible maturity … marvelous!”
~Rock and Reel
“sounding at once from a bygone age and as fresh and comforting as home-baked bread”
~The Sunday Herald (Scotland)
RADIO CHARTS
~Debuted at #3 on the Euro-Americana Chart, October 2010
~#9 Euro-Americana Chart, Nov 2010
~#8 Euro-Americana Chart, Dec 2010
~#9 Euro-Americana Chart, Jan 2011
~#12 Euro-Americana Chart, Feb 2011
~#2 Washington State Radio Chart, Feb 11, 2011
~#22 Roots Music Report chart, Feb 2011
~#17 FAR Chart, Jan 2011
~ UK/EUROPE RADIO PLAY ~
Live on Bob Harris BBC 2 (UK), August 19, 2010
World on 3 with Mary Ann Kennedy, BBC Radio 3 (UK)
Late Date - RTE Radio 1 (Ireland)
The Late Show with Cherrie McIlwaine, BBC Radio Ulster (UK)
Iain Anderson, BBC Radio Scotland For Folks Sake - Drive 105.3FM (Derry, Ireland)
Tiompan, BBC Radio nan Gaidheal
The Weekend On One, RTE Radio 1 (Ireland)
Shakenstir Radio Session, Shakenstir/Calon
105fm Celtic Country - Celtic Music Radio (Glasgow)
Hillbilly Rockhouse (Germany)
Good Morning Sunday with Aled Jones, BBC Radio 2 (UK)
Fàilt' air an Dùthaich - BBC Radio nan Gàidheal (UK)
Phil Lyons Country Music Show, BC-FM (Bristol, UK)
Caschlar, BBC Radio Ulster (UK)
Another Country with Ricky Ross, BBC Radio Scotland
The Gilded Palace Of Sin, Totally Radio (UK)
Cruisin' with Don Chisholm, MFR (Moray Firth, UK)
Americana OK (UK)
Ralph McLean Country, BBC Radio Ulster (UK)
PeelGrass (Netherlands)
Lord Litter’s Magic Music Box (Netherlands)
Americana Music Club (Netherlands)
Blueprint 478 (Netherlands)
On The Porch, K103 Gothenburg College Radio (Sweden)
Country Festival (Netherlands)
Acoustic Rain (Netherlands)
Crossroads (Netherlands)
Landslide 601 (Netherlands)
Blue Wednesday (Netherlands)
Leith FM (Scotland)
Dutch Roots Radio (Netherlands)
Marie Crichton's Country Show, BBC Radio Shropshire (UK)
Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering, BBC Radio Scotland
- Celilo Falls:
Discography
Makin' Our House A Honkytonk (2012)
Celilo Falls (2011)
In The Woods: Like in The Netherlands (2009)
City of Refuge (2008)
Bootlegger's Daughter (2007)
Halloween Leaves, EP (2004)
Photos
Bio
A winner in the 2011 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest, Rachel Harrington has been doing things in the wrong order for quite some time. She'd had extensive radio play before performing her first live show, and she was opening for Grammy winners and nominees before releasing her first record.
Reared among the Pentecostal pines of Oregon, Rachel now has under her belt 4 full-length albums, a scrapbook full of awards and accolades, and a cult-like following of fans around the world.
Harrington's last release, Celilo Falls, garnered sweeping 4-star reviews in major music publications (Mojo, Q, Songlines), debuted at #3 on the Euro-Americana Chart, reached Top-40 on the Americana Music Association radio chart, #5 on the Folk-DJ chart, #9 on the Roots Music Report chart, and #12 on the Freeform American Roots chart. Last year, Rachel was a winner in Merlefest's 2011 song contest, a finalist in the Dave Carter Songwriting Contest at Sisters Folk Festival, and had official showcases at both the western regional and international Folk Alliance conferences. She has appeared numerous times on the BBC's legendary Bob Harris show and reached millions of listeners through airplay at Starbucks.
In 2012, Harrington will release Makin' Our House A Honkytonk, a refreshing collection of good-time, old-school country with her all-girl backing band, The Knock Outs.
In the meantime, she's embarking on a massive tour of US as a duo.
REVIEWS:
FOUR STARS: “Ancient-sounding country noir … Harrington is all about what’s left off her songs, and the skeletal arrangements leave the listener to fill in the unspoken terrors and tenderness that lie beneath”
Bury Me Close: #34 on Q’s 50 Essential Tracks To Download This Month
~Q magazine (Feb 2011)
FOUR STARS: “Songs that conjure the ghosts of old America”
~Mojo (Feb 2011)
FOUR STARS: The Irish Times Top-10 Albums of the Year List includes cds by Bruce Springsteen, Richard Thompson, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant and Neil Young. At #7, Rachel Harrington's Celilo Falls.
~The Irish Times (Dec 2010)
FOUR STARS: “A compelling blend of twang and swing … a sharply rendered sound portrait”
~Songlines (Jan 2011)
“Some of 2010's most heart warming tracks with its timeless, traditional take on American folk. An inspiring album indeed!”
~Neon Filler (UK) # 6
Album Of The Year (2010) ~Bluesbunny
FOUR ½ STARS: “Drawn from traditional American folk, shades of bluegrass, country and a rural soul, it is music which transcends its own influences (Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, the Carter Family and all the way down those Smithsonian Folkways) before being realised as a wonderfully authentic sound”
~All Gigs
“Harrington returns to the alt-country fore with another melancholic slice of beautifully doomful Americana … an album stripped back to beautiful basics with a raw beauty and solitary campfire pathos”
~AU
“Rachel Harrington belongs at the top of Americana today, on equal altitude with Gillian Welch or Emmylou Harris”
~Rootstime
“Conjuring Emmylou … could have come from the Louvins’ catalogue … [Harrington is an] angel on earth.” ~NetRhythms
“Haunted, gothic Americana … FOUR STARS!”
~The Daily Mirror
“Harrington is one of those artists Brits get before she registers with her fellow Americans. Listen up, America!” ~Electric Ghost
“I don't think we'll have a better folk record this year”
~Dani Heyvaert, DJ
“It has fallen straight into my top CD of 2010 slot and hasn’t been out of my CD player since it arrived … Celilo Falls will find its place among the best material out there”
~Flyin Shoes
“A first rate songwriter and performer, with a collection of highly personal songs that pull no punches”
~Northern Sky
Links
