With her plaintive, sometimes delicate voice, Singer/Songwriter Emily Arin weaves tales concerned with the heavy graces of being human. She explores experiences where shadows and light converge and transformation is offered as a possibility. Deep in the bones of Arin’s songs, one can trace the wide-ranging mix of influences from Hank Williams and Memphis Minnie to Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Caetano Veloso, Tom Waits, Sybille Baier and Gillian Welch.
“The most talented solo artist to emerge in Ithaca in recent years, Emily Arin writes with profound emotional intimacy and honesty and hasan exquisite voice to boot,” said Luke Z. Fenchel of the Ithaca Journal. “Her talent is on par with early Gillian Welch, Jana Hunter and Nina Nastasia.”
In late summer of 2007 Arin moved from her native Los Angeles to Schuyler County to focus on developing her songwriting skills without the distractions of the big city. Since relocating to the Southern Tier, she has expanded her body of work, performed regularly in Ithaca and New York City, debuted in Austin, Texas and been joined by a stellar backing band.
“Songwriting for me is a process of distillation,” explained Arin. “My aim is to work to arrive at an essence—to repeatedly filter an idea/emotion until lyrics, melody, and rhythm combine to form an honest vehicle for sharing life’s poignancy, playfulness and mystery.” Whether autobiographical songs of love and longing, or third person waltzes and ballads, Arin’s inventiveness with language and melody hold court.
This past year, her songs have captured the affection of radio luminary, Vin Scelsa, and garnered praise from Kim Ruehl on No Depression’s website where she was named one of the “top five unkown artists you love.” Her song “When You Knew Me When” was recently selected for the soundtrack to Greenland’s first international feature film “Nuummioq” alongside work from Giant Sand, Howe Gelb, Matt Bauer and Nive Nielson.
Other 2009 highlights include opening for John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats) at Ithaca College and working with Greg Weeks (Espers, Language of Stone) to record her first full-length studio album slated for release in early 2010. Emily Arin will also be appearing on albums by Artanker Convoy (Social Registry) and Jennie Lowe Stearns in early 2010.
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Recommended if you like: Jana Hunter, Laura Veirs, Gillian Welch, Leonard Cohen, Alela Diane, Cat Power, Connie Converse, Eilen Jewell, Josh Ritter, Jolie
Holland, Laura Gibson.
“Emily Arin is one of my finds here at the end of the year,” said Vin Scelsa. “She's one of the most interesting new songwriters I’ve come across in a while.”
“I know “she sings like a bird” is kind of cliché, but there’s a reason for every cliché, and I think Emily Arin’s voice is just flat-out birdlike. If I could choose the soundtrack to my REM sleep, I think it would sound like this,” wrote Kim Ruehl for No Depression, “Kind of reminds me of Laura Gibson, if I must draw a comparison.”
"Not to be missed Montour Falls singer and songwriter who is one part Jana Hunter, one part Richard Swift and one part Lavender Diamond. "White Heat" from Time & Space, the culmination of Arin's 2007 subscription series, burns soft and warm like a kerosene lantern in
winter." -Luke Z. Fenchel
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