Spring Tour For Jolie Holland

Sounding like nothing so much as a songbird herself, new-time/old-time singer/songwriter Jolie Holland — who sometimes sings about birds — will depart on a Southwestern tour of the U.S. beginning May 20.

Holland's music — with her rustic elocution and sense of authenticity — would fit comfortably on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music or the soundtrack of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Yet, her folk-country sound is all her own. And way down deep and barely perceptible are subtle influences from punk and indie rock. A founder of the popular Canadian old-timey group, the Be Good Tanyas, Holland left British Columbia a couple years ago and struck out on her own for San Francisco, where she's been establishing herself as a solo artist, to the appreciation of fans and critics.

Holland's first album, the 12-song Catalpa, is a stripped-down, acoustic, whispery-warm fête (for more on Holland, check out this Neumu column, "The Elusive Jolie Holland"). She's been known to surprise and hush audiences with her intense live performances. On Friday, May 9, Holland will release a live album with ten songs, with a CD release party the following evening, May 10, at Facility 3, a private warehouse space in San Francisco. Along with music from friends Amee Chapman, Vanessa Morrison and Sean Hayes, libations including homebrew will be served.

Tour dates (with Vanessa Morrison and Amee Chapman) include:

May 17; Cafe du Nord; San Francisco, CA
May 20; Tangier Los Feliz; Los Angeles, CA
May 21; Live at 5:00 (the home stretch), KXCI 91.3; Tucson, AZ
May 21; The Grill; Tucson, AZ
May 22; All Good Café; Dallas, TX
May 23; Lucky Lounge; Austin, TX
May 24; The Pecan Ale House (with Christina Martin, Ginger Leigh and Emily Zuzik); Austin, TX
May 25; Private House Show — Benefit for Harris County Democrats BBQ; Houston, TX
May 26; Cowgirl Hall of Fame; Santa Fe, NM
May 28; Solar Culture; Tucson, AZ
May 29; Hotel Café; Hollywood, CA
May 31; Mission Creek Music Festival (www.mcmf.org); San Francisco, CA

For more information on this rare and talented artist, visit www.jolieholland.com. — Jillian Steinberger [Friday, May 9, 2003]