Dear Nora (band)
Encyclopedia
Dear Nora was an indie pop
band formed in Portland, Oregon
in 1999 by songwriter
, vocalist, and guitarist
Katy Davidson, drummer
and vocalist Marianna Ritchey, and bassist
Ryan Wise. Ritchey and Wise were previously members of Wolf Colonel. They named their new band after Lewis & Clark College
music professor Nora Beck. Dear Nora's first album
, We'll Have a Time, was produced by Amy Linton of The Aislers Set
and released on the Portland label Magic Marker Records in 2001.
After moving to San Francisco
, Davidson continued to record under the name Dear Nora with a rotating cast of band members. The band released two more main albums, Mountain Rock (2004) and There Is No Home (2006), as well as several 7" singles
and EPs
. From 2004 to 2007, they performed locally in San Francisco and toured with musicians such as The Blow
, Mirah
, and YACHT
.
After a tour of Florida
with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
in 2008, Davidson retired the name Dear Nora, though she continues to record music. In 2006, Davidson moved to Los Angeles, where she and Ritchey recorded Just as God Made Us under the name Lloyd & Michael on States Rights Records
. Davidson now resides in Portland and performs under the name "Key Losers."
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band formed in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in 1999 by songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, vocalist, and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Katy Davidson, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and vocalist Marianna Ritchey, and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Ryan Wise. Ritchey and Wise were previously members of Wolf Colonel. They named their new band after Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
music professor Nora Beck. Dear Nora's first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, We'll Have a Time, was produced by Amy Linton of The Aislers Set
The Aislers Set
The Aislers Set is an indie pop band that formed in San Francisco in 1997 after the breakup of chief songwriter Amy Linton’s former band Henry's Dress...
and released on the Portland label Magic Marker Records in 2001.
After moving to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, Davidson continued to record under the name Dear Nora with a rotating cast of band members. The band released two more main albums, Mountain Rock (2004) and There Is No Home (2006), as well as several 7" singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. From 2004 to 2007, they performed locally in San Francisco and toured with musicians such as The Blow
The Blow
The Blow is the moniker of Brooklyn, New York-based musician Mikhaela Yvonne Maricich, who has recorded several albums for K Records. Jona Bechtolt, aka Yacht, was also a member of The Blow from 2004 to 2007....
, Mirah
Mirah
Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn , is an American musician based in San Francisco California. She has released five albums under the K Records label.- Background :...
, and YACHT
Jona Bechtolt
Jona Bechtolt is an electronic musician and multimedia artist based in Portland, Oregon, United States. He is a former member of The Badger King and The Blow, and has released solo records under the name Yacht since 2003...
.
After a tour of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone was the musical solo-project of musician Owen Ashworth of Redwood City, California.-History:Ashworth started CFTPA after he dropped out of film school in 1997...
in 2008, Davidson retired the name Dear Nora, though she continues to record music. In 2006, Davidson moved to Los Angeles, where she and Ritchey recorded Just as God Made Us under the name Lloyd & Michael on States Rights Records
States Rights Records
States Rights Records is an independent record label founded in 2001 by Steve Schroeder. The Portland, Oregon label's premier release was "Come Along" by Little Wings. Later that year, the label released "Tongue and Tooth" by The Badger King. Bobby Birdman, Yacht, Lucky Dragons, The Blow, The...
. Davidson now resides in Portland and performs under the name "Key Losers."
Discography
- 2000 - Make You Smile (7"), Magic Marker Records
- 2000 - Dreaming Out Loud (7"), Magic Marker Records
- 2001 - We'll Have a Time, Magic Marker Records
- 2002 - The New Year, Magic Marker Records
- 2003 - split w/ Mates of StateMates of StateMates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel .Over the course of the band's fourteen year career, they've released three EPs and six full-length, studio...
(7"), Polyvinyl Records - 2004 - Mountain Rock, Magic Marker Records
- 2005 - split w/ What the Kids Want (7"), Shake Got the Beets Records
- 2006 - There is No Home, Magic Marker Records
- 2008 - Three States: Rarities 1997-2007, Magic Marker Records
External links
- [ Dear Nora] at Allmusic
- Dear Nora at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Magic Marker Records
- Katy Davidson's official website
- Review at SF WeeklySF WeeklySF Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper in San Francisco, California. The newspaper, distributed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area every Wednesday, is published by Village Voice Media, a 16-paper alt weekly newspaper chain that also includes the New York City Village Voice and the Los...
- Review at PopMattersPopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...