Biography
From her beginnings in that dog. onward through partnerships with the Decemberists, Foo Fighters, Sunn O))), John Zorn, and Bill Frisell, Petra Haden established herself as a versatile and distinctive artist. Beyond those many team-ups she demonstrated her vocal harmonization skills through an a cappella rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and a complete vocals-only treatment of The Who Sell Out. Across the 2010s and into the following decade she kept branching out, releasing solo projects alongside joint efforts with Jesse Harris and Mark Kozelek. Following two albums alongside Australian jazz bassist Nick Haywood she shifted direction once more with 2022's Devotional, a project shared with Greg Anderson's doom metal endeavor the Lord.
Petra Haden entered the world in 1971 as the daughter of jazz bassist Charlie Haden and quickly revealed both an exceptional musical ear and the capacity to replicate instrumental timbres using only her voice across pop, classical, jazz, blues, and any other style. Violin lessons began at age seven; by her teenage years she had developed into a near-virtuoso while also mastering trumpet, mandolin, and assorted keyboards, confirming her status as a genuine multi-instrumentalist.
Her voice, however, with its remarkable range, drew the greatest attention. During high school she taught herself multitrack vocal recording on a four-track machine presented by her father. In 1992 she joined her sister Rachel, Anna Waronker (daughter of renowned producer Lenny Waronker), and drummer Tony Maxwell to form the Los Angeles band that dog. The group issued three albums: the self-titled 1994 debut, 1995's Totally Crushed Out!, and 1997's Retreat from the Sun. Haden's first solo outing, the 1996 a cappella cover collection Imaginaryland, appeared during the same period.
She next became a member of the Rentals alongside former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp, appearing on multiple releases. In the years that followed she collaborated with Sean Lennon, Victoria Williams, and guitarist Bill Frisell, the last of whom joined her for a self-titled duet album blending classical, country, pop, jazz, and world music. Additional work included performances with her siblings in the Haden Triplets and with accordionist Alicia J. Rose under the name Miss Murgatroid.
After sustaining injuries in a 2000 car accident, Haden began constructing an a cappella version of The Who Sell Out on an eight-track recorder given to her by Mike Watt. The resulting thirty-nine-minute recording evoked the Roches crossed with the Swingle Singers. Issued in 2005, the album later received live presentations with a ten-woman choir billed as Petra Haden & the Sellouts. Building on that reception she contributed an a cappella take of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" to the 2007 compilation Guilt by Association, Vol. 1 and created three Toyota Prius commercials in 2010.
During the same stretch she performed as a Decemberist on Picaresque and A Practical Handbook, released the 2008 Woody Jackson collaboration Ten Years, and served as vocal coach and arranger for the NBC a cappella contest The Sing Off. In 2011 she launched the group If by Yes with Yuka Honda; their album Salt on Sea Glass included contributions from David Byrne and Nels Cline. Two years later Anti- issued her third solo album, Petra Goes to the Movies, consisting entirely of vocal interpretations of favorite film themes, some supported by jazz figures Brad Mehldau, longtime associate Frisell, and her father Charlie. In 2014 she appeared as Hooray Matinee with Jim Bianco and, with her sisters, released the Ry Cooder-produced Haden Triplets album. She supplied vocals for the Blue Jean Committee Story episode that closed the first season of Fred Armisen and Bill Hader's IFC series Documentary Now! in 2015. The following year brought further variety: work with Frisell on When You Wish Upon a Star and with Jesse Harris on Seemed Like a Good Idea, the latter featuring her singing his compositions alongside the songwriter. In 2019 she partnered with singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek on Joey Always Smiled, where his diary-style songs were framed by her dense vocal harmonies.
Entering the next decade she contributed vocals to Songs for Petra, a 2020 set of pieces written expressly for her by John Zorn and Jesse Harris. That same year the Nick Haywood Quintet accompanied her on the live collection Songs from My Father, drawn from her late father's repertoire. The alliance continued in 2021 when she joined Haywood's trio for the studio album Back to the Garden, a lightly arranged program of covers and jazz standards. Remaining stylistically restless, she next united with doom metal mainstay Greg Anderson (Sunn O))), Goatsnake) and his solo outlet the Lord. The 2022 release Devotional placed her intricate wordless vocals and strings against Anderson's dense death- and doom-metal structures.
Petra Haden entered the world in 1971 as the daughter of jazz bassist Charlie Haden and quickly revealed both an exceptional musical ear and the capacity to replicate instrumental timbres using only her voice across pop, classical, jazz, blues, and any other style. Violin lessons began at age seven; by her teenage years she had developed into a near-virtuoso while also mastering trumpet, mandolin, and assorted keyboards, confirming her status as a genuine multi-instrumentalist.
Her voice, however, with its remarkable range, drew the greatest attention. During high school she taught herself multitrack vocal recording on a four-track machine presented by her father. In 1992 she joined her sister Rachel, Anna Waronker (daughter of renowned producer Lenny Waronker), and drummer Tony Maxwell to form the Los Angeles band that dog. The group issued three albums: the self-titled 1994 debut, 1995's Totally Crushed Out!, and 1997's Retreat from the Sun. Haden's first solo outing, the 1996 a cappella cover collection Imaginaryland, appeared during the same period.
She next became a member of the Rentals alongside former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp, appearing on multiple releases. In the years that followed she collaborated with Sean Lennon, Victoria Williams, and guitarist Bill Frisell, the last of whom joined her for a self-titled duet album blending classical, country, pop, jazz, and world music. Additional work included performances with her siblings in the Haden Triplets and with accordionist Alicia J. Rose under the name Miss Murgatroid.
After sustaining injuries in a 2000 car accident, Haden began constructing an a cappella version of The Who Sell Out on an eight-track recorder given to her by Mike Watt. The resulting thirty-nine-minute recording evoked the Roches crossed with the Swingle Singers. Issued in 2005, the album later received live presentations with a ten-woman choir billed as Petra Haden & the Sellouts. Building on that reception she contributed an a cappella take of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" to the 2007 compilation Guilt by Association, Vol. 1 and created three Toyota Prius commercials in 2010.
During the same stretch she performed as a Decemberist on Picaresque and A Practical Handbook, released the 2008 Woody Jackson collaboration Ten Years, and served as vocal coach and arranger for the NBC a cappella contest The Sing Off. In 2011 she launched the group If by Yes with Yuka Honda; their album Salt on Sea Glass included contributions from David Byrne and Nels Cline. Two years later Anti- issued her third solo album, Petra Goes to the Movies, consisting entirely of vocal interpretations of favorite film themes, some supported by jazz figures Brad Mehldau, longtime associate Frisell, and her father Charlie. In 2014 she appeared as Hooray Matinee with Jim Bianco and, with her sisters, released the Ry Cooder-produced Haden Triplets album. She supplied vocals for the Blue Jean Committee Story episode that closed the first season of Fred Armisen and Bill Hader's IFC series Documentary Now! in 2015. The following year brought further variety: work with Frisell on When You Wish Upon a Star and with Jesse Harris on Seemed Like a Good Idea, the latter featuring her singing his compositions alongside the songwriter. In 2019 she partnered with singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek on Joey Always Smiled, where his diary-style songs were framed by her dense vocal harmonies.
Entering the next decade she contributed vocals to Songs for Petra, a 2020 set of pieces written expressly for her by John Zorn and Jesse Harris. That same year the Nick Haywood Quintet accompanied her on the live collection Songs from My Father, drawn from her late father's repertoire. The alliance continued in 2021 when she joined Haywood's trio for the studio album Back to the Garden, a lightly arranged program of covers and jazz standards. Remaining stylistically restless, she next united with doom metal mainstay Greg Anderson (Sunn O))), Goatsnake) and his solo outlet the Lord. The 2022 release Devotional placed her intricate wordless vocals and strings against Anderson's dense death- and doom-metal structures.
Albums
Songs from My Father
2020
Songs for Petra
2020
Somebody's Watching Me
2017
Hearts & Daggers
2016
Seemed Like a Good Idea - Petra Haden Sings Jesse Harris
2016
The Windmills of Your Mind
2015
Bella Neurox
2014
Petra Goes To The Movies
2013
Sings: The Who Sell Out
2008
Imaginaryland
1999
Singles
