Rose Polenzani
Encyclopedia
Rose Polenzani is an independent folk music
ian. She was raised in the Chicago
area and attended Knox College before leaving to pursue a singing career. She is currently living in Boston, Massachusetts. Her singing style is distinctive and emotionally charged. At least one free download is always available on her official website. She plays guitar
and, less frequently, piano
. Her lyrics often consist of rich blends of obscure images and emotions.
Polenzani has performed in Lilith Fair
in 1998, and the Sundance Film Festival
in 1999. She has opened for the Indigo Girls
, David Gray
, Vic Chesnutt
, Patty Griffin
, Joan Baez
, Jonatha Brooke
, and Shawn Colvin
. She has been reviewed positively in the Utne Reader
, BUST Magazine
, and the Boston Globe.
Polenzani performed as part of Voices on the Verge
, a collaborative musical project with Beth Amsel
, Jess Klein
, and Erin McKeown
. Voices on the Verge toured together in 2001 and 2002 and released a live album, Voices on the Verge: Live In Philadelphia on the Rykodisc
label. In 2004, Polenzani toured with Sharon Lewis of the British band Pooka
, whom she cites as a major musical influence.
Opera singer Matthew Polenzani
is her brother.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
ian. She was raised in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area and attended Knox College before leaving to pursue a singing career. She is currently living in Boston, Massachusetts. Her singing style is distinctive and emotionally charged. At least one free download is always available on her official website. She plays guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and, less frequently, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. Her lyrics often consist of rich blends of obscure images and emotions.
Polenzani has performed in Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
in 1998, and the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in 1999. She has opened for the Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls
The Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, David Gray
David Gray (musician)
David Gray is an English singer-songwriter. He released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later...
, Vic Chesnutt
Vic Chesnutt
James Victor "Vic" Chesnutt was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, Little, was released in 1990, but his breakthrough to commercial success didn't come until 1996 with the release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, a tribute album of mainstream artists...
, Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
, Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Illinois.Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies...
, and Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age...
. She has been reviewed positively in the Utne Reader
Utne Reader
Utne Reader is an American bimonthly magazine. The magazine collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment from generally alternative media sources, including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music and DVDs...
, BUST Magazine
Bust (magazine)
Bust is a bi-monthly United States-based women's lifestyle magazine. It was founded in 1993 by Debbie Stoller, Laurie Henzel, and Marcelle Karp.-Content:...
, and the Boston Globe.
Polenzani performed as part of Voices on the Verge
Voices on the Verge
Voices on the Verge was a folk, country, and rock band formed as a collaboration between four young, formerly-independent, female musicians: Jess Klein, Erin McKeown, Rose Polenzani, and Beth Amsel....
, a collaborative musical project with Beth Amsel
Beth Amsel
Beth Amsel is an American folk singer/songwriter. She grew up in Long Island and moved to Colorado at the age of thirteen. In 1997, she moved to the East Coast and joined the New England folk scene. She has performed with The Weepies, Jess Klein, Erin McKeown and Rose Polenzani as Voices on the...
, Jess Klein
Jess Klein
Jess Klein is an American singer/songwriter. A native of Rochester, NY, Klein picked up the acoustic guitar and started writing songs while living in Kingston, Jamaica in her late teens. On a whim, she auditioned for a guest slot at a local weekly dub poetry and music session...
, and Erin McKeown
Erin McKeown
Erin McKeown is an American multi-instrumentalist and folk-rock singer/songwriter.McKeown began her career in the folk scene. She released her first album, Monday Morning Cold, on her own label , travelling throughout New England while still a student at Brown University in order to promote the...
. Voices on the Verge toured together in 2001 and 2002 and released a live album, Voices on the Verge: Live In Philadelphia on the Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
label. In 2004, Polenzani toured with Sharon Lewis of the British band Pooka
Pooka (band)
Pooka was the former songwriting duo of UK guitarists/vocalists Sharon Lewis and Natasha Jones. They took their name from Púca, a mythical Irish goblin with an uneven temper.-Career:Pooka were formed early in 1992 at Nottingham Polytechnic...
, whom she cites as a major musical influence.
Opera singer Matthew Polenzani
Matthew Polenzani
Matthew Polenzani is an American lyric tenor, born in Evanston, Illinois. He has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Seattle Opera, and other companies. He has also sung with numerous symphony orchestras. Polenzani earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University in...
is her brother.
Discography
- Dragersville, self-released in the summer of 1998.
- Anybody, released July 20, 1999 from Daemon RecordsDaemon RecordsDaemon Records is an Atlanta, Georgia based, not-for-profit independent record label started by musician Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. The label is run mostly by the musicians who record on it....
. - Rose Polenzani, released June 5, 2001 from Daemon RecordsDaemon RecordsDaemon Records is an Atlanta, Georgia based, not-for-profit independent record label started by musician Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. The label is run mostly by the musicians who record on it....
. - August, self-released on October 6, 2004.
- When the River Meets the Sea, self-released October 1, 2008 (with Session AmericanaSession AmericanaSession Americana is a Boston-based band consistently referred to in articles by variants of “a folk-rock [or roots] supergroup,” a “who’s who” or “all-star” band featuring members Sean Staples , Billy Beard , Jon Bistline , Ry Cavanaugh , Jim Fitting and Dinty Child...
).