Latest news with #JoniMitchell
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Rising Laois singer embracing country music revival with release of new single
The emotive single released by the 23-year-old via Youngblood Music is one of many traditional songs Alice intends on releasing this summer. Alice grew up in Stradbally and has always had a love for music with her family's interest in the traditional scene and her own involvement in musical theatre. 'I'd listen to anything and the inspiration comes from all over the place but it helps that I was always surrounded by music. Traditional music has always stuck with me through to my own music. 'With the likes of Amble and Kingfisher I think you can see the interest in trad music creeping its way up. 'Country music is having a bit of a revival. I lean into American folk in my music, but there is those traditional Irish music undertones with a banjo thrown in here and there.' Alice debuted last year with her single Wait and has performed live from pub gigs to Electric Picnic in her home town, as well as making international appearances at the Maryland Irish Festival and An Poitin Stil in the US. She blends her influences from her youth with modern music from the likes of Joni Mitchell and Noah Kahan. Alice's music all originates from personal experiences, which she said was 'uncomfortable' to show people when she first started singing live. 'My songbook is like my diary so it's weird to put it out there or play to a room full of people, it's like reading out your diary. 'Definitely when I started out I'd be feeling all the emotions of the songs all over again, but singing live is probably one of my favourite things to do now,' she said. Alice added that the music industry can be hard, but she has support from family and friends in the traditional music scene, along with Darragh O'Connor from Young Blood, and all her team at work in Curtain Call Stage School, Co. Laois. 'The music industry is hard for independent artists and women especially, but if you have the passion and drive, you can find a niche in it with lovely people. I know the scene that I'm in is full of musicians and people who want to uplift you.' Alice's aim is to continue channelling music of the 'people and music of home', no matter where home is for her listeners.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Swinging Laurel Canyon Abode Has Hosted Everyone From Mick Jagger to a 1980s Bond Girl
Situated between Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley, Laurel Canyon has a long artistic legacy in L.A.'s entertainment industry lore. Early 20th-century hunting cabins gave way to bohemian cottages and secluded bungalows that, over the decades, attracted a who's who of the film and music industries, including Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, and Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas. This 1956 midcentury residence, now available for the first time in 25 years, shows signs of that lineage, playing host to some of pop culture's biggest names, from Mick Jagger and Marilyn Manson to Gwen Stefani and Heath Ledger. It was previously owned by the actor and singer Olivia d'Abo, best known for her role on the sitcom The Wonder Years, and her cousin Maryam d'Abo, a former Bond girl (1987's The Living Daylights), also spent time there. Continuing the theme, the current owner, Nico Golfar, runs an event company that has worked with numerous celebs. The three-bedroom, two-bath abode is listed for $1.6 million with Mason Canter at Keller Williams Realty Los Feliz. More from Robb Report Maestro Dobel Just Dropped a New Collection of High-End Extra Añejo Tequilas French Artist Claire Tabouret's Hand-Painted Home in L.A. Lists for $3 Million A Perfectly Preserved 1960 Richard Neutra Masterpiece in L.A. Hits the Market for $8 Million The Mulholland Drive home could use a little love from whoever snaps it up, but its creative flourishes and original details, such as the irregular flagstone floors, make it by far a more interesting option than your typical fixer-upper. A swooping, freestanding fireplace with a circular opening anchors the open-concept main and provides a template for the curving walls and circular cutouts in the ceiling. To one side of the fireplace is a slightly sunken living room, while the other side is home to a pop art-red built-in dining banquette and a pass-through kitchen. The primary suite includes a funky bathroom with a rainfall shower above a double-size soaking tub, along with a wood-paneled W.C. Currently configured with two bedrooms, the third bedroom has been converted into an office with direct access to the backyard. There, you'll find a large pool, accompanied by a small patio with just enough room for an al fresco dining spot and a fire pit. This part of Laurel Canyon is famously appealing to Hollywood heavy hitters, in part due to its easy access to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the Burbank studios. Among the immediate area's past and present residents are Quentin Tarantino, Justin Bateman, Will Ferrell, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Ball, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Last year, the musician Rufus Wainwright listed his property for $2.2 million (it didn't sell), and Rob Zombie just spun his secluded side-by-side homes in the canyon on the market for $9 of Robb Report The 10 Priciest Neighborhoods in America (And How They Got to Be That Way) In Pictures: Most Expensive Properties Click here to read the full article.
Washington Post
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The queens of collaboration in Lucius are finding themselves again musically
NEW YORK — The magic created by the vocal blend of Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, collectively known as Lucius, has opened many doors for them in the music industry. Sometimes quite literally — like when they arrived at the home of Joni Mitchell, invited by Brandi Carlile to sing at one of her 'Joni Jams,' and Paul McCartney answered their knock.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The queens of collaboration in Lucius are finding themselves again musically
The magic created by the vocal blend of Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, collectively known as Lucius, has opened many doors for them in the music industry. Sometimes quite literally — like when they arrived at the home of Joni Mitchell, invited by Brandi Carlile to sing at one of her 'Joni Jams,' and Paul McCartney answered their knock. It's a heady experience, singing at Mitchell's house. Tipped in advance that McCartney might be there, Laessig and Wolfe rehearsed a version of 'Goodbye,' a song he wrote that was a hit for Mary Hopkin in 1969. They sensed the moment he recognized it — hey, that's my song! The women have collaborated with many artists through the years, among them Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Harry Styles, Roger Waters, Jeff Tweedy, the Killers, War on Drugs and Mumford & Sons. This year, they're concentrating on their own music with Lucius, a rock band that also includes Dan Molad and Peter Lalish. They've released a self-produced disc that reflects their experiences settling in Los Angeles and starting families, titling it simply 'Lucius' even though it's their fourth album. An album that felt like coming home 'It felt like a coming home to ourselves,' Wolfe said. 'There wasn't really a question, actually, whether the record would be titled something else. It just felt like it was us, and let's give it our name.' Laessig and Wolfe met and quickly bonded two decades ago as students at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. They first sang together as part of a school project to remake the Beatles' White Album — their version of 'Happiness is a Warm Gun' will never see the light of day — that was abandoned because they began writing their own music. 'We were always inspired by Phil Spector and Elliot Smith and people who used double vocals as an interesting textural thing,' Wolfe said. 'And we thought, well, we could actually do this live. We both wanted to be lead singers, but together.' 'Unison singing,' notes Laessig, 'is not for the faint of heart.' Check out the heartbreaker ' The Man I'll Never Find' — particularly the stripped-down, piano-led version — for a spellbinding example of their work. Many have wrongly assumed they were sisters. They look a little alike, and play up this image of two who have become one by frequently dressing alike onstage. Even offstage: they arrived at The Associated Press for an interview in nearly matching, all-red outfits with identical makeup. They are disciplined in alternating who answers questions. It can be, let's be honest here, a little creepy. 'We're dressing the sound,' Wolfe explained. 'I grew up in the theater. Being able to escape and feeling like, you know, you can put on your costume, put on your uniform and become something else for a moment in time. Even though it feels honest and real and close to the heart, there's something magical about it.' 'When you look at us, we wanted you to see one,' she said. 'We didn't want you to see two.' The gimmick served them well as they sought to make a name for themselves, Laessig said. 'We were touring in the van and doing festivals and nobody had a clue who we were, but we walked around in matching outfits. People were like, 'What is this about?' Oh, come see us. We're playing at this stage at 3 p.m.' Their collaborative nature is a strength they have brought to working on projects with other musicians. 'People who bring us in know that they're going to have something that's solid between the two of us,' she said. 'We just speak each other's language. And we like building worlds within worlds. Luckily we've been given the freedom in all of these different projects to be us.' Sharing looks, sharing styles and now, sharing a nanny Real life brings its parallels, too. They live in homes minutes from each other and, within the past year or so, both gave birth to babies. Collaborating with others has its strengths, and Lucius brought in Madison Cunningham and The War on Drugs to work with them on two songs on the new album. But becoming known for their work with others comes with a risk attached, that they lose sight of themselves in the process. 'We like exploring different worlds and seeing how it takes shape and how we can get lost in it,' Wolfe said. 'There's something really enchanting and magical about that. And, yes, sometimes after you explore that world, it doesn't necessarily feel like you.' To that end, the 'Lucius' album is in one sense a reaction against the dance-oriented production hand that Carlile and Dave Cobb brought for the 2022 album 'Second Nature.' The more rock-based new disc sounds like the musicians are more comfortable. It 'feels honest and real because we wrote about things that were just happening in our lives,' Wolfe said. They're looking forward to a busy summer of playing that music on tour, and sharing the experience with their young families. 'We get to do it together and see the world together and our kids are going to know different places and cultures and foods and things, more than I had as a kid,' Wolfe said. 'As tough as it can be with the nap times and sleep schedules, it's a beautiful thing.' ___
Associated Press
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
The queens of collaboration in Lucius are finding themselves again musically
NEW YORK (AP) — The magic created by the vocal blend of Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, collectively known as Lucius, has opened many doors for them in the music industry. Sometimes quite literally — like when they arrived at the home of Joni Mitchell, invited by Brandi Carlile to sing at one of her 'Joni Jams,' and Paul McCartney answered their knock. It's a heady experience, singing at Mitchell's house. Tipped in advance that McCartney might be there, Laessig and Wolfe rehearsed a version of 'Goodbye,' a song he wrote that was a hit for Mary Hopkin in 1969. They sensed the moment he recognized it — hey, that's my song! The women have collaborated with many artists through the years, among them Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Harry Styles, Roger Waters, Jeff Tweedy, the Killers, War on Drugs and Mumford & Sons. This year, they're concentrating on their own music with Lucius, a rock band that also includes Dan Molad and Peter Lalish. They've released a self-produced disc that reflects their experiences settling in Los Angeles and starting families, titling it simply 'Lucius' even though it's their fourth album. An album that felt like coming home 'It felt like a coming home to ourselves,' Wolfe said. 'There wasn't really a question, actually, whether the record would be titled something else. It just felt like it was us, and let's give it our name.' Laessig and Wolfe met and quickly bonded two decades ago as students at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. They first sang together as part of a school project to remake the Beatles' White Album — their version of 'Happiness is a Warm Gun' will never see the light of day — that was abandoned because they began writing their own music. 'We were always inspired by Phil Spector and Elliot Smith and people who used double vocals as an interesting textural thing,' Wolfe said. 'And we thought, well, we could actually do this live. We both wanted to be lead singers, but together.' 'Unison singing,' notes Laessig, 'is not for the faint of heart.' Check out the heartbreaker ' The Man I'll Never Find' — particularly the stripped-down, piano-led version — for a spellbinding example of their work. Many have wrongly assumed they were sisters. They look a little alike, and play up this image of two who have become one by frequently dressing alike onstage. Even offstage: they arrived at The Associated Press for an interview in nearly matching, all-red outfits with identical makeup. They are disciplined in alternating who answers questions. It can be, let's be honest here, a little creepy. 'We're dressing the sound,' Wolfe explained. 'I grew up in the theater. Being able to escape and feeling like, you know, you can put on your costume, put on your uniform and become something else for a moment in time. Even though it feels honest and real and close to the heart, there's something magical about it.' 'When you look at us, we wanted you to see one,' she said. 'We didn't want you to see two.' The gimmick served them well as they sought to make a name for themselves, Laessig said. 'We were touring in the van and doing festivals and nobody had a clue who we were, but we walked around in matching outfits. People were like, 'What is this about?' Oh, come see us. We're playing at this stage at 3 p.m.' Their collaborative nature is a strength they have brought to working on projects with other musicians. 'People who bring us in know that they're going to have something that's solid between the two of us,' she said. 'We just speak each other's language. And we like building worlds within worlds. Luckily we've been given the freedom in all of these different projects to be us.' Sharing looks, sharing styles and now, sharing a nanny Real life brings its parallels, too. They live in homes minutes from each other and, within the past year or so, both gave birth to babies. Collaborating with others has its strengths, and Lucius brought in Madison Cunningham and The War on Drugs to work with them on two songs on the new album. But becoming known for their work with others comes with a risk attached, that they lose sight of themselves in the process. 'We like exploring different worlds and seeing how it takes shape and how we can get lost in it,' Wolfe said. 'There's something really enchanting and magical about that. And, yes, sometimes after you explore that world, it doesn't necessarily feel like you.' To that end, the 'Lucius' album is in one sense a reaction against the dance-oriented production hand that Carlile and Dave Cobb brought for the 2022 album 'Second Nature.' The more rock-based new disc sounds like the musicians are more comfortable. It 'feels honest and real because we wrote about things that were just happening in our lives,' Wolfe said. They're looking forward to a busy summer of playing that music on tour, and sharing the experience with their young families. 'We get to do it together and see the world together and our kids are going to know different places and cultures and foods and things, more than I had as a kid,' Wolfe said. 'As tough as it can be with the nap times and sleep schedules, it's a beautiful thing.' ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and
