Edie Carey
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Contemporary folk, folk pop
Status:
Most recent release, Paper Rings: 8 Love Stories (2016)
See also:
Edie Carey's site
Comparisons:
Jonatha Brooke, Kris Delmhorst, Shawn Colvin
Covers/own material:
Own and co-written, occasional covers
General comments:
Edie is one of the more interesting neo-folkies around, kind of in the Kris Delmhorst vein. (meth@smoe.org)
Comments about live performance:
Seeing an Edie Carey show is like watching someone read a diary of their deepest thoughts. Whether singing about an enveloping love, or talking about her childhood pet, Edie has a wonderful ability to make you think you're sitting down with a life-long friend. Her songs are overflowing with emotion. From the mother's grief of "Black Wool Dress" to the love, and joy of "I Never Thought I'd Say This" to the self-loathing of "If I were you," Edie's songs take you on a complete emotional rollercoaster. (gegertha@tiac.net)Edie started things off, and was as charmingly goofy as always. It was her first time playing at the Iron Horse (what a debut, playing to a packed house like that), and I think she made quite a few new fans. Edie Carey is such a goofball. Even if I didn't like her music, I think I'd go see her play just to be entertained between songs. (1/01)
Edie is wonderful. She's an absolute riot in live performance, and she's no slouch as a singer or songwriter, either.
If she comes to your town, she's well worth checking out. (11/03, meth@smoe.org)Edie Carey ended the day with a somewhat dizzy and breathless set. She'd just come in from Oklahoma, and seemed a bit unfocused, though I don't know if that is typical of her performances anyway. She seemed to have a heavy dose of Jonatha Brooke infused with a smattering of Melissa Ferrick. (8/01, neal)
I saw Edie Carey and Anne Heaton with Frank Marotta, Jr. play at the Fez on Tuesday night. It was my first concert of the year, and I think my first concert since August or September, and quite a good one.
They chatted about touring with Melissa Ferrick and being back in NYC (Edie lives in Atlanta now). They interspersed their songs (1 Edie, then 1 Anne) all night and frequently contributed backing vocals on each other's songs.
Edie started things off. She played a lot of new songs and things from her second album, including "Violently," "Fall or Fly," and "Come Close" (at request), and "Compromise (be a poet about it)" from her live disc. She talked about her move to Atlanta (or maybe around it) and complained about Anne Heaton's songwriting being so good she raises the standards too high and she hates her even though she really loves her anyway. It was cute.
I really liked the way she wrote about 9/11 in a new song, "Under a Blue Sky" (I think) which she said was about important events that happened to her at age 9, 17, and 27. (Or maybe that was 8, 18, and 27, but close enough). The chorus was something like "Nothing great could ever happen under that blue sky/Nothing bad could ever happen under that blue sky") and when she started singing about the black clouds filling the sky, followed by that chorus, you knew what she was talking about. One of the things I remember most about 9/11 was what a beautiful, sunny, warm day it was, and yet there were these terrible things happening, but the disconnect didn't make either one less true.
All in all, it was a good performance. She sang and played well and seemed like she was enjoying herself. Anne Heaton contributed vocals, and sometimes keyboard too, to some songs. I don't think Frank played on any, but I could be wrong. She ended with Shawn Colvin's "Diamond in the Rough," which is on her live album, Come Close. When she said she was going to play a Shawn Colvin song, I thought yes, that makes total sense. I hadn't thought about the comparison before, but it makes sense. Shawn Colvin's early work anyway. They're both storytellers, and there's musical similarity too. (1/03, JoAnn.Whetsell)
Recommended first album:
The Falling Places
Recordings:
- The Falling Places (1998)
- Call Me Home (2000)
- Come Close: the live (photo) album (2002)
- When I Was Made (2003)
- Another Kind of Fire (2006)
- Bring the Sea (2010)
- 'Til The Morning: Lullabies and Songs of Comfort (with Sarah Sample, 2014)
- Paper Rings: 8 Love Stories (2016)
The Falling Places
Release info:
1998—Last Minute Music—ECC100
Availability:
Online cd stores like amazon.com, folkweb.com and cdbaby.com or mail order
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edie Carey—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Chris Benelli—drums, percussion, poor man's drum kit, shaker, tambourines, djembe, congas, cymbals, bongos
Perkin Barnes—electric bass
Craig Benelli—electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Tad Kinchla—electric bass
Eric Friedman—keyboards
David Barnhart—cello
Rama Winslow—backing vocals
Allen Markel—electric bass
Produced by:
Edie Carey & Chris Benelli with Perkin Barnes
Comments:
When I first heard The Falling Places, I thought, oh, that's pretty, but the harmonies are too sweet. But as I listened to the album more, I got to hear other textures in the music, grit and pain as well as sweetness. Now it's one of my favorite folk albums ever. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Call Me Home
Release info:
2000—Accidental Poet Productions—10001-2
Availability:
Online cd stores like amazon.com, folkweb.com and cdbaby.com or mail order
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edie Carey—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Craig Benelli—electric guitars, slide guitars
Chris Benelli—e-bow, djembe, triangle, congas
Tom Cangemi—background vocals (1), acoustic guitar, programming, electric bass, additional electric guitar (5), loop programming, percussion
Trina Hamlin—harmonica
Shawn Pelton—drums, loom programming (8)
T-Bone Wolk—electric bass, baritone guitar, acoustic bass, accordion, fretless bass
Vivian Lee—violin
e-LAB AB—drum loop (3)
Cliff Eberhardt—vocals (5)
Big Fish Audio—drum loop (6)
Bennett Paster—piano
Luther Creek—background vocals (8)
Jason Paige—background vocals (8)
Produced by:
Tom Cangemi
Comments:
Edie ventured into folk-pop with this one, even rocking out on "Come Close." It reminds me a lot of Jonatha Brooke. At first, having heard some of these songs in live solo shows, I thought they had too much going on in these versions, but after a few listens, I don't think so, except perhaps in "Disco Ball Heart." Edie's voice is so sweet. There's a moment near the end of "August" when her voice seems to float above the music. Even though most of these songs appear on the live album, if you like Edie's music, it's worth getting both discs. The 2 songs here not on the other album are both good, and the versions are different enough. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Come Close: the live (photo) album
Release info:
2002—Last Minute Music—ECC100
Availability:
cdbaby.com or mail order
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edie Carey—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Sam Shaber—backing vocals (1, 7, 22)
Teddy Goldtstein—backing vocals (7)
Anne Heaton—storytelling help (21), backing vocals (22)
Eric Friedman—keyboards
Joe Brack—backing vocals (24)
Produced by:
Edie Carey
Comments:
Listening to Edie's live album feels like being at one of her shows, or even better, like she's in your home playing for you. Most of the songs are solo with acoustic guitar; Sam Shaber and Anne Heaton sing back up on a few. There are 16 music tracks in all: 2 songs from The Falling Places, 8 from Call Me Home, 4 new songs, 1 cover, and 1 bonus track. The rest of the tracks are banter. Edie's really funny, and I like that she's not afraid of looking weird. That unselfconscious spirit shines through on these tracks and in her choice of photographs and commentary. The album is also edited well. The banter tracks are short (most under 30 seconds) and the applause after songs is also short. Long enough to make you feel like you're at a live show but not long enough to be annoying. Did I mention that her vocals and guitar sound great too? (JoAnn Whetsell)
When I Was Made
Release info:
2003—50129-2
Availability:
Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, Peppermintcds.com or mail order
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edie Carey—vocals, acoustic guitar, Nashville guitar, backing vocals
Guest artists:
A-Team—loop
Joel Litwin—snare, percussion
Jason Bendickson—bass
Evan Brubaker—acoustic guitar, backing vocals, bass, Nashville guitar, electric guitar, mellotron
Jonathan Kingham—banjo, dobro, electric guitars, organ, acoustic guitar, Rhodes, backing vocals
Julie Wolf—accordion
Phil Peterson—cello
Skip Peri—drums
Sean Halley—electric guitars
Sean Bendickson—drums
Dan Tyack—pedal steel
Comments:
If her debut was folk, and her follow-up folk-pop, then this is more folk-rock oriented. She just keeps getting better and better. (JoAnn Whetsell)"Under A Sky" is the most affecting song about 9-11 I've heard yet. (11/03, meth@smoe.org)
One of the best of 2003. (jsutton@hrmusic.com)
There are a couple of incredible songs on this CD. "Chemistry" and "Under a Sky" just seem to really get me going. (Wade)
Another Kind of Fire
Release info:
2006—50185-2
Availability:
Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, Peppermintcds.com or mail order
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edie Carey—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Dave Mattacks—drums
Richard Gates—bass
Duke Levine—electric guitars, acoustic guitar, lap steel, guitorgan, mandola
Brad Hatfield—Wurlitzer piano, synth pads, organ, B3 organ
Rose Cousins—backing vocals
Crit Harmon—tambourine, electric guitar
Mike Piehl—drums
Produced by:
Crit Harmon
Comments:
Edie Carey hit her stride with her last album, When I Was Made, and keeps it going on this one, though Another Kind of Fire has a somewhat bolder sound. She just makes wonderful contemporary pop-tinged folk music, and she keeps getting better. If you like her previous work, you'll want to add Another Kind of Fire to your collection. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Bring the Sea
Release info:
2010—50185-3
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edie Carey—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Darin Watkins—drums
Evan Brubaker—bass, mandolin, mellotron, Nashville guitar, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, drum programming, tambourine, keyboard, backing vocals
Julie Wolf—piano (1, 2); accordion (4, bonus track)
Mai Bloomfield—cello
Sean Halley—resonator guitar (1, 4, 7, 10, 11, bonus track); mandolin (2, bonus track); acoustic guitar (4, 7, 11); classical guitar (10); lead guitar (bonus track)
Jon Hamar—bass (2, 3, 6, 10, 12, bonus track)
Eyvind Kang—viola, string arrangements
Jonathan Kingham—piano (3, 5-7, 9, 12)
Sarah Sample—backing vocals (4, 7, bonus track)
Glen Phillips—backing vocals (6)
Shawn Mullins—harmony (10)
Produced by:
Evan Brubaker
Comments:
A lovely, low-key album. I prefer this to her last album Another Kind of Fire. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Further info:
Edie is also part of Live from New York, with Anne Heaton, Teddy Goldstein, Sam Shaber, and Andrew Kerr.Her songs appear on the compilations A Woman's Worth: Artists for Humanity, Rose Street Raw, Abet Songwriting Contest 2000, Believing in Ourselves: The Open Door Compilation, Playj.com Sampler, Alfred University Fall 2000 Compilation, Best of Boston Singer-Songwriter Showcase Volume 1, Indiegrrl Compilation Volume 2, Acoustic Rainbow Sampler, Brooklyn Above Ground, Asbell-Baker 2001 Campus Activities Roster, SBS Records Music Sampler, It's About Eve.
She has also done backing vocals on albums by artists such as Teddy Goldstein, Andrew Kerr, and Melissa Ferrick.
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
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