Biography
Although her most acclaimed work fuses Appalachian and avant-garde elements within a folk framework, Joanna Newsom participates in an even broader array of projects than her solo recordings alone indicate. As the classically trained harpist for the noise-rock trio Nervous Cop—alongside Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier and Hella’s Zach Hill—she supplies a markedly distinct textural layer, while her keyboard contributions to the San Francisco-area group the Pleased align that band more closely with Blondie or Television than with her other endeavors. Her upbringing in Nevada City, California, likewise reflected deep musical engagement: her mother had prepared for a concert-pianist career, her father played guitar, and her brother and sister performed on drums and cello. Composer and pianist Terry Riley lived nearby, as did Howard Hersh and W. Jay Sydeman.
Newsom began piano instruction in early childhood and continued for several years before turning to the harp at age seven. Her distinctive Celtic-harp technique, encompassing both percussive attack and harmonic movement, drew additional inspiration from West African and Venezuelan traditions she encountered at a folk-music camp during her early teens. Concurrently she absorbed vocal-centered folk, punk, and jazz by Karen Dalton, Texas Gladden, Patti Smith, and Billie Holiday. By high-school age she had resolved to pursue composition; although formal studies centered on that discipline, she devoted spare time to writing and recording instrumental pieces. Songwriting soon became her primary focus, prompting her to study creative writing so she could manipulate language in the manner she already applied to music.
Despite her extensive instrumental experience, Newsom had never sung until she began shaping her own material, yet the pure, untrained timbre—hovering between childlike and cronelike qualities—proved an ideal match for her compositions. She initially distributed homemade song collections among friends, but the recordings eventually reached sympathetic artists including Will Oldham and Cat Power, both of whom booked her as an opening act in 2002. That same year brought the Walnut Whales EP; she followed it with further live appearances and the 2003 release Yarn and Glue. After signing with Drag City she issued her debut full-length, The Milk-Eyed Mender, in spring 2004 and subsequently toured the United States with Devendra Banhart while joining Smog for European dates. She contributed to Smog’s 2005 album A River Ain’t Too Much to Love and, that year, commenced work on her second album, enlisting Bill Callahan, Steve Albini, Jim O’Rourke, and Van Dyke Parks.
The expansive, intricately detailed Ys appeared in late 2006. Widely hailed as one of the year’s most distinguished releases, the album kept Newsom on the road through the remainder of 2006 and into early 2007. That spring she issued the playfully titled EP Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band and resumed touring while amassing material for her next studio effort. The resulting triple-disc set, Have One on Me, emerged in early 2010. While preparing her fourth album she engaged in numerous additional activities: she supplied vocals for the theme of the Muppets film and for recordings by Thao & the Get Down Stay Down and Hard Skin; she acted in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2014 feature Inherent Vice and in the series Portlandia; and she performed at select concerts, among them a 2012 benefit for the Henry Miller Memorial Library that also featured Philip Glass and Tim Fain, where she introduced new songs. Her fourth album, Divers—featuring contributions from Steve Albini, Nico Muhly, and Dave Longstreth—arrived in October 2015, preceded by the single “Sapokanikan,” whose video was directed by Anderson.
Newsom began piano instruction in early childhood and continued for several years before turning to the harp at age seven. Her distinctive Celtic-harp technique, encompassing both percussive attack and harmonic movement, drew additional inspiration from West African and Venezuelan traditions she encountered at a folk-music camp during her early teens. Concurrently she absorbed vocal-centered folk, punk, and jazz by Karen Dalton, Texas Gladden, Patti Smith, and Billie Holiday. By high-school age she had resolved to pursue composition; although formal studies centered on that discipline, she devoted spare time to writing and recording instrumental pieces. Songwriting soon became her primary focus, prompting her to study creative writing so she could manipulate language in the manner she already applied to music.
Despite her extensive instrumental experience, Newsom had never sung until she began shaping her own material, yet the pure, untrained timbre—hovering between childlike and cronelike qualities—proved an ideal match for her compositions. She initially distributed homemade song collections among friends, but the recordings eventually reached sympathetic artists including Will Oldham and Cat Power, both of whom booked her as an opening act in 2002. That same year brought the Walnut Whales EP; she followed it with further live appearances and the 2003 release Yarn and Glue. After signing with Drag City she issued her debut full-length, The Milk-Eyed Mender, in spring 2004 and subsequently toured the United States with Devendra Banhart while joining Smog for European dates. She contributed to Smog’s 2005 album A River Ain’t Too Much to Love and, that year, commenced work on her second album, enlisting Bill Callahan, Steve Albini, Jim O’Rourke, and Van Dyke Parks.
The expansive, intricately detailed Ys appeared in late 2006. Widely hailed as one of the year’s most distinguished releases, the album kept Newsom on the road through the remainder of 2006 and into early 2007. That spring she issued the playfully titled EP Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band and resumed touring while amassing material for her next studio effort. The resulting triple-disc set, Have One on Me, emerged in early 2010. While preparing her fourth album she engaged in numerous additional activities: she supplied vocals for the theme of the Muppets film and for recordings by Thao & the Get Down Stay Down and Hard Skin; she acted in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2014 feature Inherent Vice and in the series Portlandia; and she performed at select concerts, among them a 2012 benefit for the Henry Miller Memorial Library that also featured Philip Glass and Tim Fain, where she introduced new songs. Her fourth album, Divers—featuring contributions from Steve Albini, Nico Muhly, and Dave Longstreth—arrived in October 2015, preceded by the single “Sapokanikan,” whose video was directed by Anderson.
Albums
