Ebony Bones

Ebony Bones

Ebony Thomas also known as Ebony Bones, is a British singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Prior to writing and producing her debut album Bone Of My Bones, Ebony Bones was booked and performing globally before having released any records. Named one of the "40 Men And Women Who Make London" by Time Out for their 40th Anniversary edition as well as producing the soundtrack for Yves Saint Laurent's Manifesto campaign, Ebony Bones! performed live for Rolling Stone Magazine, and was named one of South by Southwest's best new acts of 2009.

Bones' self released 7" single We Know All About U depicting scenes of an Orwellian Britain, made an immediate impact through word of mouth. Making its radio debut as "Hottest Record In The World Today" as well as "Single Of The Week" by BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe, it also received daytime play, becoming Radio 1's most played single by an unsigned artist.

Acting

Born in April 1972 it is known that Ebony began her career at the age of 12, when she was spotted by BAFTA award winning actor and Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Mark Rylance, for his production of Macbeth also starring actress Jane Horrocks. Known for playing the role of resident "glamour puss" Yasmin McHugh on the Five (channel)|five TV drama Family Affairs from 1998 until 2005. She was one of the programme's youngest, longest-serving and most popular cast members, known for both her own and her character's fashion sense. In 2002, 2003 and 2004, Ebony was nominated for The British Soap Awards Sexiest female. In 2004 and 2005, Thomas was nominated for The British Soap Awards "Best Comedy Actor".

Ebony Bones!

A self-taught musician performing under the stage name Ebony Bones! in 2007, she anonymously uploaded music onto a blank myspace page. Writing, producing, her own material and playing her own instruments.

Created in her bedroom using beer bottles, woks and pans for percussion, Bones' self released 7" single "We Know All About U" depicting scenes of an Orwellian Britain, made an immediate impact through word of mouth. Making its radio debut as "The Hottest Record In The World Today" as well as "Single Of The Week" by BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe it also received daytime play from Jo Whiley, becoming Radio 1's most played single by an unsigned artist. The track was also used for BBC Radio 1 TV commercial, "In New Music We Trust". Spelt normally in capitals with an explanation mark, Ebony Bones! next limited edition 7" single "Don't Fart On My Heart" also became Radio 1's "Single Of The Week" and "The Hottest Record In The World Today" on the Zane Lowe Show, with the award winning video named Best Video by The British Council for the Onedotzero Festival.

Appearing in publications such as Rolling Stone, Vogue, NME, Q, The Guardian, The Observer, i-D, and Entertainment Weekly, she has also graced the covers of French lifestyle magazine Télérama three times, Tsugi, Japan's Eyescream, as well as German music magazine De:Bug.

Noted for her sense of fashion, and antics during live shows, Ebony Bones! performed her first tour supporting The Slits and performed live for Massive Attack's Meltdown (festival) at The Royal Festival Hall, appearing at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival and again in 2008 headlined by Jay-Z.

Booked in the U.S before having released any records, Bones made her debut in the summer of 2008 performing live in New York at the Barack Obama concert held at The McCarren Park Pool. She ended 2008 with a live performance at Transmusicales Festival in Rennes,

Bone of My Bones (2009)

Ebony Bones live in Barcelona (2010).

Producing and arranging her critically acclaimed debut album Bone Of My Bones, taken from a biblical reference from the Book of Genesis, Ebony Bones! also performs drums, guitar, bass, strings, organs and percussion on the album.

In a recent Myspace posting Ebony confessed: “Making the decision to produce, arrange and write this collective of work I guess was a brave one. Brave or dumb. But its a reflection of my personality…as fragmented as it might be. This debut album is about Audacity. Having the Audacity to step outside the circumferences of what you’ve been expected to be in life, despite the rules.. or what the book says. Chances are I’ll only have this audacity whilst I’m young, so I might as well use it..”

Bones and her seven piece live band, whose line up has included close friends of the singer (including The Damned drummer Rat Scabies) were recently named one of South by Southwest's best new acts of 2009. Showcasing for Rolling Stone Magazine in Austin, Texas she performed "W.A.R.R.I.O.R" and other new songs from the release, receiving a response described as "phenomenal".

Displaying politically themed subjects exemplified by songs such as "In G.O.D We Trust (Gold, Oil & Drugs)", "We Know All About U" and "Story Of St.Ockwell" referencing the police shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, her SXSW performance was quoted by US music critic Greg Kot as "dynamic". She was quickly snapped up to perform for other music festivals shortly after, including Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, Sonar in Spain and Rock en Seine in Paris.

Designing her band's stage costumes, Bones is known to ceremoniously paint a signature unibrow on each female member of her band, as homage to her favorite artist Frida Kahlo.

In April 2009, MTV News in New York announced the release of her anticipated debut Bone Of My Bones and previewed the US exclusive of her music video for The Muzik. Starring fans across the world, she is said to have been inspired by the idea of "an abstract collaboration with a collective of like-minded individuals all galvanized by music". The video is represented by 30 different directors from all across the globe, armed with nothing more than a camera phone or digi-cam and a lot of imagination. The Muzik quickly received daytime play on BBC Radio 1.

The debut album was released in Japan mid June 2009, impressively entering Top 10 in the iTunes album charts.

Making her third festival appearance at Glastonbury in 2009, Ebony performed on the Queen's Head Stage for Q Magazine as well as The Guardian Lounge Stage. A week later she and 11 band members miraculously escaped a fire, when her tour bus mysteriously engulfed into a ball of flames whilst on the motorway. Despite losing all instruments and equipment, Ebony and her band members performed live alongside The Prodigy and Madness on the mainstage Exit Festival in Serbia the following day. Leaving on tour for Japan and the States, she headlined the legendary Bowery Ballroom in New York.

Curated by Damon Albarn, Bones performed live at Africa Express on August the 5th. A free show in the center of Paris attended by 15,000 people, she performed in a sequined banana skirt in homage to Josephine Baker.

Blood Is The New Black (2010)

Recording in Slough, Ebony is rumoured to begin work on her follow up album early 2010 with the Symphony Orchestra of India, documented in a rockumentary style film featuring live concert footage called Blood Is The New Black.

In March 2011 it was reported that Ebony would perform live touring as support act for Cee Lo Green.

External links

• Ebony Bones at MySpace
• Ebony Bones at MTV News
• [1] - Self Titled
• [2] Ebony Bones cover of Tsugi Mag (France)
• [3] Aliens Ate My Minibus - myspace blog
• Ebony Bones 'The Muzik' music video
• [4] SXSW Best New Acts
• {http://www.usen-magazine.jp/es/0906.html] Ebony Bones cover of Eyescream Mag (Japan)
• Ebony Bones at CTM.08 openingsnight in Berlin