Saturday 02.18.12: EMILY WELLS / THE RUGGED NUGGETS @ Echo (Early 5:30pm show!)

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5:30pm / $8adv $10dos / all ages

Emily Wells || Listen
Emily Wells is an anomaly among musicians most of whom spend their careers striving for a major label deal. Before she was old enough to vote, a major label was courting Wells, two music-publishing companies were competing for the rights to her songs and she was recording with award winning producers. By the time she was legally buying her first drink, however, Emily had chosen a different path. With true indie ethos, she moved from New York, leaving in her wake a lucrative deal from a major label, the renowned producers, recording studios, and a manager. During that period of her life, Emily had been offered everything that most musicians want. Everything except what she, as an artist, needed most: creative control.

Attaining the ever-elusive artist’s dream of creative control, as Wells would soon learn, comes only at a price. Wells’ cost was the thousands of miles logged, traipsing across country, playing in and outside of bars, pubs, and juke joints. She traveled in a tiny car, dragging along guitars, a tiny bass, a giant old Linn 9000 drum machine, and a four track. When flush, Emily would spend the occasional night in a seedy motel room where she would tirelessly record with her archaic four-track and dirty old instruments. Emily didn’t look back to her swank days as a would-be priority artist on a major label and regret any of her choices; she saw each obstacle in her path as a challenge. Eventually landing in Los Angeles, Wells finally learned through recording and performing, how to have the creative control she craved. Slowly building her own studio, she taught herself how to record and produce. This is the studio in which she would create, record, mix, and produce ‘The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties’ her latest release. To get the sound of a full orchestra, Emily didn’t take the easy way out and simply loop the layers of violins; instead, she played up to 21 separate tracks of violin on each symphony, often using an octave pedal to create the tones of an underwater cello or viola. In addition to the strings, there is a plethora of other sounds, electronic and organic alike. Two years ago, Wells found a bassist, Joey Reina, and a drummer, Sam Halterman, who add a richness to both the live show and the recordings. Their contributions to ‘The Symphonies’ give the compositions more depth as well as a little junk in the trunk.

The Rugged Nuggets || Listen
Emerging from the tight-knit Los Angeles funk/soul community, The Rugged Nuggets are now the newest collective to carry the torch of instrumental music. What started out as a studio side project by Simple Citizens’ guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Judson McDaniel, quickly spawned into a 7-piece live band who’s rugged sound pays homage to classic soul, soul-jazz and afro-funk music.

The RN sound is inspired, realized and shaped by the city landscape and culture including the musicians that reside within. Thus giving the Nuggets an alternating cast of LA based players, including members of Breakestra, Simple Citizens, Orgone, Connie Price & the Keystones, Macy Gray, Joe Bataan, The Rebirth etc.