Rykarda Parasol w/ Mister Loveless & The Spyrals
- When
- Fri Sep 24, 2010
- Where
- Bottom of the Hill
- Time
- Show @ 10PM
- Cost
- $10 - $12
- Tags
- Music
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Description
San Francisco-based Parasol has been getting some much deserved attention lately as she performs around the SF-Bay Area and select venues nationwide to support her second full-length album, “For Blood and Wine” (2009), released last fall. The album’s title offers an indication of what Parasol has to offer: darkly intoxicating and viscerally affecting music.Those describing Parasol’s style liken her to Nick Cave, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and The Black Heart Procession. Others note a passing similarity to Siouxsie Sioux (of Siouxsie and the Banshees) or a dash of Johnette Napolitano (of Concrete Blonde).
All comparisons aside, Parasol’s songs are richly expressive, with lyrics that are often poignant poetry set to music. The songs from her new album - as well as her debut "Our Hearts First Meet" (2006/2007) - are crafted as compelling vignettes, recreating snippets of stories, emotional states, and glimpses into life’s darker corners. Loneliness, regret and disillusionment provide the themes while Parasol’s sultry, jazz-cabaret style vocal delivery amplifies the emotional impact. This is music that will get under your skin and intrude into your subconscious.
According to her press bio, true accounts and experiences inspired the songs of “isolation, detachment and death” on Parasol’s albums. The semi-autobiographical themes of Parasol’s songwriting explain the emotional power she packs into her songs. There is a rawness to her music that is sometimes tough-as-nails and jaded, sometimes world weary and vulnerable, and yet always defiantly unbowed and passionate. Parasol has the gift of taking life’s ugliness and making it hauntingly seductive and beautifully poetic through the alchemy of her songwriting and performance.
Not just a talented singer and songwriter, Parasol is a multifaceted and truly independent artist. Her new album is self-produced and self-released and she handles her own band management. With a background in fine art, design and literature, she takes a very DIY-approach by designing her album covers, promotional materials, and stage outfits. She is even the impetus behind an underground San Francisco artist salon that features literary readings, visual arts, music and fashion.
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