Harp to swallow, I know, but the gentle lioness Joanna Newsom was already plucking/plinking earthly melodies out of her chosen musical instrument long before The Milk-Eyed Mender came out in 2004, and even before those early self-released CD-Rs. While we were driving around our suburban backstreets, thinking we were King/Queen Shit for cruising past our math teacher’s house at 10 PM, Ms. Newsom used her 17-year-old time to get serious about her life’s passion. Hours of material were recorded around this time (though she hadn’t yet found her voice), with “an eye towards modern classical music,” according to Drag City. This was 13 years ago!!
So now we can all bear witness to the sounds of a very young Joanna by heading to Drag City’s main page and streaming/downloading the track “Instrumental 1999” immediately. This song was included on a just-released CD comp benefitting the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation (NOT the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. like Mr P thought… such disillusionment and negativity…) and it has the awesome title Harpfelt Connections.
Interestingly (for shut-ins), this lone track has an official catalog number on DC’s sub-label Sea Note, so maaaaybe this is a little preview of a larger archival release? SPECULATION IS IRRESPONSIBLE BUT SO FUN!!!
• Joanna Newsom: http://www.dragcity.com/artists/joanna-newsom
• Drag City: http://www.dragcity.com
• Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation: http://www.supportsierranevada.org
More about: Joanna Newsom
