karlifairbanks.com

So, Elkfest was bomb as usual. Pickwick blew me away once again. They played this killer brand new song. As my grandpa said the other day to, “put it in the books,” that Obama will soon outlaw the use of gasoline powered lawnmowers; I say, “put these fellas in the books!” And on wikipedia and wherever else, that they will soon takeover the northwest indie music world. I honestly don’t often see touring acts that come through spokane grow as much of a following as pickwick has in just a handful of performances. Zac, Henry and I all agreed that we would fight to be first in line for tryouts if they ever needed a new member.

All the other bands I saw were tremendous, especially Kaylee Cole’s new band setup. I really enjoyed it. Velella Velella was a huge dance party, Booze Fighters were epic and Joel Smith’s plentiful hands were tearing it up. Way to go Spokane!

In other news I’m reading Crime and Punishment, working on new songs, writing and organizing the June issue of Crunk Roost, brushing up on some old classical piano tunes and listening to my new vinyls (death vessel and laura gibson).

There’s been a few more reviews of my album posted on the interweb…here some quotes and links from them…

“She is definitely a songwriter who knows the craft of not only songtelling, but to create a pop song if she needs to, but I feel (and hope) she will perfect her style of music for years to come, to where people will have to come to her to hear her stories, and not go down the Jewel route. The Breaking Of Our Days is the perfect album to cool down the summing of the hot summer days, and will no doubt add a little warmth to the mental winter chills that seem to come at any time of the year.”

- By John Book from the run off groove (scroll down the linked page to find the rest of the review)

I love when an artist sneaks up on me. I put this CD in and a folk singer with her guitar is talking about wearing her heart on her sleeve, “when the leaves fall I’m just playing like a fool.” Then a corner is turned lyrically and musically. “It all seems so good at the time until we make our plans and then change our minds.” First, back-up singers start the call and response, then out of the blue, instruments start dancing around the lyrics that dig deeper and deeper into a soul seeking peace from self-judgment as well as the judgment of those around her. “I do alright on my own in the end.” The flavors of the percussionist and the solo guitar turn this folk song into a full-out psychedelic joy. A beautifully thought-out composition.

Shoutouts for Needle And Thread (“the love you found, you were worried it would make a sound”), and Last Night’s Songs (“I could tell you were alone drowning in the sounds of your dreaming”). I believe you’ll smile with me as the final verse leading to the chorus says “sing with me tonight” because Karli’s melodies make it easy to want to do just that.

- From Eartaste.blogspot.com

Shows 2 and 3 of tour were not my favorite ever. But our friends, Noah and Kate welcomed us in Boise and we had dinner at a really cool restaraunt that had a trailer trash theme. Complete with lawn ornaments, shower curtains and picnic table cloths. We made the trek to Utah to play a show in the sweet little mountain town near Salt Lake called Park City. It’s still covered in snow and feels like a very wealthy area. I thought about jacking up my cd prices for the night, but the thought passed pretty quickly I guess. We ate some pizza at a place that had tons of banjos on the walls and that was cool.

After dinner Henry and I sent on the local radio station and played a few songs to promote tonight’s show. We also noticed that my face was very large in the front of the music picks in the City Weekly paper, followed by a sweet write up just above the Black Lips and Franz Ferdinand (whoa!!!@%&#^!).  Thanks Jamie!

“Karli Fairbanks sounds like she’s been down this road before—and that one … and that one, too! The Spokane artist is young in years but brings a wise-and-weary old-soul quality to her expansive folk music. A natural born storyteller with music in her blood, Fairbanks has a voice with tremendous range, gorgeous and sultry but fierce along the lines of tough-as-nails performers like Jodie Holland and Jessica Lea Mayfield. On her second full-length album The Breaking Up Our Days, produced by Kory Kruckenburg (Damien Jurado, J. Tillman), she hints at wounds buried deep beneath the flesh but maybe nothing that a little sweet tea or whiskey won’t fix. Fairbanks will round out her multi-instrumental skills (guitar, accordion, piano) with a solid backing band tonight in Park City and again on Tuesday at Kilby Court.” from the City Weekly by Jamie Gaudette

Tonight we are playing at an amazing venue called Downstairs. Rumor has it that one of the cast members of That 70’s Show is a part owner…and the celebrity backing shows. The sound system is amazing, great lights and beautifully designed space. We are feeling pretty awesome to play here.

Long drive to Denver tomorrow where we will play the Meadowlark. Playing with the band continues to be a joy each night and Henry and Vaughn’s sets are always sounding good.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I made it into the Buzzworthy band list in the Inlander this year. Cool! Check out all the cool articles on the 6 bands that were voted in. www.inlander.com

Happy news for all you out of towners that can’t make it to the show next week…
my new album is now up on cdbaby.com for sale!
You can purchase the physical copy or the mp3s through their website.

The nice folks at CDbaby also posted a review of the album that is quite nice…

“Karli’s stellar debut, “Bitter Blue,” was a beautifully sedate affair with hushed vocals drifting over ghostly folk songs. On “The Breaking of Our Days,” she has kept the beauty of her songwriting intact but decided to kick the energy level up a notch with steel-tinged country shuffles, folk-blues burners, and some time-tested grooves from the lonely, indie-Americana songbook. She has also expanded the sonic palette on this record, enlisting a number a great Northwest players who help give this album a cohesive yet evolving sound. Her soulful voice is more present, more assured, as well.  All in all, “The Breaking of Our Days” is a step up from what was already an impressive debut. – Chris at cdbaby”

.

The Inlander has also featured the album in this weeks issue with a review.
I’m feeling quite flattered and excited right now!

The Breaking of Our Days review by Jeff Echert

On The Breaking of Our Days, Fairbanks has opened the door to more collaboration. Brother Zac lends his unparalleled chops on tracks like “I Can Almost Tell,” his solos and arpeggios providing a counterpoint to the wavering registers of Fairbanks’ voice, while Joel Smith, Henry Nordstrom and Caroline Fowler add their input as well. The result is a much more forceful album — Fairbanks is embracing the rock ‘n’ roll part of the blues, rather than just the quietly introspective bits.

“Needle and Thread” is a march militaire in the indie kitchen-sink style, featuring glockenspiel and clarinet. The album is more distinctive as well; the tracks on Bitter Blue occasionally bled together, while on The Breaking of Our Days each one is different, concrete and unique.

And yet while each track is a separate animal, anchoring all of them together is Fairbanks herself — and her ghostly, entrancing voice. Like Chan Marshall, Leslie Feist or Neko Case — women who will forever be defined by their distinctive sets of pipes — Fairbanks is a songstress extraordinaire in part because of the elastic, enduring quality of her vocal cords. To say Fairbanks is just her voice, though, is reductive — she’s a talented musician, a meticulous songcrafter and, as her latest record demonstrates, an artist who chooses her collaborators with the utmost of care — and to magnificent effect.“

And, I’m the featured artist on the Local Lounge this coming Sunday night. You can tune in to 103.1 if you are in the Spokane area, or listen online. The show includes some brand new tracks from my album and some live songs also…and me saying awkward things.

Ashley Graham also wrote a little bit of a review in her column in Out There Monthly, another Spokane area publication. I will post that as soon as they put it online, but if you are around Spokane, pick up a copy!

Thanks everyone for the props and help with getting this new music out into the Spokane area! It’s a lot of work trying to publicize, book, write, play, sing, manage and still enjoy making the music that I do…but it’s people like Ashley, Matt, Luke, Jeff, Chris and others who make it a lot easier for me. So, a wholehearted thanks to all of you.