(no subject)
Paste Magazine online named Bird the band of the week, as seen here. The short article (with fantastic quotes) is under the cut, or follow the link above.
by Brooke Marshall
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Sole Member: Kathleen “Bird” York
Fun Fact: York is also an actress, with roles on TV’s The West Wing and The O.C., and Oscar-award-winning film Crash.
Why She’s Worth Watching: York’s latest album, Wicked Little High, blends confident vocals and mellow electronica for a unique sound she describes as “a moody groove.”
For Fans Of: Norah Jones, Frou Frou
At 15, Kathleen “Bird” York experienced two events that came to define her: her parents died, leaving her a homeless runaway, and she picked up a guitar for the first time. The combination of the two forged a lasting bond with music. “It made music essentially important to me, because it sort of became home,” she says. “It wasn’t anything that anyone could take away from me. … And it was a constant. Wherever I was, I could play music.”
Even though York now splits her time between the recording studio and the sets of various films and TV shows (she has two albums and more than 50 acting roles to her credit), music still provides her with the simple comfort of home. “It’s almost like it’s magical, it’s intangible, and within that space you can create a novel without words, with music,” she says.
Wicked Little High - featuring the dramatic “In the Deep” from the Crash soundtrack, a song that earned York an Oscar nomination - finds powerful yet wistful vocals suspended over funky electronica beats. The result is a dreamy, trip-hop-tinged pop experience that’s as gritty as it is melodic.
“I’m really led by melody,” she said. “Melody is like a river, and I just get on it and slide down it until a song comes out at the end of it.”
Although York is grateful she can make a living through art, her true reason for making music is deeply rooted in altruism. “I had set an intention that I wrote down that I wanted my voice to be a warm blanket to try to comfort people,” she said. “Obviously I like writing music that’s very sensual, and I like making music that has a groove on it, but the core of it was within that genre of music I wanted to try to comfort a frightened world.”
by Brooke Marshall
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Sole Member: Kathleen “Bird” York
Fun Fact: York is also an actress, with roles on TV’s The West Wing and The O.C., and Oscar-award-winning film Crash.
Why She’s Worth Watching: York’s latest album, Wicked Little High, blends confident vocals and mellow electronica for a unique sound she describes as “a moody groove.”
For Fans Of: Norah Jones, Frou Frou
At 15, Kathleen “Bird” York experienced two events that came to define her: her parents died, leaving her a homeless runaway, and she picked up a guitar for the first time. The combination of the two forged a lasting bond with music. “It made music essentially important to me, because it sort of became home,” she says. “It wasn’t anything that anyone could take away from me. … And it was a constant. Wherever I was, I could play music.”
Even though York now splits her time between the recording studio and the sets of various films and TV shows (she has two albums and more than 50 acting roles to her credit), music still provides her with the simple comfort of home. “It’s almost like it’s magical, it’s intangible, and within that space you can create a novel without words, with music,” she says.
Wicked Little High - featuring the dramatic “In the Deep” from the Crash soundtrack, a song that earned York an Oscar nomination - finds powerful yet wistful vocals suspended over funky electronica beats. The result is a dreamy, trip-hop-tinged pop experience that’s as gritty as it is melodic.
“I’m really led by melody,” she said. “Melody is like a river, and I just get on it and slide down it until a song comes out at the end of it.”
Although York is grateful she can make a living through art, her true reason for making music is deeply rooted in altruism. “I had set an intention that I wrote down that I wanted my voice to be a warm blanket to try to comfort people,” she said. “Obviously I like writing music that’s very sensual, and I like making music that has a groove on it, but the core of it was within that genre of music I wanted to try to comfort a frightened world.”