Album Notes

THE ARTIST

Silk & Olive began in 2004 as the solo project of Portland, Oregon musician, Andy Fish. Dark & haunting, S & O exudes the rawness of PJ Harvey, the poetic lyricism of Suzanne Vega and the quirky art-folk finesse of Cat Power.


THE CD

Released September, 2008. Recorded by Scott Weddle of the band AMELIA and mixed by Dave Fulton, the release is S&O's 2nd following 2005's "Small Dark Light". Although TITTL continues to venture in the minimalistic splendor of the previous record, a variety of guest musicians are incorporated to accentuate the film score-like quality. Highlights include Scott Weddle on lap steel in the nostalgic ballad "Wapsiana", Jolie Clausen on percussion in the trashy, Tom Waits-esque "Bad Baby Pie" and Michael Grossman on violin throughout, reinforcing the ephemeral quality of this sad yet electric whirlpool of songs.


RED VINYL LP

The EP is also available on limited press 12" transparent red vinyl, with different artwork and includes a bonus track recorded live on Valentine's Day, 2008, at a sold-out Mississippi Studios show in Portland. Available on CD Baby.


THE HISTORY

Fish found her way into music in rural Iowa, at the age of 9 when given a cheap tape recorder and plastic microphone. "As an only child, one method of entertainment was to burrow away and listen to pop music on AM and FM radio. I would jam in private and record these simplistic cassette mixes, crudely overdubbing my own voice as DJ." As a teenager, Fish studied both piano and trombone and was given a butter yellow Ovation electric by a generous stranger just before joining her first rock band, "Urban Myth" in Madison, WI in 1993. Quips Fish "We were a grunge version of Fairport Convention meets Camper Van Beethoven, but with more distortion." She relocated to the West Coast and in 1998 released "Porch Songs: A Willamette Valley Acoustic Compilation", featuring Eugene and Portland female solo artists. Several tracks found themselves in regular rotation on college radio nationwide. After performing in multiple Eugene and Portland projects, Fish went solo with "Silk & Olive" in 2004.


FILM/VIDEO

The nostalgic, almost dream-like character of S & O lends itself well to film and video. S & O's music can be found on "Wonders of Wildlife", a video sponsored by the Nature Conservancy which highlights the work of conservationist Aldo Leopold. Fish also served as co-music supervisor and music contributor for "The Truth About Suicide", a video produced by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, shown nationally to college students. Additionally, S&O's "Sea Heart" is expected to appear in the Eugene-based upcoming independent film entitled "Phoned".