New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Siren Songs (the musical collaboration between Merideth Kaye Clark and Jenn Grinels) just released its first album, the eponymous
Siren Songs, on May 29, 2020. Even though the Americana-folk duo has been livestreaming, the fact that they have been unable to tour or play album release shows in the traditional manner due to the pandemic left them frustrated.
To try to fill that gap, they have planned a "digital tour" beginning July 20th, where a series of five acoustic video performances will premiere at different press outlets as "digital tour stops." Fans can follow along with the pair as they "travel" from outlet to outlet and premiere exclusive performances of songs from their new album. Clark and Grinels also plan to open up their tour scrapbooks and will share stories, music, and photos on social media from their time on the road together over the years as they travel on their "virtual tour bus" in-between stops on the digital tour.
The schedule for their digital tour is as follows:
July 20th - Tour Stop 1: "Chelsea Morning" premieres at TheBoot.com
July 23rd - Tour Stop 2: "
Edelweiss" premieres at Adobe & Teardrops
July 27th - Tour Stop 3: "Goodnight Sun Hello Moon" premieres at Ear to the Ground
July 30th - Tour Stop 4: "100" premieres at Ground Sounds
August 3rd - Tour Stop 5: "
Time After Time" premieres at Cowboys & Indians
Says Clark about the digital tour plans: "We miss performing live. We miss traveling and being with people. But it's our job as artists to process life, make things, and share it with the world. This virus has devastated our industry and made it necessary to be even more creative. And necessity, I hear, is the mother of invention. We are really looking forward to this opportunity to try something new, fun, and personal with our fans!"
Recorded by
David Streit at The Hallowed Halls (Portland, OR) and Bryan Daste at
Dream Tree Studios NW (Portland, OR), their new album features a mix of both original songs written by Grinels ("Goodnight Sun, Hello Moon," "100," and "Gray") as well as a selection of folk and Americana favorites ("Jolene," "Edelweiss," "Chelsea Morning," "Angel from Montgomery," "For Good," "
Time After Time"). Powerhouse vocalists, musicians, and national touring artists, the longtime best friends showcase gorgeous harmonies and unique arrangements performed on a variety of stringed instruments (banjo, dulcimer, viola) on
Siren Songs.
Their cover of Dolly Parton's classic "Jolene," imagined with a kick in the pants and a banjo, received some very high praise when the song was selected by Parton herself and Netflix as a favorite rendition during the #JoleneChallenge. Similarly, their cover of "
Edelweiss" (the Rodgers and Hammerstein song from "The Sound of Music") earned praise from an actual member of the family depicted in the movie when
Sofia von Trapp (great-granddaughter of
Maria and Georg von Trapp) called it "beautiful," and declared, "I love how peaceful it is."
Inspired by artists as varied as Indigo Girls,
Simon & Garfunkel, Eva Cassidy, Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon, the duo has been best friends for many years, and both Grinels and Clark call Portland, OR home now. When they found themselves living in different cities and touring to different places, they kept their friendship alive by meeting each other on the road when their schedules would allow. After performing together for years now, the pair created
Siren Songs to make good music as best friends. "From the beginning, it's been the most effortless musical collaboration," says Grinels. "And the universe has continued to beat the drum of symbiosis as the project marches on."
Press praise for the album:
"The album is a roots celebration that uplifts with their stunning harmonies and individualistic instrumental takes... recalls the likes of established acts as Indigo Girls and the Secret Sisters through their effortless chemistry." - PopMatters.com
"...an intensely alluring album." - Americana Highways
"The sparsely used instrumentation—which employs banjo, viola, and dulcimer, bass, and guitar—is effective, but it's the predominant vocal harmony work that's the star of the show." - BlogCritics.org
"...in this time where anxiety is high and comfort difficult to find, this warm musical embrace is just what we need about now." - Broadway World
"…sonic riches… Their harmonies rise and entangle, creating a vocal latticework filled with sparkling melodies and wondrous rhythms. For me, this is what good tunes sound like, and I'm going to keep coming back for more." - Alan Cackett Blog
"…warm harmonies… wonderfully tasteful and very simple instrumentation, which really lets their voices and the songs shine… gorgeous…" - Vents Magazine
"…[a] delightfully perfect album…
Siren Songs is already one of my Top 10 albums of 2020!" - Exclusive Magazine
"Siren Songs brings a strong vocal presence to thoughtful song craft where radiant vocal harmonies flow alongside viola, banjo and dulcimer on this folk and Americana record." - Take Effect Reviews
About Jenn Grinels:
An award-winning songwriter, Grinels has spent the past decade performing her original music on the road, touring with 10,000 Maniacs,
Christopher Cross, Marc Cohn, Edwin McCain, and Marc Broussard, and sharing stages with Howie Day, Dar Williams, Berlin,
Kevin Bacon & The Bacon Brothers, Rhett Miller, Carbon Leaf, Tony Lucca, Brendan James, The BoDeans, and many more. She has also headlined concerts from coast to coast and abroad. As an independent artist, Grinels has built a large, grassroots following and sold over 20,000 albums. Last year, she was commissioned to compose a musical for B-Side Theatricals in NYC. "Goodnight Sun, Hello Moon" is the first release from the score. Her music can be heard on television and in film. Grinels dove headfirst into musical theatre and was in rehearsals and shows as early as 5 years old. Later, she found joy in writing music, particularly her own, both in a band setting and as a solo artist. "Performing gave me the greatest sense of fulfillment," Grinels says. "I've always felt like this is who I am, and like this is what I was supposed to do since I was 3 years old."
Clark is a multi-instrumentalist and composer, as well as an accomplished leading lady in theater. She has played definitive roles nationwide, such as Elphaba in the national touring company of "
Wicked" for three years, as well as Eva Perón in "Evita," Nancy in "Oliver!," Alice in "Bright Star," Cathy in "The Last Five Years," and
Clara in "Light in the Piazza." Clark has toured the US and Canada performing her acclaimed concert "Joni Mitchell's BLUE." She can be seen on the television show "Portlandia," as well as IFC's "Documentary Now! Co-op," for which she is featured on the Emmy-nominated cast album. She was nominated in 2020 for a Henry Award by the Colorado Theatre Guild in the Best Actress in a Musical category for the role of Alice in "Bright Star." Clark started playing piano when she was 3 years old and has picked up a new instrument every few years since. She plays anything with strings, most notably viola, guitar, banjo and dulcimer. "I don't remember a time when I wasn't making music," Clark says.
