on the new album:
shelley o'brien (vox, (prepared) piano, uke, melodica, organ, accordian, harmonium, glockenspiel, casio, found sound)
matt rogers (percussion, guitar, mandolin, banjo, glockenspiel, funny laugh, horn arrangements)
ryan stewart (drums)
james forrest (upright bass, good vibe)
steven drake (autoharp, vibes, guitar, spaceship, sage advice)
jens christiansen (clarinet)
serena eades (violin)
mark d'angelo (trumpet)
francois levesque (trombone)
mike needham (trombone,bass trombone)
mark berube (accordian)
graemme brown (zen master)
riki blanco (album art)
morgan mcconnell, gordon larin, martine campbell, heidi berndt, shawn hall, ben rogers (chorus)
Influences
longing for what isn't, seeing what is, mountains, wind, rain, glaciers, acorns, the ocean, birds, sailing, sensei, jizo, rumi, the bath house in spirited away, chagall, riki blanco, making people laugh, haruki murakami's monster story from elephant vanishes, mucha, circles, silence, arvo part, velocipedes, travel by ship, travel by train, travel by foot, m ward, yann tiersen, nina simone, clara rockmore.
Sounds Like
www.rikiblanco.net
a walk through an abandoned fairground, a children's book...mostly though, just me.
Influenced by the ever-changing, ever-circling dark and light around her, Shelley O’Brien is a melancholy poet with an unshakably happy streak. She's been a bit of a vagabond, spending months sailing seas, years living in the far east, days traveling on trains through eastern and western Europe, and her songs are full of the subtleties of comings and goings. She has played in many places: a church in Dawson City, Yukon, The Drake Hotel in Toronto, a mountain top tea-house in Japan, a balcony in Umbria, a cigar lounge in the Gulf of Mexico. In June 2008 she completed her new album “you, me and the birds” with Vancouver indie producer Matthew Rogers (CR Avery, Mark Berube, The Fugitives). Using her toy-box collection of ukulele, casio, melodica and piano to accompany her rained-upon old style voice, she leads us through an abandoned fairground, reads us a whimsical children’s story, and sets us on our way, newfound.
... ...
be well, be happy, and thanks for listening.
limited edition copies are sold out - hang tight for CD release in Toronto this spring!
Hey Shelley! Thanks for the add, i discover your beautiful music... I love ukulele, i love melodica and accordion... So fantastic! And the cover of your album is so cute! I hope see you soon!
ahhh. so lovely to hear from you and to revisit your sweet sweet music.. i will be returning to vancouver in december.. let' get together, shall we? best,s
Shelley! We are so close, yet still far away.... :( My time has gone way to fast here, but the good news is that I have a new healthy niece named Nova! I'm sorry to not make it up to Vancouver as is Vidar. Please come to Iceland and sing for us all!
Thanks for the friend request. Your music is beautiful and so is your voice. I'll see if I can make it to your show in Rotterdam (I'll be playing in the same café a few weeks before you).
I got my soundcard back!! Finally had a listen to your music. I went "Awwww..." a few times. Your music has a very childlike quality and curiosity about it. I can definately squeeze this delightful muse into the radio show. It's quite unique and has a sweet and lightly quirky sensibility to it.
Hi Shelley, I LOVE your songs and the artwork on the cover of your album...that is just wonderful! So you're going to be in Holland?!...cool! We host a monthly ukulele happening in Rotterdam and it would be so great if you would perform there. Mail me and we'll talk about it! Go to shelleyrickey. blogspot. com and on the right hand side there is a link where you can send me an e-mail.
Shelley! I miss you ....We must catch up soon :) Lot..s to catch up on. We are in PDX now and are headed up to Seattle on Sunday. I will be in seattle for two weeks. Our plans from there depend on Drie..s birth. Let..s talk soon! I miss you my love.
heyaaaa hope you had a lovely weekend :) we've got a new song thought i'd let you know! i'm jealous of all your lovely instruments by the way! tis awesome! :D chat soon! barry black touch xxx
Hey Shelley, cool tunes. Pretty funny running into you at the bbq, but you missed out on some good bowling. Come down to Lime on the 8th for Redgrass if you can! KRis
