Miranda Lee Richards’ story has taken a lot of twists and turns to get to this place and time. How many artists would mention members of Metallica, Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Jesus and Mary Chain just to explain the path they took to end up making the music they do?
“Courtney Taylor from the Dandy Warhols calls my genre ‘Pixie Fairy Dust Chick Music,’” says singer/songwriter Miranda Lee Richards with a laugh. “But I think another fitting description for Light of X might be ‘Psychedelic Chamber Folk Rock’.”
A revered singer and songwriter, MIRANDA will release her Nettwerk debut LIGHT OF X on February 10, 2009. For her new album, MIRANDA composed all of the material, string arrangements, acoustic guitar, piano and Hammond B3 on the disc. It’s an album that shimmers with folk, country, psychedelic and even a slight classical influence, balancing her beautiful, close to the heart vocals, with music that has the wide open, spacious feel of a desert sky or an empty church. LIGHT OF X is an album full of love and loss, desolation and salvation, both moody and comforting.
MIRANDA teamed with producer/engineer/mixer Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Von Bondies) who also contributed the electric and twelve-string guitar arrangements. RICHARDS and Parker assembled a top-notch group of players including Eva Gardner (Mars Volta, Tim Burgess) on bass; main drummer Keith Mitchell (Mazzy Star); Ben Peeler (Wallflowers, Shelby Lynne) on pedal steel; and Josh Schwartz (Beachwood Sparks) on guitar. The 13-song offering is highlighted by its first single “Early November” as well as preview track “Life Boat,” released last year in England as a vinyl single via Sonic Cathedral and which subsequently received airplay on Indie 103.1 FM in Los Angeles. To listen to “Early November” and “Life Boat,” visit: www.myspace.com/mirandaleerichards.
RICHARDS grew up in San Francisco, the daughter of Ted and Teresa Richards, stars of the underground comics revolution. Her bohemian background led her to play in school bands, but she never considered music as a profession until her senior year of high school. Fate offered a very unique hand when an older best friend started dating Kirk Hammett of Metallica, and Hammett soon taught RICHARDS her first few guitar chords.
MIRANDA recorded her first demo in the basement of Hammett’s studio. Dave Deresinski, the then manager of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, passed the tape along to BJM singer Anton Newcombe, who asked her to join the group. During that time, friend Ondi Timoner was filming the BJM for her seminal documentary DIG! (2004). RICHARDS was only in the movie briefly, but did provide some of the film’s memorable sound bites.
Shortly thereafter, MIRANDA moved down the coast to LA in search of a record deal. “I played clubs and open mics and worked day jobs while I made demos. A mutual friend introduced me to producer/musician Rick Parker and we’ve been working together ever since.” Because her debut The Herethereafter received huge exposure in the film and television worlds--its songs were licensed over 40 times for film and television--it allowed RICHARDS the freedom to continue to explore her musical path full time. She collaborated in the studio with Tricky, Tim Burgess (Charlatans), Neil Halstead (Mojave 3), and The Shore. In addition to opening for Neil Halstead on tour earlier this year, she joined The Jesus and Mary Chain for the West Coast leg of their 2007 tour, singing the duet with Jim Reid on "Sometimes Always" and "Just Like Honey."
Following is the complete track listing for LIGHT OF X:
1) Breathless
2) Life Boat
3) Savorin’ Your Smile
4) Hideaway
5) Early November
6) Mirror At The End
7) Hidden Treasure
8) Pictures Of You
9) Here By The Window
10) Olive Tree
11) That Baby
12) Last Days Of Summer
13) Oddity
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