Angela Easterling

Biography

So the old story goes, a small-town girl with ambition puts her all into her music, moves to the big city, meets the right people, and finds success. But with Angela Easterling, it was the opposite. She went back to her small town, and what she found in her native Greenville, SC had Roger McGuinn, founder of legendary folk rock group The Byrds, calling her “a bright shining star on the horizon,” going on to say “Her gift is so special….brought me back to the time the Byrds recorded Sweetheart of the Rodeo – tradition meets youthful exuberance.”

The result is Beguiler, her most focused and expansive album yet. It’s also the first album featuring her new band The Beguilers – guitarist Brandon Turner and drummer Jeff Hook, both of whom Angela met in Spartanburg, SC. To “beguile,” means to charm or enchant, sometimes in a deceptive way. Apropos to the title, Beguiler comes replete with gorgeous, bucolic, Southern-imbued folk that draws you in with gentle, crafty songs that address political and social issues head on.

As with 2009′s BlackTop Road, Beguiler was produced by lauded singer-songwriter Will Kimbrough, currently serving as Emmylou Harris’ lead guitarist and known for his work with folks like Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider and Jimmy Buffett. Also helping out in the studio are bassist Byron House, from Robert Plant’s Band of Joy and noted multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin; while two South Carolina songbirds, Fayssoux Starling McLean, a longtime harmony singer for Emmylou Harris and folk-pop artist Hannah Miller add their voices to the album’s finale, “Anchored in Love”.

“Manifest Destiny,” is a narrative inspired by her family’s farm, passed down since the late 18th century, and currently threatened by a rash of development. Both this song and the searing “Group Self-Deception (It’s Alright)” illustrate why Vintage Guitar Magazine said “If Steve Earle was reborn a girl, he’d be Angela Easterling”. Beguiler also travels archetypical territory, but with a twist. ‘Maria, My Friend” turns the typical love-lost tale on its ear and the duet “Never Got That Far” shows the all-too-true reality of a couple unable to say goodbye to a long-gone romance. With the imagery of bandmate Turner’s original ‘The Fish & The Bird”, the gospel classic “Anchored In Love”, plus Easterling’s own fierce rocker “Two Clouds”, water flows through the album in all forms: floods (Johnstown, Pennsylvania) droughts, oceans, the washing of a weary soul (Happy Song); and its dual ability to both sustain life and take it away.

Easterling’s songwriting has made her a two-time Kerrville New Folk Finalist and a 2011 Telluride Troubadour Finalist, and has roped in critical lauding from Oxford American, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Boston Herald, a prolific interview with NPR’s Bob Edwards, heavy airplay on Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country and a band appearance on public radio program Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know. These accolades, however, are second to the riveting storytelling, deft Americana songwriting, and accessible persona of Angela Easterling. Angela plans to hit the road for most of the year, charming new audiences with her mix of past and present, personal and political, disarming and provocative music and lyrics. When she heads back home, it’s guaranteed that Angela Easterling will have bigger surprises in store. She’s one to watch.

Publicity: Emilee Warner, Crash Avenue

Emilee@crash-avenue.com

615.418.4846

This is what folks are saying about Angela Easterling:

“Angela Easterling has the fire in her belly. With songs inspired by Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones and A.P. Carter’s bones, power, corruption, sex, lies, videotape, French microphones, epic floods and plain old human heartache, Angela is creating literate, modern Southern music for the ages.”
- Will Kimbrough, May 2011

“Angela Easterling has a golden glowing voice and she writes observant songs about contemporary life. She can weave urban sprawl and cultural shifts into songs as gingerly as love and relationships. She’s taken her very promising career to a new level with her new album Beguiler.”
- Craig Havighurst, Music City Roots

“Angela Easterling is a bright shining star on the country/folk/alt.music horizon! Her gift is so special. I loved listening to her CD! Brought me back to the time the Byrds recorded “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” – tradition meets youthful exuberance!
-Roger McGuinn (founder of The Byrds)

“If Steve Earle was reborn a girl, he’d very likely be Angela Easterling” -Vintage Guitar

“Best Political Country Song” – Angela Easterling – “The Picture”- Daniel Gewertz, Boston Herald, Best of 2009 Music
“This is a special act to hit town. Her recent album, Beguiler has a unique blend of grassy-folk and just enough pop to keep ya singing along. Her voice is angelic and her band truly enhances this along with each song’s story. Don’t miss this one, folks.”
– Fredericksburg, VA patch

“Angela Easterling is on the road with a new CD–Beguiler, produced by Nashville superstar Will Kimbrough, also features the handy work of Brandon Turner. She’s been hitting the circuit several years now, known for her intense performance of “Helpless” at the 2009 Americana Music Festival. I know you’re feeling a little Americana void in your life right now, here’s some medicine.”
- Nashville For Free blog

“Innocence and clarity so fresh as to be dangerous.”
- Maverick

“Easterling’s smart tunes and spunky delivery put her in a category with Americana songbirds such as Tift Merritt and Shelby Lynne.”
- DailyPress.com

“What’s an honest girl doing singing about all these lies? Telling the truth about them, of course, in a voice that is strong and clear, backed by The Beguilers. Will Kimbrough, who produced the record, has taken this very strong cast of players and found just the right combination of instruments for each song, resulting in the impression that each song is recorded just as it should be, nothing missing and nothing extra.”
- No Depression

“Easterling’s new Will Kimbrough-produced Beguiler introduces her snappy new band the Beguilers with a — well, beguiling set of catchy, country-rocking songs that stick in your mind.”
- Nashville Scene

“The percussive ode “Manifest Destiny” is an easy nod to Carrie Rodriguez or Alison Krauss with its bleak, piercing fiddles and Easterling’s spotless vocals – which emulate those of Krauss – as she sings of the inevitability of land theft and development. Easterling takes Beguiler into deep water as she sings about infidelity, morality and urban sprawl, and she won’t write a breakup song without wheedling out the most complex aspects. McGuinn describes Easterling’s sound as “tradition meets youthful exuberance,” but it’s more than just tradition; snappy youth is why Beguiler sparkles. But wizened lyrical depth is what could make it last. “
- American Songwriter

“Easterling – accompanied by her backing band, The Beguilers – played to a packed house, delivering a fantastic performance. The result was pure musical magic. It wasn’t a show as much as it was an event with some special guests adding to the electric on-stage atmosphere. The Beguilers are always top-notch musicians, but their collective talent seemed to reach extraordinary heights Saturday”
- Live show review by Dan Armonaitis, Spartanburg Herald-Journal

“Beguiler is a diverse and spirited re-imagination of the classic country-rock of the early 1970s, the best of which effortlessly blends folk, pop, country, and folk behind the singularly beautiful, lilting vocals and ever-sharpening songwriting prowess of a budding talent.” Kyle Petersen, Free Times

“This is Easterling’s first recording with her band, “The Beguilers,” and it’s clear listening to the sample track “Two Clouds” that she’s taking full advantage of the new musical resources she’s been given. The song starts off with guitarist Brandon Turner exhibiting some Steve Cropper style, Blues Brothers-esque ascending notes alongside a soaring organ line, then Easterling’s commanding voice and drummer Jeff Hook’s driving beat propel the song into what becomes a country-tinged summer romp of a track.” Cameron Powell, SceneSC

“Dynamite honky-tonk singer Angela Easterling brings a tough traditionalist sound to ballads and ravers alike on her fine new CD Black Top Road.” – Philadelphia Inquirer“This singer-songwriter’s latest, Beguiler ranks as her best effort to date. Some of her original songs have an epic scope while others are tiny, elegantly illuminated vignettes. Her disarmingly non-histrionic soprano heighten’s her performances emotional impact while Brandon Turner’s guitar provides some extra dollops of electric energy to the mix.”
- Vintage Guitar

Select venues that Angela Easterling has played:

MidAtlantic

The Birchmere (Alexandria, VA) The Purple Fiddle (WV) Sellersville Theater (PA) Andy’s (Chestertown, MD) Baltimore Chop (MD) MilkBoy Coffee (PA)Fredericksburg Songwriter’s Showcase (Fredericksburg, VA) Vermilion (Alexandria, VA) FireFlies (Alexandria, VA) Burlap & Bean (Newtown Square, PA) Richmond House Concert (VA) Chateau Morissette (Floyd, VA) Ashland Coffee & Tea (Ashland, VA), First Friday Folk Music (Sheperdstown, WV), Vynecrest Winery (Breinigsville, PA) House Concert (Huntington, WV) Smithfield Summer Concert Series (Smithfield, VA) Lovettsville Library (Lovettsville, VA) Rust Library (Leesburg, VA) Music on the Steps (Fredericksburg, VA) Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance Concert (Charleston, WV) Roxbury Bandshell (Johnstown, PA) Art Works in Johnstown (PA) Nazareth Arts Center (PA) Roanoke Library (VA) Beach House Concert (Philadelphia, PA) Chesterfield Library (VA) Poplar Springs Inn (Casanova, VA) Bedford Library (VA) Village Concert (Palmyra, VA) Rockville Library (MD) Noteworthy Sundays Concert Series (Hagerstown, MD) Tin Angel (Philadelphia, PA)

South & Southeast

Eddie’s Attic (Decatur, GA) Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre (GA) Grey Eagle (Asheville, NC) Blue Ridge Perf. Arts Center (Hendersonville, NC) The Swallow in the Hollow (GA) Bluebird Café (Nashville) The Basement (Nashville) First Friday for Folk Music (Savannah, GA) Acoustic Coffeehouse (Johnson City, TN) Town Pump (Black Mountain, NC) The Cave (Chapel Hill, NC) Blue Vine (Salisbury, NC) Back Room @ Flat Rock Wine Shop (Flat Rock, NC) R.A. Fountain (NC) Farm 255 (Athens, GA) Evening Muse (Charlotte, NC) Smith’s Olde Bar (Atlanta) Preservation Pub (Knoxville, TN) WDVX Blue Plate Special (Knoxville, TN) Rodi (Gastonia, NC) Gaffney Public Library (Gaffney, SC) Hideaway BBQ (Raleigh, NC) Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival (Bristol, TN) Shakori Hills Festival (Pittsboro, NC) St. Giles Coffeehouse (Greenville, SC) French Broad Brewery (Asheville, NC) Backstage Café (Elizabethtown, KY) Lovejoy House Concert (Columbia, SC) Barley’s Tap Room (Spindale, NC) St. Andrews College (Laurinburg, NC) Bed & Bike Inn House Concert (NC) North Meets South House Concert (Greensboro, NC) Chattanooga Market (TN) Acoustic Seen Concert (Greenville, SC) Artisphere Festival (Greenville, SC) Summer On the Porch Series (NC) Rhythm On the River Concert Series (Columbia, SC) Alien Carnival House Concert (Columbia, SC) Hendersonville Public Library (NC) Reedy River Concert Series (Greenville, SC) Decatur Library (GA) Flat Rock Summer Music Series (NC) Cherokee Co. Library (SC) Shindig at the Cabin (Gaffney, SC) European St. Cafe (Jacksonville, FL) Awendaw Green (Awendaw, SC) Jack of the Wood Songwriter Night (Asheville, NC) The Showroom (Spartanburg, SC), Music on Maxwell) Greenwood, SC), Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium (SC), Saluda Inn Wine Cellar (NC), Wild Wing (Asheville, NC), Columbia Downtown Library (Columbia, SC), Grocery on Home (Atlanta, GA) Cafe at William’s Hardware (Travelers Rest, NC) Picnic in the Park (Clemson, SC) Bathtub Gin (Mooresville, NC) Smithsonian “New Harmonies” Roots Music Traveling Exhibit (Gaffney, SC) Stone Soup (Landrum, SC) Owl’s Eye Vineyard (Shelby, NC) Greer Family Fest (Greer, SC) 145 Club (Winnsboro, SC) Marigold Festival (Winterville, GA) Lois Jane’s Lawn Concert (Southport, NC) Creative Taste Festival (Spartanburg, SC) Cloer Vineyard (Apex, NC) July 4th Freedom Fest (Columbia, SC), Purple Onion (Saluda, NC) Village at Sandhill Summer Concert Series (Columbia, SC) Rooster’s Wife Concert Series (Aberdeen, NC) Fiddle & Bow Society (Winston-Salem, NC) Grimey’s In Store (Nashville, TN) Music City Roots @ the Loveless (Nashville, TN) Music in the Woods (Paris Mountain, SC) Moonlight on the Mountain (Birmingham, AL) AMUZU Theatre (Southport, NC) Americana Music Festival Showcase (Nashville, TN) White Horse (Black Mountain, NC) SpringWater Festival (Williamston, SC) Smiley’s (Greenville, SC) Gastonia Library (NC) Blue Skies Concert Series (Decatur, GA) House Concert (Charlotte, NC) Scarecrow Festival (Oconee, SC) House Concert (Florence, SC) Press 102 (Wilmington, NC) Albino Skunk Bluegrass Festival (Greer, SC) Art of Sound Festival (Shelby, NC) Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse (Chattanooga, TN) Fall Heritage Festival (Columbia, SC) The Handlebar (Greenville, SC) Bohemian Cafe (Greenville, SC) Six String Cafe (Raleigh, NC) Frog Hollow House Concert (Dahlonega, GA) Stoneybrook Races (Raeford, NC) Lunchtime Live Concert Series (Greer, SC) Spring Fling (Spartanburg, SC) Mountain Spirit Coffeehouse (Asheville, NC) Historic Newberry House Concert (SC) Rock on the Dock (Spartanburg, SC) CMA Festival WSM Stage (Nashville, TN) House Concert (Brevard, NC) Anderson Block Party (SC) Mountain Ribfest (Asheville, NC) Hopeland Gardens (Aiken, SC) Hotel Indigo (Athens, GA) NC Apple Festival (Hendersonville, NC) Bluebird Cafe (Nashville, TN) Broad River Greenway (Boiling Springs, NC) Fall For Greenville (SC)

Northeast

Radio Bean (Burlington, VT) Café Nine (New Haven, CT) Café Atlantique (Milford, CT) Parkside Lounge (NY,NY) Northstar Café (Portland, ME) Big Kahuna Café (Bridgton, ME) Shaika Café (Montreal, QC) Langdon Street Café (Montpelier, VT) Lizard Lounge (Boston) Bocelli’s (Bellows Falls, VT) Firefly (Lenox, MA) New Haven House Concert (CT) Parima Acoustic (Burlington, VT) HogFarm Studios (ME) Ames Free LIbrary (North Easton, MA) Dreamaway Lodge (Beckett, MA) Splatter Concert Series (Whippany, NJ) Hunterdon County Library (Flemington, NJ) Mt Laurel Library (NJ) Randolph Library (NJ) South Burlington Library (VT) Rawson Memorial Library (Jericho, VT) Narrows Center for the Arts (Fall River, MA) Studio 99 (Nashua, NH)

Points West

Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Telluride, CO) Kerrville Folk Festival (Kerrville, TX) Threadgill’s (Austin, TX)

LosAngeles

The Mint, Molly Malone’s, Viper Room, Genghis Cohen, the Roxy, Room 5, Key Club, Tangier, Hollywood & Highland, Billy Block’s Western Beat @ Highland Grounds