Event Detail
Joy Ike with Joanne Kim and Micah
Friday, September 17, 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM · Add to Calendar
Ebenezers Coffeehouse
Singer/songwriter Joy Ike has found herself in the most unexpected of places – living and performing as a full-time touring musician. If you had asked her 5 years ago where she thought she’d be in 2010, her honest answer would have been, “Ummm…I dunno”. But the new decade has dealt Ike some interesting surprises…including being voted Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best Solo Artist for the second year in a row, opening for a number of national touring acts, a recent write-up and radio spot on NPR’s (National Public Radio) All Things Considered, and recording a new Album funded primarily by her fans.
Her fans have compared her vocally to Corinne Bailey Rae and Norah Jones, stylistically to Fiona Apple and Laura Nyro, and have said that her ambiance is much like that of India Aire and Lizz Wright. “Honestly”, she says, “I don’t really spend much time listening to any of the above.” She credits much of her musical influence to more modern acts including her two favorite female artists Sara Groves and Brooke Waggoner, and independent artists Aqualung, Death Cab for Cutie, and Sufjan Stevens. “I really just love soul music and I think soul music has less to do with how a song sounds and more to do with the emotion behind it. I think that’s why these artists mean so much to me.”
Currently based out of Pittsburgh, PA, Ike’s schedule includes an average of 130 dates playing anything from house shows to college events to music and art festivals. She has had the privilege of working with notable organizations such as The Pittsburgh Public Theater, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, WYEP, The Carnegie International Museum, The August Wilson Center, and New York Faith & Justice.
Ike’s music has continually been noted for its lyrical depth- addressing the human condition, thoughts on love, and the search for God in a very tangible way. Her new full-length Album, “Rumors”, is slated to release in May 2010.
Cost: $7
For more information, visit http://www.joyike.com
with Joanne Kim
Website: http://www.myspace.com/techniquelle
“Soothing, sultry, and sophisticated, Techniquelle’s debut album ‘Outline of a Cloud,’ marks a confident effort by young singer-songwriter Joanne Kim… A strong debut from a promising artist” (On Tap Magazine, January 2010 On The Verge Artists issue).
A conglomeration of different elements including jazz, rock, and experimental/electronica sounds. The album Outline Of A Cloud is the freshman effort of Techniquelle, with authenticity as the underlying theme uniting the songs together. The lyrics and melodic ideas unfold in a raw and non-patronizing manner, subject matter variegating from wrong first impressions to finding someone in the universe to relate and connect to. Written with an earnest need for honesty, truth, and clarity in life, Techniquelle’s debut album is a soothing one that packs a few punches as she questions significance beyond the physical here and now.
Techniquelle began writing her music at the malleable age of 16. While always having a hand and foot in the world of music growing up, she mostly played written piano compositions and haphazardly joined in her local high school orchestra playing the violin. Introduced to the guitar at 16, she had an instant affinity for it and began to compose her own music. Pretty soon, she began to perform in public, and although raised shy in nature and inclination, she found a liberation in the expression and experience of music. To Techniquelle, music is a medium in which to communicate, connect, and ultimately enhance our understanding of existence and human experience and community.
Techniquelle’s love for creativity and technique are apparent in the songs in the debut album. “Lullaby For One,” a song written in the subtly asymmetrical time signature of 5/8, returns to a resolved 6/8 and explores an incompleteness, a sensation of breaking relations with another person. With jazz chords and melodic vocalizations, “So Wrong” sounds completely different from any of the songs on the album and explores the relief of discovering a better person than the one behind a wrong first judgment. “Outline Of A Cloud” and “Across The Universe” are two added songs with electronica and experimental elements that express the understanding that life has meaning beyond what is apparent in everyday life and how the search for someone to truly connect to seems like plunging into an infinity of uncertainty. “Rosetta Stone” is the most rock-infused song in the group with a soaring and disconcerted electric guitar to question meaning in pain and suffering. The accordion touches in “I Adore” and the subtle reggae-feel of “Better Way” all carve out a space and environment to the songs themselves that give them life and a heart-felt earnestness.
and Micah
Website: http://www.myspace.com/micah-music
Originally from Rochester, NY, MIcah spent the last four years living in Boston, while receiving a bachelor’s degree in Music Business from Northeastern University in May of 2010. Singing and playing music since he was just a child, Micah has grown significantly in his abilities. Since he was 16 years old he’s been steadily gigging, starting off in the coffeehouse scene and most recently headlining shows at clubs throughout the Northeast, as well as appearances in the Mid-West and West Coast. Currently, Micah has two albums in his discography, his debut self titled ‘Micah EP’, and the second, a full length album titled ‘Coast To Coast’; released early July 2010 and available on iTunes.