DOWNLOAD: "Passenger (Kid Koala Remix)" via direct mp3 / via Prefix
DOWNLOAD: "Passenger" direct mp3

The performer, producer and songwriter known as Emily Wells trades in a striking mix of classical instrumentation, folk rawness and hip-hop production anchored by her haunting combination of voice and violin.  It's that same blend of deft composition and hand-wrought quality that deeply colors each of Wells' albums, and which also caught the attention of Partisan Records, who ultimately signed her to the label. Wells' latest album, Mama, is out April 10th on Partisan. It's no surprise then that she's got some pretty intriguing collaborations up her sleeve. Already announced is the collaborative duo with Dan the Automator called Pillowfight, but now world-renown turntablist and dj Kid Koala has remixed "Passenger," putting his unique stamp on an already striking track while somehow elevating the integrity of Emily's original. Prefix premiered the remix, which you can find right here.

Emily's burgeoning reputation owes as much to her hypnotic live show where, working a looping pedal, Wells becomes a one-woman orchestra, playing live drums, guitars, analog synthesizers and beat machines as well.  She's picked up praise from sources as varied as NPR and SPIN, who compared her to "a feral, streetwise Nina Simone."  She recently announced addtional live dates as well (full list after the jump), with plans for a more extensive tour this spring en route. Details on her SXSW appearances will be announced soon as well, and she'll be having the official Album Release Show at the Bowery Ballroom on April 9th in New York.
***
Upcoming Emily Wells Live Dates
Wednesday, March 14th-Saturday March 17th - Austin, TX @ SXSW
Thursday, March 22nd - Indianapolis, IN @ White Rabbit (w. Echomakerdoors)
Wednesday, March 28th - Portland, ME @ Space Gallery (w. Live Footage)
Thursday, March 29th - Boston, MA @ Cafe 939 (w. Live Footage)
Friday, March 30th - Burlington, VT @ Burlington City Arts Center (w. Live Footage)
Wednesday, April 4th - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse
Thursday, April 5th - Ithaca, NY @ Lot 10
Friday, April 6th - Hamden, CT @ The Outer Space
Monday, April 9th - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom (Album Release Show)
Tuesday, May 1st - Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar (w. Portland Cello Project)
Tuesday, May 15th - Los Angeles, CA @ Largo at the Coronet
Saturday, June 2nd - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
***
Additional Info on Emily Wells:
Born to a music minister in Amarillo, Texas, Wells began learning violin at 4 at a community college. The family later moved to Indianapolis, where she discovered Bob Dylan, Nina Simone and Biggie Smalls and gradually moved from the Suzuki method to songwriting, guitars and home recording. Releasing her own music from a young age, Wells learned to keep her work close, and toured independently while developing her palate and performance across the U.S. It was in a humble garage studio in Los Angeles that Wells' recorded her 2008 breakthrough album, The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties.

Three years later, Wells returns with Mama, a collection of songs as richly hued as ever, but imbued with a newfound warmth no doubt owing to the space it was conceived in. Wells rented a tiny cabin on a Topanga Canyon horse ranch and went to work, producing Mama and playing most of the instruments herself (with a little help from longtime touring companions, drummer Sam Halterman and bassist Joey Reina). She recorded the raw tracks to tape without punch-ins or loops, often in one take. In contrast to The Symphonies, these songs are less conceptual and experimental in both sound and content, and more traditional and universal in structure and the studies of love and grief. 2012 will find Wells touring behind Mama, and preparing for the release of Pillowfight, her long whispered-about collaboration with legendary producer Dan The Automator.
***

Emily Wells
Mama
Out April 10th on Partisan Records
Tracklist:
Piece of It
Dirty Sneakers and Underwear
Passenger (free download)
Mama's Gonna Give You Love
Johnny Cash's Mama's House
Let Your Guard Down
Fire Song
No Good
Instrumental
Darlin'

Partisan Records
Emily Wells Official Site
Emily Wells Facebook