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• Joanna Newsom is a singer-songwriter from California who released her debut album in 2004. Her music is influenced by her training not only as a classical harpist, but also from her collegiate studies in musical composition and creative writing. Consequently, her music often contains poetic and fantastically themed lyrics accompanied by intricate harp music. She also frequently includes the harpsichord and piano in her compositions

• Fast Facts

  1. Birth date: January 18, 1982
  2. Birth place: Nevada City, California
  3. Years active: 2004 - Present
  4. Record labels: Drag City
  5. Instruments: Harp, Harpsichord, Piano
  6. Her EP, Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band, is a play on Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band

• Polarizing Singing Style

  While she has received substantial musical training, Joanna Newsom has never trained her voice. Consequently, she has a particularly characteristic sound to her singing voice which she has described as "untrainable," and which many critics point out as a flaw.

• Not Falling Far From the Tree

  Joanna Newsom comes from a musically-dedicated family: her mother is a classical pianist, her father is a guitarist, her brother plays drums and her sister cello. And her hometown neighbors include composer/pianist Terry Riley, Howard Hersh, and W. Jay Sydeman

• Self-Released Recordings

  • 2002 - Walnut Whales
  • 2003 - Yarn and Glue

• Studio Albums

  • 2004 - The Milk-Eyed Mender
  • 2006 - Ys

• EPs

  • 2007 - Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Devendra Banhart | Bat For Lashes | Bjork | Tori Amos | Steve Albini

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