Music
Press
This bright and clever album shakes through friendly, sweet and modern bluegrass fronted by crystal clear female vocals. Along with the usual sweet curl of a standard bluegrass sound- that ringing mandolin, warm guitar and crying fiddle- Stichcraft brings in an extra bit of playfulness and spark to a genre that has seen an incredible amount of attention in the last few years. Weaving in some hearty, singer/songwriter folk feel, their self-titled album is wholesome and grounded, accessible and contemporary while still appealing to the bluegrass purist. A delightful album.
- CD Baby - www.cdbaby.com/stitchcraft
In their self-titled album, if you listen very intently, the wide and diverse range of Stitchcraft's influences is apparent. Unlikek other reviewers, I would not hasten to list bluegrass as one of their main sources, not with their songs laden with Flamenco guitar, traditional Brazilian and west coast South American melodies, haunting freak-folk vocal harmonies, and lyrics describing Irish heritage, banyan trees, and the tide. These Florida girls sure are a blend of many sources. However, when you sit down and listen to this album completely, their style is so crisp and defined that where their inspirations lie and what genre they fit into become moot points behind the overwhelming newness and pleasant feel of their style. What they have done is made a sound so so clean and well-assembled that it stands on it's own. Finding what brought Stitchcraft to their current status is an interesting and diverse journey, sure, but purists of any musical persuasion will realize that where they have arrived is a damn good place to bask in the sun.
- Amelia Bird, sun basker & writer extraodinaire
"The featured performer this monday at the ol' Utah is Stitchcraft. Yeah, I said it: Stitchcraft. With the magical, fantastical (but never irascible) lyrics, with the bouncy fiddle playing by Anna, with Heather's gypsyesc guitar picking, with Ezra (and perhaps Jamie?) wailing away with focused fury, the Stitchcraft, when they get it in gear, well it's really something to behold. When they're in gear and I close my eyes real tight, in the movie in my head I'm running through woods with the birds and the trees perhaps occasionally twirling about like Julie Andrews in Sound of Music, but I'll only do that if nobody is looking. and I know I shouldn't name favorites, but my favorite part of their music is their harmonies. Usually, to sing with that sort of intertwined artistry, one needs to be singing with a conjoined twin, each anticipating the others subtlies and nuance. and it is very impressive when non-conjoined twins are able to pull it off. and it is even more impressive when two non-twin siblings do it. But! Anna and Heather are not even related - no fooling. it's bewitching indeed.. Hey, you should come out this monday and check out Stitchcraft. You will not be sorry. You will be so not sorry, you will forget what sorry ever meant. and you will also be bewitched. For more info on Stitchcraft, have a look here: http://theutah.org/artist/stitchcraft." - www.theutah.org
NPR.org, March 17, 2006 - Stitchcraft is a musical duo out of Sarasota, Fla., with Heather Normandale on guitar and mandolin and Anna Perlmutter on the fiddle. After playing together for two years in a local band called Stone Soup, the two inspired musicians realized the potential of their acoustic roots and began playing together at local venues and festivals.
Normandale and Perlmutter's music relies heavily on the intricate harmonies they create not only with their instruments but also their shimmering voices.
Their local community is a vital part of Stitchcraft's music and they say they'd like to use their talents to give something back. Normandale and Perlmutter recently spearheaded a project to bring local musicians and artists together to create a children's album of songs and spoken word. All proceeds from the album's sale will go to charities in the area.
The featured track on Stitchcraft's self-titled album is "Long Rivers."
See and hear StitchCraft's song "Long Rivers" featured on NPR's online Open Mic with an audio introduction by Heather and Anna.
Copy & paste the following URL:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5257001 - National Public Radio - online Open Mic
Discography
Albums:
StitchCraft's "Through the Hoolaboo," 2009
StitchCraft's self titled debut album, 2005
Also produced and participated in the CDs:
Dandelion Collective's "Animal Tracks," 2006
Stone Soup's "Dancin' Shoes," 2003
Heather Normandale's "Inspiration," 2001
Photos
Bio
StitchCraft is a winding tale of chasing kites and sewing seeds in the soil and the stories that blow and grow life into our lyrical bodies. Our community creates the music that we absorb and reflect back with insistence and intensity. Our stories spin and sail into each other's to create patchworks of meaning - like the quilts that comfort us in the face of inevitable loss - like the soup that feeds our hungry ghosts; we honor the participation of the player, the muse, and the audience in their dance with life, death, adventure and self realization. Music is a lover and a healer to all of us.
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Combining a unique mix of guitar, cello, 5-string violin, and banjo with intricate string and vocal arrangements, this San Francisco based group, plays a dynamic and versatile array of music - from lyrical ballads to driving and powerful anthems - to genre-bending, world-music-inspired folk fusion.
Their music mixes rich harmonic arrangements, thoughtful lyrics, and undercurrents intricately woven rhythms to produce delicate yet vivid melodic textures.
Their newest album, Through the Hoolaboo, released in May, 2009, creates a densely rich and atmospheric soundscape with powerful vocals, orchestral arrangements, and a creative range of instrumental influences. The name of the album, and much of the lyrical substance originates from the shared history of ocean to tree hopping growth in the lightness and darkness of change.
In the quilted history surrounding the group's first collaborations, the song "In Memory" was written as part of a choreographed therapeutic dance for members of their community to memorialize the death of a friend. To honor the life that remains with us is a strong undercurrent of the album and band's internal ethos.
StitchCraft has had the honor of being involved in San Francisco's sustainable music movement, contributing to and performing in the Bicycle Music Festival, which travels from park to park on pedal powered PAs and all human power. They have performed with bands such as Devotchka, Thao Nguyen, Vagabond Opera, JayMay, Loop Station, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, The Sensations, Manicato and the Slip at Bay area venues such as Cafe du Nord, the Makeout Room, Amnesia, El Rio, the late Canvas Gallery, indie craft fair Bizarre Bazaar, the Hemlock Tavern, Red Devil Lounge and the Hotel Utah.
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