Emily Wells Makes Strings Sultry On Mama

By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on May 3, 2012 8:20PM

We've been watching classically trained violinist Emily Wells for a while now, ever since a Millennium Park lunchtime concert in 2009 where we saw a girl who could jump from instrument to instrument and just as easily turn pretty much any item into an instrument. At that time, she was catching attention with a unique classical/hip-hop hybrid cover of Biggie Smalls’ “Juicy,” but her story really starts as a teen who was fending off major label advances. The girl’s got talent for sure, but she’s also got smarts--she turned down all those offers to hang on to one little thing: creative control.

At that summer concert with simply Wells, a looping pedal and drummer Sam Halterman on stage, one song with a lazy beat called “Passenger” really piqued our interest, and we waited patiently for it to finally appear on her new album. Lucky for us, it was indicative of the eclectic influence and style to come on Mama. Haunting at times and surprisingly sultry, her delicate drawn out vocals slip and slide as strings slur and seem to drip throughout the album. It’s a slow burn, but with a strange swagger on songs like “Dirty Sneakers and Underwear,” it’s one that you’ll want to stick with.

Catch Emily Wells at Schubas tomorrow night, and get there early to see Portland Cello Project, who are also doing intriguing hip hop covers covers as, you guessed it, a band of cellos. Show starts at 10pm. Tickets are $13 ($15 door).