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Will the Bay Area alt-country circle be unbroken, by and by, lawd, by and by?
Val Esway continues hosting her semiregular Acoustic Onslaught series at Epic Arts' 1923 Teahouse, picking up the headlining slot and making room for quite a few of her friends.
Her new project, El Mirage, makes its live debut tonight featuring members of the Plain High Drifters as well as some of Esway's mates in Loretta Lynch and Ramona the Pest.
El Mirage's debut disc, Lovers Losers Liars, is a melancholy masterwork of high lonesome, with Esway's almost-too-pop-to-be-country voice dressed down in steel guitar, bleak imagery, and heart-busted harmonies.
The mirage will be made manifest at the Teahouse with a little help from Esway's friends -- Yard Sale's Denise Funari will perform one of her first-ever solo sets, and Jeffery Ruiz, aka drummer Bristle J of Loretta Lynch, will be doing his own, seldom-heard originals.
Epic Arts can be found at 1923 Ashby Ave. in Berkeley, and cover is a $5-$10 sliding-scale donation. 8:30 p.m. Seating is limited. 510-644-2204. -- Stefanie Kalem
- East Bay Express - April 2005
Val Esway “Lovers, Losers, Liars” (Independent 2005) The ultra-cheap packaging of this unassuming little 7 track EP (photocopied insert in plastic sleeve) betrays the high quality, variety and originality within.
Sounding in parts like a girlier, post-modern Lucinda or a more trailer-park Indigo Girl, Val Esway flirts with everything from hillbilly to ballad to blues and does so very convincingly.
The vocal harmonies on ‘Someone I Used to Know’ and ‘Ringer’ are particularly beautiful. ‘Birds’, like a dark, old-timey waltz, also showcases layers of tingling, soaring vocals.
Esway’s eight-piece support, El Mirage, almost upstage her occasionally with some neat bursts of slide and violin but, overall, they’re a nice mini-heaven of stars, none outshining the other. Equal parts twang, tingle and torch, the sound she calls ‘Ameri...kinda’ is kinda good.
www.staggeringsiren.com
RC
7 out of 10
- Americana-UK - June 2005
For the full article, go to:
http://www.ctrlaltcountry.be
They gave it 4 out of 5 smiley faces!
It's written in Dutch, so bring your translator. - Ctrl.Alt.Country - July 2005
For the full article, go to:
http://www.altcountry.nl/recensiesjuni05.html#esway
They gave it 4 out of 5 ponies!
Also written in Dutch, so bring your translator!
- Altcountry.NL - June 2005
Discography
Val Esway and El Mirage -- Pretend to Believe
Val Esway and El Mirage -- Lovers, Losers, Liars
Loretta Lynch - Concrete & Ether
Loretta Lynch -- self titled
Ramona the Pest -- Contrary Sanctuary
Ramona the Pest -- Birds, Bugs, Bones
Ramona the Pest -- Little Knives
Ramona the Pest -- Cans of Worms
All four of Ramona the Pest's releases, as well as Loretta Lynch's release, have received college radio airplay. Val Esway, Ramona the Pest and Loretta Lynch music can be dowloaded at www.staggeringsiren.com
Photos
Bio
After years spent winning folks over with the ethereal soundscapes of Ramona the Pest and the twang inspired stylings of Loretta Lynch, Val Esway continues her explorations of love, liquor & loss with her second El Mirage release, "Pretend to Believe".
This full length album showcases Val's spine-tingling vocals with the power of a full band, and is chock full of more bitter lullabies, murder ballads & twangy torch ballads, for a sound she likes to call Ameri…kinda.
Whether she’s singing sweet sounding tales of liquor and despair or toe tapping ditties of revenge and loss, Val Esway will surely disarm you with her soulful siren sounds.
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