Becca Stevens Band + Lauren Mann and Fairly Odd Folk June 26, 2012

North Carolina-bred, New York-based singer/composer/guitarist Becca Stevens has already received copious praise from the likes of The New York Times, who described her as "a best-kept secret" and "impressively absorbing." The Boston Phoenix noted Becca's "big voice and no-bull-- emotional delivery," while The Winston-Salem Journal stated, "Stevens' singing is remarkable, soulful, pitch-perfect and subtle in its controlled acrobatics. The arrangements are exquisitely produced, and her acoustic songs boast musical textures and colors that embrace the adventurism of jazz." Stevens' intimate vocals communicate both warmth and effortless urgency, while her exquisitely understated arrangements and seamlessly crafted tunes embrace inventive acoustic textures and idiosyncratic rhythmic and melodic elements. The resulting music offers a beguiling blend of head and heart that resists easy categorization, drawing upon elements of pop, jazz or folk without limiting itself to the rules of any particular genre.

After graduating from the high school program at the North Carolina School of the Arts with a major in classical guitar, Stevens attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York. It was at the New School that she met Chris Tordini and started to put together what would subsequently become the Becca Stevens Band. Since graduating from the New School, Stevens has served as lead singer of Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra, fronting a genre-bending 18-piece jazz orchestra interpreting the songs of Björk; toured and recorded with, and written lyrics for, jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti, and most recently performed at Carnegie Hall as featured singer with pianist Brad Mehldau. She's also toured as part of drummer/composer Eric Harland's all-star band; and has performed with such notable players as Jeff Ballard, Larry Grenadier, Mark Turner, Ed Simon, and Greg Hutchinson.
http://beccastevens.com/

LAUREN MANN AND THE FAIRLY ODD FOLK
In a world where the gift of simply appreciating music seems to have been lost, it takes something extraordinary to capture the heart and the attention of listeners. Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk do just that. From captivating indie folk-pop melodies to an authentic and energetic performance, you'll get drawn in to the music and won't be let go anytime soon. In spring 2009, Lauren completed a four song EP with songs she recorded on her own, as well as some with local Calgary producer Andrew Hamill. A few months later she put out another self recorded EP and continued to sell these at shows. She completed two more cross-Canada tours, one with British Columbia duo Reeves, and the next with Nashville duo Handsome and Gretyl, who, as well as opening for the shows, also played as part of the Fairly Odd Folk. These three Canadian tours, as well as a three-week tour throughout Denmark, all in the first year of doing music full-time, brought Lauren's show count to just over 200. This wasn't the only milestone reached; she also charted to the #1 folk album on Earshot for the month of December 2010, recorded a new album for release in Spring 2012 at The Vanguard Room in Lakeland, Florida with Aaron Marsh (formerly of Copeland), and was invited to play at the Calgary Folk Music Festival in July 2011 alongside such acts as City and Colour, Couer de Pirate, The Hollow Brethern, The Head and the Heart, Deep Dark Woods, and many more. With infectious music and a strong ambition on their side, Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk prove that they aren't one to be forgotten any time soon.
http://www.laurenmannmusic.com/home.html

2010 saw the debut of Stevens' first choral composition, Soli Deo Gloria, commissioned and performed by the Melodia Women's Choir in New York. Becca also moonlights as one-third of Tillery, a trio with fellow singer/songwriters Rebecca Martin and Gretchen Parlato. In 2011 Sunnyside records released the critically acclaimed "Weightless" a sparkling 12-song set revealing the accomplished young songstress as a startlingly original, refreshingly distinctive talent in her own right.

Official Website: http://www.jamminjava.com/