Sharron Kraus
Encyclopedia
Sharron Kraus is an English singer, songwriter and musician with strong ties to the US. Kraus was born in New York but grew up in Leicester, England. She has lived in Philadelphia and collaborated with American musicians, including Meg Baird
, Helena Espvall, Christian Kiefer, Tara Burke (Fursaxa
), and Gillian Chadwick (Ex Reverie
) .
Kraus has been compared to 70's English folk singers such as Shirley Collins
and Anne Briggs
and heralded as one of the strongest voices in English contemporary folk. She has recorded a collection of traditional folk songs, Leaves From Off the Tree, with Meg Baird
and Helena Espvall of Philadelphia psych folk band Espers
, but the majority of her work is self-authored, influenced by English and Appalachian folk song, but with its own distinctive voice. Musically Kraus' work is described as 'spine-tingling' 'spooky' and 'the sound of England and its enchanted gardens'.
Kraus has toured Europe and the US with United Bible Studies
, Meg Baird
, James Blackshaw
, Fursaxa
, Thinguma*jigSaw and The Iditarod.
Meg Baird
Meg Baird is an American musician originally from New Jersey and currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known as a founding member and lead female vocalist for the Philadelphia folk rock band Espers. In 2007, Baird released her first solo LP Dear Companion on Drag City...
, Helena Espvall, Christian Kiefer, Tara Burke (Fursaxa
Fursaxa
Fursaxa is a USA-based acid folk or freak folk project led by Tara Burke of Philadelphia. Her home-recordings feature acoustic guitar, simple Casio electronic keyboards, accordion, dulcimer and her heavily overdubbed vocals on a 4-track recorder.She has been making music since childhood...
), and Gillian Chadwick (Ex Reverie
Ex Reverie
Ex Reverie is the Philly-based, solo project of folk musician Gillian Chadwick.Debut album The Door Into Summer features the production and musical collaboration of Greg Weeks and his wife Jessica. The act is signed to Greg and Jessica's Language of Stone record label...
) .
Kraus has been compared to 70's English folk singers such as Shirley Collins
Shirley Collins
Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE is a British folksinger who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s...
and Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs is an English folk singer. Although she traveled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in England and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achieve widespread public acknowledgment of her music...
and heralded as one of the strongest voices in English contemporary folk. She has recorded a collection of traditional folk songs, Leaves From Off the Tree, with Meg Baird
Meg Baird
Meg Baird is an American musician originally from New Jersey and currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known as a founding member and lead female vocalist for the Philadelphia folk rock band Espers. In 2007, Baird released her first solo LP Dear Companion on Drag City...
and Helena Espvall of Philadelphia psych folk band Espers
Espers
Espers may refer to:*Esper, a term used in science fiction and the field of parapsychology*Esper , a class of people from the Akira manga and film*Espers , a Philadelphia based folk group**Espers , their eponymous debut album...
, but the majority of her work is self-authored, influenced by English and Appalachian folk song, but with its own distinctive voice. Musically Kraus' work is described as 'spine-tingling' 'spooky' and 'the sound of England and its enchanted gardens'.
Kraus has toured Europe and the US with United Bible Studies
United Bible Studies
United Bible Studies is an experimental and improvisational folk band from Ireland. There are a few core members such as David Colohan as well as a host of incidental contributors on both the live performances and regular albums...
, Meg Baird
Meg Baird
Meg Baird is an American musician originally from New Jersey and currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known as a founding member and lead female vocalist for the Philadelphia folk rock band Espers. In 2007, Baird released her first solo LP Dear Companion on Drag City...
, James Blackshaw
James Blackshaw
James Blackshaw is a Hastings-based guitarist and pianist, born in 1981. Blackshaw primarily plays an acoustic 12 string guitar and has been compared to Bert Jansch, Robbie Basho, John Fahey, Jack Rose, and Leo Kottke. To enable his fingerstyle playing, Blackshaw has grown long picklike fingernails...
, Fursaxa
Fursaxa
Fursaxa is a USA-based acid folk or freak folk project led by Tara Burke of Philadelphia. Her home-recordings feature acoustic guitar, simple Casio electronic keyboards, accordion, dulcimer and her heavily overdubbed vocals on a 4-track recorder.She has been making music since childhood...
, Thinguma*jigSaw and The Iditarod.
Discography
- 2002 – Beautiful Twisted CD (Camera ObscuraCamera Obscura (record label)Camera Obscura was a record label founded by Australian music journalist Tony Dale in 1996. Described by Dale as 'a conduit for the release of contemporary acid-folk, psych-pop and space-rock,' the label put out almost ninety releases over fourteen years, the vast majority of which were...
) - 2003 – Yuletide CD (Elsie and Jack); a collaboration with The Iditarod
- 2004 – Songs of Love and Loss CD (Camera Obscura)
- 2006 – The Black Dove CD (Tompkins Square); a collaboration with Christian Kiefer
- 2006 – Leaves From Off the Tree CD/LP (Bo'Weavil); a collaboration with Meg BairdMeg BairdMeg Baird is an American musician originally from New Jersey and currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known as a founding member and lead female vocalist for the Philadelphia folk rock band Espers. In 2007, Baird released her first solo LP Dear Companion on Drag City...
and Helena Espvall - 2007 – Right Wantonly A-Mumming CD (Bo'Weavil); with Jon BodenJon BodenJon Boden is an multi-instrumental musician and English folk singer.-Career:Boden plays fiddle as part of the duo Spiers and Boden, the band Bellowhead and up until 2007, Eliza Carthy's band The Ratcatchers. In 2009 he toured with his new backing band The Remnant Kings. He has also written a...
, John SpiersJohn SpiersJohn Spiers is an English melodeon, concertina and bandonion player.-Career:He plays with the duo Spiers and Boden and the band Bellowhead, and used to be a part of Eliza Carthy's old band The Ratcatchers.-Personal life:...
, Ian Giles, Fay HieldFay Hield-Career:Hield was part of The Witches of Elswick, with whom she recorded two CDs in their four years together.Fay and her partner Jon Boden run two folk clubs – Royal Traditions and Bright Phoebus ....
, Ian Woods, Michael Tanner, Claire Lloyd, Graham Metcalfe and Giles LewinGiles LewinGiles Lewin is a British violinist and bagpiper.He was born in Essex in 1960 or slightly earlier. Aged nine, he sang the female lead in Mozart's "Bastien et Bastienne". At Cambridge University he acquired a love of Irish traditional music. His admiration for William Lawes led him to join a group... - 2008 – The Fox's Wedding CD (DurtroDurtroDurtro was a British independent record label, established by the British poet, singer, songwriter, and visual artist David Tibet in 1988, to publish his own work, and that of fellow friends and musicians. It was replaced by one of Tibet's earlier labels, Coptic Cat, in 2010.Nearly every release...
) - 2008 – Rusalnaia CD (Camera Obscura); a collaboration with Gillian Chadwick
- 2008 – Travellers Two CD (Important); Tau Emerald, a collaboration with Tara Burke
- 2010 – The Woody Nightshade CD (Strange Attractors Audio House)
External links
- Official website
- MySpace page
- [ Allmusic Guide]
- Camera Obscura Records