Carsie Blanton
| Carsie Blanton | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Carson Amanda Blanton |
| Origin | Luray, Virginia |
| Genres | Singer-songwriter, rock music, pop, folk, jazz |
| Occupations | Vocalist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2005-present |
| Labels | Independent |
| Associated acts | Devon Sproule, The Wood Brothers, Anais Mitchell, Mark Erelli |
| Website | www.carsieblanton.com |
Carsie Blanton (born Carson Amanda Blanton, July 22, 1985 in Bethesda, Maryland) is an American singer and songwriter based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She plays guitar and piano. Radio personality Gene Shay called Blanton "one of the best singer/songwriters in the business", and singer/songwriter Loudon Wainwright III says she is a "young up-and-comer... at the top of my list.".[1]
Blanton has released three studio albums: Ain’t So Green (2005), Buoy (2009), and Idiot Heart (2012). She has also release two out-of-print live albums: Hush (2002) and Beau (2010). In November 2011, Blanton received media attention for opening multiple shows on Paul Simon's So Beautiful or So What tour [2]
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[edit] Life and career
Carsie Blanton grew up in the small town of Luray, Virginia. She began taking piano lessons at age six, and began playing guitar and writing songs at age thirteen. In 2002, at age sixteen, Blanton left home for Eugene, Oregon. During her five year stay in Eugene, Blanton lived in a group house with other artists and musicians. During this time, Blanton sang back-up vocals for a touring funk group (The Champagne Syndicate), took up swing dancing, and started her first band (The Short Skirts). She recorded and self-released her first album, Hush, in 2002, followed by Ain’t So Green, her first studio album (produced by Steve Van Dam of Everything (band)), in 2005.
In 2006, Blanton relocated from Eugene to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to pursue her music career full-time. She began working with manager Bill Eib (Amos Lee, Mutlu Onaral), and by 2007 she was playing over one hundred live shows per year. In 2010, Blanton performed live on NPR's nationally-syndicated program, Mountain Stage,[3] and opened for The Weepies [4] and Shawn Colvin.[5] In 2011, Blanton toured with Anais Mitchell's Hadestown: A Folk Opera, playing the role of Head Fate,[6] and opened multiple shows on Paul Simon's So Beautiful or So What tour.
In summer of 2011, Blanton began work on her fifth album, Idiot Heart, with producer Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers. It was released on January 31, 2012.
[edit] Discography
- Hush" (2002)
- "Ain't So Green" (2005)
- "Buoy" (2009)
- "Beau EP" (2010)
- "Idiot Heart" (2012)
[edit] Industry Influence
Blanton is co-founder of an online tool for the music industry, Quidplayer, an embeddable “pay what you please” MP3 player and store.[7] Quidplayer allows fans to download tracks directly from artists, and to set the price they want for those tracks.
Blanton created Quidplayer in 2008 with Jon Darvill. In her online biography, Blanton states the following in reference to this approach: “My true calling as an artist is to share…What I actually want to do is make beautiful music and then give it to everyone, regardless of what they give me back.” In June 2011, Blanton announced on her blog that she plans to release her 2012 album, Idiot Heart, using the "pay what you please" approach.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ "Carsie Blanton - Bio". carsieblanton.com. http://www.carsieblanton.com/bio. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "Paul Simon Still Approaches His Songs with Enthusiasm". Richmond Times Dispatch. http://www2.timesdispatch.com/entertainment/2011/dec/01/tdweek05-paul-simon-approaches-still-approaches-hi-ar-1505060/. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "Carsie Blanton on Mountain Stage". npr.org. http://www.npr.org/2010/09/30/130244425/carsie-blanton-on-mountain-stage. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "Married indie-pop duo The Weepies, now parents, return with reflective album". news-herald.com. http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2010/11/01/life/nh3219148.txt?viewmode=2. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "Shawn Colvin Serenades Sold-Out Landmark Audience". Port Washington Patch. http://portwashington.patch.com/articles/shawn-colvin-serenades-sold-out-landmark-audience/. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "Songwriter Anais Mitchell brings "Hadestown" folk opera to Norfolk". dailypress.com. http://weblogs.dailypress.com/entertainment/music/pop/blog/2011/02/songwriter_anais_mitchell_brin.html/. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "Quidplayer". quidplayer.com. http://www.quidplayer.com/. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "The Big Exciting News". blogspot.com. http://brighterthanabuoy.blogspot.com/2011/06/big-exciting-news.html. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
