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Emilie Autumn

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Emilie Autumn

Emilie Autumn (born September 22, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and violinist currently living in Chicago who is best known for her wide range of musical styles, especially her usage of theatrics.

Biography

Early life

Autumn was born on September 22, 1979 in Malibu, California. At the age of four, Autumn commenced her training on the violin. Six years later, she enrolled at the Colburn School of Performing Arts where she began to experiment with improvisational playing, inspired by the renowned violinist Nigel Kennedy. In 2003 she would state that she "ate, slept, and breathed his recordings, much to the great and oft' noted chagrin of [her] teachers." She later left the school due to harassment.

At fifteen, Autumn won a place at the prestigious Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana but left after two years due to clashes with university authorities over her unorthodox musical and clothing tastes.[1] By then Autumn already sported the brightly-colored long hair (beginning with purple at age seventeen[2]; it was not until later that her hair became the flamboyant pink and red colors for which she is well known), corsets and combat boots that would characterize her "Opheliac" era.

After returning home to Los Angeles, she performed with friends in a baroque ensemble named "Ravensong". In 2000 she established her own label called Traitor Records in order to release a classical violin recording, On a Day….[3]

By early 2001, Autumn had relocated to Chicago and had begun to record her debut full-length album Enchant. As a preview, she released an EP for the song "Chambermaid".

As a tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Autumn released a charity single entitled By the Sword, donating the proceeds to the American Red Cross and AmeriCares.[4]

In 2003 Autumn completed the fourteen-track album Enchant which showcased her unique brand of alternative music known as "fantasy rock", combining rock, classical, cabaret and Irish folk influences. She recently re-released Enchant in 2007 with Trisol Music Group.

Rise to fame (2003–2005)

Though an active performer and recording artist with a cult following of her own, Autumn first gained widespread notoriety in 2003 when she was discovered by former Hole frontwoman Courtney Love, who brought Autumn to France to work on Love's debut solo album, America's Sweetheart (2004). Autumn then toured with Love as part of the all-female band The Chelsea, along with guitarists Radio Sloan, Lisa Leveridge, bassist Dvin Kirakosian, and drummer Samantha Maloney[5], making appearances on The Tonight Show and the Late Show with David Letterman.

When The Chelsea's tour was halted, Autumn returned to Chicago and began working with Billy Corgan. She continued to work with him until the spring of 2005. As a part of her "punktorian" fashion label WillowTech House, she designed and tailored costumes for the music video for Corgan's single "Walking Shade." [citation needed]

Later solo career (2005–present)

I learnt to walk in the back stages of theatres and opera houses, amongst the beautiful chaos of costume changes, circus performers, sweaty ballerinas, dripping make-up, and far too much glitter. Then, I went mad and was locked up. This is simply what it sounds like inside my head. 'Opheliac' is my 'mad scene'.[6]

Emilie Autumn

Autumn was finally able to return to working on her own album in September 2005. She began the full-time recording of Opheliac at Mad Villain Studios in Chicago.

In late 2005 she added a backup band to her live line-up, to whom she refers as "The Bloody Crumpets". Autumn and the Bloody Crumpets performed the new material on the WGN Morning Show on January 12, 2006, followed by a sold-out performance at Double Door in Chicago on January 13. A limited edition EP, containing eight tracks from the final version of Opheliac, was released in spring 2006 under her own label. On August 18, 2006, Autumn announced that she was releasing a double-disc deluxe edition of her Opheliac album, having signed a distribution deal with Trisol Music Group.[7]

In 2007, before embarking on a European tour, Autumn recorded a new two-disc, entirely instrumental album called Laced/Unlaced. The first disc, Laced, is a re-release of her classical album On a Day… (2000), with an additional five tracks of live performances. The second disc, Unlaced, features her distinct "Victoriandustrial" style, consisting of original pieces played on the electric violin, backed by the harpsichord, drum machines and synthesizers.[8]

A red-haired woman sings into a microphone, wearing a white corset and elaborate skirts. A bear hangs on the mircophone stand by a ribbon.
Emilie Autumn performing at M'era Luna on August 11, 2007, during her European tour

She first performed her new material in Europe on May 26, 2007, at the Wave Gotik Treffen music festival in Germany. From June 22, 2007 to August 11, 2007, Autumn toured in Europe to promote her albums Opheliac and Unlaced. She played in Germany, Austria, England, and the Netherlands. During her acts, she was accompanied by The Bloody Crumpets consisting of Lady Aprella, Blessed Contessa, The Naughty Veronica, and The Pyrate Captain, Miss Maggots.[9]

In August 2007 Autumn re-released limited deluxe editions of her debut album Enchant and a compilation of previously unreleased or out of print tracks entitled A Bit O' This & That.[10]

In the winter of 2007, Autumn embarked on another European tour, with concerts and festivals in Belgium, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, and more. In the spring of 2008, she returned to England.[11] She continued to be accompanied by Vecona, Lady Aprella, Veronica Varlow, and Lucina. On February 15, on her official website, Autumn announced a new addition to The Bloody Crumpets: alternative fashion model Ulorin Vex. Apnea did not tour with the group while in the UK.[12] Lady Joo Hee also toured with Autumn in the UK, as a cellist.

Autumn played a violin arrangement on the song "UR A WMN NOW" for OTEP's fourth studio album, Smash the Control Machine, which was released August 18, 2009.

In the winter of 2009, Autumn embarked on her first tour of North America. The 21-city tour, entitled "The Asylum Tour: The Key", began on October 9th in Toronto and stopped in cities across the continent, including a show in Mexico City on October 22nd, before the final performance in Chicago, Illinois on November 6th. During the tour, she was backed by her all girl band known to her fans as The Bloody Crumpets.

To coincide with her tour dates, Emilie Autumn has announced the release of her book "The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls" for December 15, 2009[13]. The release date was at first delayed due to technical problems. The book, "a true life horror tale of madness, murder, and medical experimentation", according to official descriptions, will contain 274 fully illustrated pages along with hand written memoirs, photos and paintings by Emilie Autumn.

The California born, Chicago-based musician will release the hardbound book exclusively as part of the Opheliac Ultimate Book/Album Bundle. Along with the book, the forthcoming bundle will contain Opheliac: The Deluxe Edition, which is a re-release of Emilie Autumn's two-disc seminal album, but includes several new tracks and video extras along with a number of exclusive items, including audio excerpts from "The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls" as read by Emilie Autumn.

Autumn also has her own company called WillowTech House, where she sells clothing that bears the company's logo, the perfume scent "Mistress", along with accessories and fairy wings, both of which are handmade by Autumn herself. WillowTech House is co-owned by fLee, Queen of Tarts. Autumn and fLee are the company's two designers. The company's website is currently on hiatus for an indefinite amount of time.

Personal life

Autumn's mother was a seamstress,[14] and therefore Autumn was influenced to make her own clothes and costumes.

Autumn is a vegan[citation needed].

Some of her favorite charities and organizations include PETA and Amnesty International[15]

Autumn does not like her Wikipedia page as most everything that is on it is wrong. [16][17][18]

Television appearances

Autumn was featured in an episode of HGTV's That's Clever! (then Crafters Coast To Coast), creating a pair of "Floral Tea Party Fairy Wings" and sushi soap available from her fashion/lifestyle label, WillowTech House (which is currently on hiatus).[19]

Autumn has been a guest artist on the Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse, in which she performed all violins as the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the episode "Detharmonic". She also appeared on The Dethalbum.

Discography

Albums

EPs and singles

Special editions

  • Opheliac (Digipak)
  • Liar/Dead Is the New Alive (Digipak)
  • Laced/Unlaced (Double CD and hardcover photo book)
  • Enchant (CD and limited hardcover-digibook)
  • A Bit O' This & That (CD and limited hardcover-digibook)
  • 4 o'Clock (Digipak)
  • Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Bohemian Rhapsody Double Feature EP (Digipak)
  • Opheliac Deluxe Edition

Guest contributions

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ http://www.shrednews.com/chat-with-emilie-autumn/
  2. ^ http://www.batteredrose.com/chat3.php Little Xmas Secrets online chat with fans (December 23, 2006). Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  3. ^ http://www.musicaldiscoveries.com/reviews/emilieautumn.htm Interview by Russell W. Elliot, 2003. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  4. ^ http://www.batteredrose.com/bytheswordsingle.php Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  5. ^ IGN: Courtney Love & The Chelsea Tour
  6. ^ "Welcome to the Asylum :: The Official Site of Emilie Autumn". Emilie Autumn. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  7. ^ http://emilieautumn.com/opheliac.html Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  8. ^ http://emilieautumn.com/lacedunlaced.html Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  9. ^ http://www.batteredrose.com/bc.php Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  10. ^ http://emilieautumn.com/thisandthat.html Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  11. ^ http://forum.emilieautumn.com/viewtopic.php?t=2412 Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  12. ^ Welcome To The Asylum :: The Official Site Of Emilie Autumn
  13. ^ Official website – News
  14. ^ MacKenzie Wilson. "allmusic ((( Emilie Autumn > Biography )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-07-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ http://emilieautumn.com/links.html
  16. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fH0w0E579I
  17. ^ Insert footnote text here
  18. ^ http://www.shrednews.com/chat-with-emilie-autumn/
  19. ^ "That's Clever" Episode HCLVR-1A28 featuring Emilie Autumn on the HGTV website. Retrieved November 25, 2007.
  20. ^ a b c d e "Welcome to the Asylum :: The Official Site of Emilie Autumn". Emilie Autumn. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
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