When she lays down
South American grooves
on guitar, audiences are hard-pressed to tell
that Emily Pinkerton is a native of the Midwest. Born
and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana, her musical
education carried her to Valparaíso, Chile, inspiring a
decade of immersion in Latin American music. Her
latest release weaves these two worlds together in a
vibrant tapestry that is North American, South
American and entirely unique. Evocative, haunting
vocals in Spanish and English soar above pulsating
rhythms of Andean guitar and old-time banjo.
Emily’s neo-traditional compositions are the result of
“…affecting and poignant—a different kind
of high lonesome.”
--Sing Out!
twelve years of travel between the U.S. and Chile. She has
studied with master musicians, including Alfonso Rubio,
Patricia Chavarría and Chosto Ulloa, learning to perform traditional cueca, tonada and canto a lo poeta on guitar and
guitarrón. Her latest songs, however, are part of an approach that moves beyond simply re-creating the music she
loves. “This album is about stretching genres, rhythms and forms: seeing what happens when I fuse Etta Baker’s
finger-picking patterns with rural Chilean guitar, or rework a traditional South American song on clawhammer banjo.
In this sense, I’m shaping a sound that is rooted in Latin America, yet in the mingling of styles, becomes my own.”
Emily has toured North and South America, appearing at venues such as SXSW (TX), Sala América (Chile),
Kamikaze (Peru), Tulane University (LA), The Space (CT), Makor (NY), Mulholland Nights (CA), Club
Café (PA), and Cactus Café (TX). Her music has been featured on NPR stations WNYC, WSHU, ETV Radio,
and WYEP, and she has shared the stage with Stacy Phillips, Glen Velez, the Chieftains and Alejandro Escovedo.
During graduate studies in ethnomusicology at the University of Texas (Austin), she was a core member of the
award-winning band Divahn. Currently based in Pittsburgh, Emily performs with her trio, featuring Venezuelan
bassist Layo Puentes, and New Mexican cajón player Lucas Savage.
CONTACT & BOOKING INFORMATION
Booking/general information:
emily@emilypinkerton.com
www.emilypinkerton.com
Press kit, audio, photos, and tech requirements:
www.sonicbids.com/emilypinkerton
314 McKinley Ave., 2nd fl.,
Pittsburgh, PA 15202
412-732-9576
DISCOGRAPHY
Valparaíso
Divahn (2002)
(NEW! Release date 9/13/08)
It's hard not to be enchanted with Emily
Pinkerton's music when it takes you from the North
American Midwest to the South American Andes. The
ubiquitous guitar makes it accessible, but the Latin
rhythms and language turn it into an exotic, luscious
thing.—Cleveland Scene
…a talent for flat-picking on guitar and banjo, a gift for
melody and a lovely voice reminiscent of Joan Baez…
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pinkerton’s transcontinental style comes across most on
‘El Cerro’ and ‘Kingdom Down.’ Sung in Spanish and
featuring the cajón drum, the gorgeous ‘El Cerro’ was
inspired by Pittsburgh’s scenery, especially the lonely
stairs that climb its hills.—City Paper
…in combining the old and new, drawing from
across the globe and mixing their respective
musical gifts, Divahn have not only a fine debut on their hands,
but a new musical statement—one of craft originality, and
spirit.
—Austin Chronicle
Pinkerton’s harmonies are affecting and poignant—a different
kind of high lonesome…—Sing Out!
EP
(2004)
with beauty and poignancy.
aback is superior.
Haven Advocate
Folk music
Taken
—New
CRITICAL PRAISE
… As impressive as Pinkerton's musical dexterity is--she plays guitar, banjo and violin expertly--it pales next to her vocal
tone...Emotions waver on Pinkerton's vibrations. At times, her voice is the epitome of loneliness, and at others, a portal for
the familiarity that only home can bring. She sings about love and war, rejection and homecoming, changing the
atmosphere in the room with each breath… —Santiago Times, Chile
ONE OF THE TOP THREE
ACOUSTIC ARTISTS OF 2006
--Pittsburgh City Paper
Emily Pinkerton is a songwriter of staggering proportions…
These songs are both old, and brand new; both simple folk songs
and harmonically complex compositions; both original and clearly
part of a larger tradition; both heartbreaking and joyous. This is
what great songwriting sounds like. —CD Baby Review
Early on, Pinkerton developed a passion for American folk music, which led her down the
path to everything from South American folk to traditional, old-time music… Pinkerton
juggles her studies, which have taken her throughout the globe, with recording and
performing, which has found her playing to industry types at the prestigious South by
Southwest Music Conference [as part of the band Divahn] and sharing stages with artists
ranging from Celtic legends the Chieftains to bluegrass multi-instrumentalist Stacy Phillips.
—Northwest Indiana Times
When you hear local songwriter and ethnomusicologist Emily Pinkerton sing, a sense of
nostalgia invades you… Emily's performances are a unique combination of Latin American
music and the traditional sounds of American old-time. Born in the Midwest, she studied in
Chile where she first heard Violeta Parra, a major influence in all of her music. She sings
fluently in Spanish for many of her songs, then picks up her banjo and tells American tales
such as John Lover is Gone. —Nightwire
www.emilypinkerton.com
314 McKinley Ave., 2nd fl.,
Pittsburgh, PA 15202
412-732-9576