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Concert Sat Dec 26 2009
Emily Wells Puts Her Own Touch On A Classic
The presents have all been opened and hopefully you've slept off yesterday's Christmas feast, and after those awkward conversations with relatives (distant or not), you're probably ready to get out of the house. If you're lucky enough to be in sweet home Chicago and not still out of town with the fam, grab some friends and head to Lincoln Hall to see Emily Wells tonight.
We first heard and saw Wells over the summer at Pritzker's Edible Audible lunchtime picnic series where she blew us away with her beautiful melodies and multi-instrumental prowess. She's another of today's artists using looping equipment to solely build their songs on stage, joining in the company of musicians like Andrew Bird and Jamie Lidell.
A young female classically trained violinist, fan of hip-hop who decided to merge the two genres? While it sounds ridiculous, the result is a beautiful, free flowing, sometimes saucy new sound, as evidenced in her cover version of Biggie Smalls' "Juicy." She essentially creates what sound like modern symphonies--her last LP (which came out in 2008) was aptly titled The Symphonies: Dreams Memories and Parties. On the record she recorded up to 21 separate violin tracks per song to create a virtual sonic orchestra.
Besides being a joy to listen to, she's a delight to watch on stage. You can bet you'll hear some tunes from her most recent EP, Dirty, as well as some new pieces--if you're lucky, her new track "Passenger" will find it's way into the setlist.
Emily Wells plays Lincoln Hall tonight. Show starts at 10pm. Azita opens. Tickets are $12. 21 & up. 2424 N. Lincoln Ave.