Hannah Fury
Encyclopedia
Hannah Fury is an American
singer-songwriter with a following based on her independently-produced melancholic recordings inspired by Gregory Maguire
's revisionist Oz
novel Wicked
.
Seven years later, in August 2007, she released her second full-length album, and sixth CD overall, Through the Gash. All six of her CDs have been released on her own independent label MellowTraumatic Recordings. Despite not having the support of a major record label, her recordings have gained a devoted following who consistently praise her work.
Noticeably shy of the limelight
, Hannah Fury has never performed live.
to her instrumentation choice. She continues to use drum machines in Through the Gash. Reviewers of her work have compared her to Tori Amos
, Kate Bush
and Lisa Germano
.
was transformed into the same-titled
Broadway
musical
, Fury composed and sang seven songs based on the original novel. Five of them appear on her first full-length CD album The Thing That Feels, a thirteen-song compilation released in 2000 — the other two are included on the 2003 six-song single I Can't Let You In. Fury has said that she was particularly obsessed with the book's character of Elphaba.
Hannah Fury's lyrics have also included references to such eclectic subject matter and imagery as the Marvel Comics
character Man-Thing
, matricide
, mandrakes
, caged birds, drowning and, most particularly, Marie Antoinette
, who was mentioned in "The Necklace of Marie Antoinette" from Soul Poison, in "Carnival Justice (The Gloves Are Off) Part II" from Subterfuge, and in "Beware the Touch" from Through the Gash. In addition an illustration of Marie Antoinette has consistently appeared in merchandise sold in promotion of Fury's music. The connection to the French queen is further emphasized by the singer's website, which draws heavily on the aesthetics of the Rococo
era, associated with Marie Antoinette and her Palace of Versailles
.
Fury has worked with artist Scott Radke, whose puppets appear on the cover of Fury's EP Subterfuge and are also featured in her video for the song "Carnival Justice (The Gloves Are Off) Part II" from the same CD.
As well as writing, performing and producing her music, Hannah Fury also designs jewelry for her boutique collection.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter with a following based on her independently-produced melancholic recordings inspired by Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire is an American writer. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
's revisionist Oz
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
novel Wicked
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel published in 1995 written by Gregory Maguire and illustrated by Douglas Smith. It is a revisionist look at the land and characters of Oz from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and the...
.
Career details
Hannah Fury began the self-teaching process of mastering the piano at the age of 16 after finding inspiration in a song which she described as having coalesced in her mind—naming it "The Vampire Waltz." By the early 1990s she initiated the process of producing and releasing her own music, starting with a four-song demo tape. Eventually the songs from this tape were developed into the self-released 1998 EP Soul Poison, soon followed by the full-length 2000 album, The Thing That Feels, which met with generally favorable critical notices.Seven years later, in August 2007, she released her second full-length album, and sixth CD overall, Through the Gash. All six of her CDs have been released on her own independent label MellowTraumatic Recordings. Despite not having the support of a major record label, her recordings have gained a devoted following who consistently praise her work.
Noticeably shy of the limelight
Limelight
Limelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of quicklime , which can be heated to 2572 °C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and...
, Hannah Fury has never performed live.
Musical style
For most of her music, Hannah Fury has relied on vocals, keyboard and piano. She frequently uses overdubbing of her own voice to create harmonization and occasionally uses other instruments such as bass guitar. Starting with her CD Subterfuge, she has also introduced programmed drum machineDrum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
to her instrumentation choice. She continues to use drum machines in Through the Gash. Reviewers of her work have compared her to Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
and Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano is an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has released seven albums featuring her often-hushed vocal style, confessional lyrics, and distinctive violin. Her 1994 album Geek the Girl received widespread critical acclaim, including being featured as a top album of...
.
Songwriting
Long before WickedWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel published in 1995 written by Gregory Maguire and illustrated by Douglas Smith. It is a revisionist look at the land and characters of Oz from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and the...
was transformed into the same-titled
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, Fury composed and sang seven songs based on the original novel. Five of them appear on her first full-length CD album The Thing That Feels, a thirteen-song compilation released in 2000 — the other two are included on the 2003 six-song single I Can't Let You In. Fury has said that she was particularly obsessed with the book's character of Elphaba.
Hannah Fury's lyrics have also included references to such eclectic subject matter and imagery as the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character Man-Thing
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
, matricide
Matricide
Matricide is the act of killing one's mother. As for any type of killing, motives can vary significantly.- Known or suspected matricides :* Amastris, queen of Heraclea, was drowned by her two sons in 284 BC....
, mandrakes
Mandrake (plant)
Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora, particularly the species Mandragora officinarum, belonging to the nightshades family...
, caged birds, drowning and, most particularly, Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
, who was mentioned in "The Necklace of Marie Antoinette" from Soul Poison, in "Carnival Justice (The Gloves Are Off) Part II" from Subterfuge, and in "Beware the Touch" from Through the Gash. In addition an illustration of Marie Antoinette has consistently appeared in merchandise sold in promotion of Fury's music. The connection to the French queen is further emphasized by the singer's website, which draws heavily on the aesthetics of the Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
era, associated with Marie Antoinette and her Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
.
Fury has worked with artist Scott Radke, whose puppets appear on the cover of Fury's EP Subterfuge and are also featured in her video for the song "Carnival Justice (The Gloves Are Off) Part II" from the same CD.
As well as writing, performing and producing her music, Hannah Fury also designs jewelry for her boutique collection.
Discography
- Soul Poison (1998)
- The Thing That Feels (2000)
- Meathook (2001)
- I Can't Let You In (2003)
- Subterfuge (2006)
- Through the Gash (2007)