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Rockin' in the Region |
This page was updated 01/30/2008
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Rockin' in the Region |
Songwriter
recording album
(reprinted from the March 23, 2007 Journal Gazette
Weekender by Emma Downs edowns@jg.net)
To hear music by Allison Demaree, log onto www.journalgazette.net
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For the past four months - most of them marred by hectic schedules and long car trips - local singer-songwriter Allison Demaree has been working on a new album. Tentatively titled "Deadly Nightshade", the project is the result of nearly half a decade of writing - years of scribbling and attempting to distill her experiences into a collection of words on paper. Every few weeks, Demaree and her creative partner, Ohio-based producer Alexander Arnold, gather at Demaree's apartment to record. And in the shadow of her grandfather's piano, the two experiment with Demaree's stripped-down poetics and delicate prog-rock piano ballads. |
The process is exhilarating, but it's a little intimidating, too, she says.
"It's scary actually," Demaree says. "I pace around the apartment the entire time. Because I can't picture myself listening to this album years from now and wishing I did something differently. I've worked on these songs for four years."
For those who remember Demaree's work in the now-defunct band Romans, "Deadly Nightshade" is a highly anticipated project. and it doesn't disappoint. Combining a stark vocal attack with the stripped-down poetic techniques of '70s-era artists such as Joni Mitchell, the album is a showcase for Demaree's haunting vocals and lush piano technique. The result - firmly rooted in the progressive, experimental style of artists such as Kate Bush - is lush and low, a backdrop for the timbre of Demaree's ethereal voice.
"I've always been a singer first," she says. "My voice has always been my primary instrument. But at the same time, lyrics are the hardest for me. I'm very conscious of not making my songs sound cliché or ripping someone else off. We all listen to so much music, it's easy to confuse inspiration for imitation."
Demaree's unique style is a result of a lifetime spent surrounded by music, from classical to jazz. Her grandfather, a jazz musician, introduced Demaree to Ella Fitzgerald's scat technique and near-perfect elocution at a young age.
"I don't write jazz songs," Demaree says. "But Ella Fitzgerald has always been an influence. Her voice is so pure. If you listen to her sign with just a piano accompaniment, you can hear what an incredible instrument her voice is."
Pushed against a wall in Demaree's apartment is her grandfather's piano - upright, 88 black-and-white keys, photos framed and placed along the top. Demaree records using the piano, an act that seems to bring her grandfather closer to her, she says.
"He's there," she says. "He's present. Music was his life, so I'm sure he's glad that people in his family are still sharing that passion. I hope he'd be proud of what I'm doing."
"Deadly Nightshade" is scheduled for release in June. Until then, Demaree will continue to record, pausing every once in a while to perform a couple of songs onstage. She will perform at 7 PM April 20 at the Universal Café of the Unitarian Universalist Church, 5310 Old Mill Road. For information, call 744-1867.
