Are you sure that isn't a list of the yearbook editors from Vassar? Never heard of any of them chicks-the killer chick with the pick is Mary Osborne,the killer hick chick with the pick is Rose Lee Maphis and the the just plain killer diller chick with the pick is the amazing Memphis Minnie.
Chicks With Guitars
Their poppin out of the woodwork! I love them, many others here do to. It seems there are often side discussions on this topic in the "best of" threads but I don't recall a dedicated spot for these lovely ladies. Hope to pick up a few new artists to listen to and maybe offer up a few to y'all.
List your chick with guitar favorites here:
A few to kick it off....
Laura Marling
Martha Tilston
Emily Jane White
Sharon Van Etten
Marissa Nadler
Caroline Herring
Rachel Harrington
Sara Jaffe
Tyler, the Creator...ok, I just slipped that one in to see if anyone would notice...
I could go on and on but these are some good ones I thought would be a decent start.
List your chick with guitar favorites here:
A few to kick it off....
Laura Marling
Martha Tilston
Emily Jane White
Sharon Van Etten
Marissa Nadler
Caroline Herring
Rachel Harrington
Sara Jaffe
Tyler, the Creator...ok, I just slipped that one in to see if anyone would notice...
I could go on and on but these are some good ones I thought would be a decent start.
86 responses Add your response
Jazzcourier - Never heard of those chicks either but will check them out for sure. Most of the ones I listed are part of the newer breed of singer/songwriter, nu-folk types. Not sure where that "chicks with guitars" label came from but I always heard it used to reference that genre...not that this thread has any limits at all. Lord knows where it will end up! |
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Jerico....sampled that Anna Calvi album, very cool. Love the reverb creepy guitar. Loomis...Not sure how I have missed Edith Frost but after a few quick samples I can tell she is right up my alley. I have some Kaki King. She is a crazy guitar player. First time I heard her I swore it was Michael Hedges and still get confused when her stuff comes on. She did an EP with Mountain Goats, Pear Tree I think was the name, which is my favorite piece from her. Some of her showy guitar records bug me but she has serious skills. |
As far as playing and interpreting goes: Kaki's so good it's scary! She's the pick of the litter, in my book. Sharon Isbin can play a ton, but I find a lot of her stuff cold. Impressive, but just not my cup of tea. Orianthi has her moments, too. Let's not forget the veterans. Long timer whose playing gotten beter and better over the years: Joan Armatrading. Long timer who has always been a monster: Joni. One of the newcomers not yet mentioned who has some skills, but even more heart: Jodi Martin. Check out her Peter Gabriel covers - this is the real deal. Marty |
Richard's got his finger on the pulse of my hard drive for sure. Great stuff from all here and one of my personal favorite genres. Much of my faves are on Richard's lists. I'll try to add a few that may not have been mentioned yet. Rory Block Gillian Welch Emily Barker Deb Talan Carla Bruni Patty Griffin Dar Williams Beth Orton Agnes Obel Patty Larkin |
"08-05-11: Jax2 Richard's got his finger on the pulse of my hard drive for sure." Ok, this makes me feel a little creepy Marco. I already had to explain to Stacy...."I met this guy online....". I think I need to go build something with power tools and watch football. Great list developing. I'll be sampling music for hours this weekend. |
A bunch of these chicks started out with just guitars and ended up, sadly to my ears, accompanied by larger ensembles and plugged into over-attenuated amplifiers. Tracy Chapman Joni (of course) Lucinda Williams Sara Jarosz (ok, she's a chick with a mandolin) Michelle Shocked Marty - right on! Dar is certainly a great songwriter. I did not get specific about shared tastes with Richard, so let me clear that up before he's out building an outbuilding with his power tools. There are quite a few that have been mentioned here that I'd recommend to you as amazing writers as well (and I'm a big fan of great lyrics). I am blown away that women of this age can be writing with such depth, intelligence and passion. Here are those I'd loudly echo in that light: Sara Jaffe (check out Suburban Nature) Laura Veirs (Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae) Martha Tilston (Love her voice too - any of her stuff - reminds me of a young Joni Mitchell) Emily Barker (I much prefer her first album, Despite the Snow) Not quite as young, but writing with the depth of true experience in the darker aspects of our nature, and also a great songwriter, a big, bold second for Mary Gauthier. |
A chick with a banjo that may appeal to those who are enjoying the guitars... Abigail Washburn (married to the great Bela Fleck) - speaking of Bela...anyone who loves music should see his documentary film, "Throw Down Your Heart" - just wonderful!!! And a bunch of chicks with stringed instruments - wonderful stuff for those who love the likes of Be Good Tanyas and Po'Girl: The Wailin' Jennys |
Kaki King for sure... Susan Tedeshi, too... add Orianthi!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7b-_YcACuQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKHthNMoMzA&feature=related |
Another comes to mind...Amelia Curran. Check out her 2008 album War Brides. Lisa Hannigan too. Fans of Damien Rice will recognize her seriously sexy voice. Again, I'm not listing chicks for their technical prowess, although many of these girls play very well, rather my list is female singer songwriters that I really enjoy as a whole. Composition, musical ability, song writing...the whole package. I do enjoy the guitar ripping chicks too but didn't want you guys to be disappointed if you sampled a couple of my recommendations and found a depressed 20 something girl hunched over a stool strumming soft chords on a beat up old nylon 6 string staring at the floor singing in a whispery voice about emptiness and despair. |
how about chicks with Basses? Start with Tal Wilkenfield |
Man did this thread get off track! Again, I meant female singer songwriters, not pyrotechnic lady guitar rippers! Oh well, heard/watched some very interesting clips so thanks to all....except Shadorne who's metal women gave me nightmares for 2 straight days....! Another interesting chick with guitar (singer songwriter!)... Anna Kashfi |
If anyone's taste runs towards jangle pop, they might want to check out Marti Jones. She sings like an angel and she's married to the noted singer/songwriter/producer Don Dixon. Her songs are generally (tho not always) less introspective than some listed above, but they're tons of fun in their own right. She also has great (and ecclectic) taste in cover material; ranging from lots of John Hiatt, to David Bowie's "Soul Love", to Joe Tex's "You Got What It Takes (To Take What I Got"). My wife and I used the Dixon/Jones arrangement of this song for our first dance. Her album, "Used Guitars", is a gem and her "Live At Spirit Square" is a great overview of the Marti Jones catalog (nicely recorded by Dixon, too). Another (related) fun choice is Marti's friend Amy Rigby (they sometimes perform together as Cynical Girls, which is a Marshall Crenshaw reference, I think). Amy's very funny lyrics are worth the price of admission alone. Marty |
I think I mentioned Nancy Elizabeth a ways up in this thread but I have been listening to her first album, Battle and Victory and really wanted to suggest it specifically. She is a really interesting artist who mixes in all sorts of instruments, vintage and current, from all over the world (Not unlike David Eugene Edwards of Woven Hand/16HP fame and it has that Woven Hand sort of vibe minus the Christian subtext). She also sings in a sort of Joanna Newsome nontraditional tone. All in all it makes for a very cool record that I really enjoy. She is an artist I plan to pay attention to. Just to refresh, I started this thread to explore female singer/songwriters, not chicks with blazing guitar skills as some took it. I don't care at all if that is what you care to post/suggest however just did not want you to expect it from mine:)..... |
