The Pirate’s Gospel

(Road) tripping with Alela Diane

Thursday, February 12th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | 3 Comments

Alela Diane lives in Portland. For now. The 25-year-old singer-songwriter has spent the past few years traipsing between her hometown of Nevada City, Calif., and Portland … and San Francisco … and Europe. In that time Diane has honed her songwriting skills, released her debut The Pirate’s Gospel as well as made quite a name for herself across the pond, specifically France.

Diane’s new record To Be Still is set to be released on Feb. 17 on Rough Trade Records, most of which was recorded in her musician father’s Nevada City studio (he often accompanies her on mandolin). It’s already getting plenty of love from the music blog gospel, and rightfully so. Although I wouldn’t go lumping her music in with the “freak folk” movement (whatever that is), it is unconventional in its arrangements. But it’s Diane’s voice that rises above everything else.

With the record finished, Diane will hit that old familiar road, kicking things off with a CD-release show Feb. 15 at Holocene, before heading out with Blitzen Trapper through mid-March. From there it’s Europe, where she’s already sold out her April 6 gig at Paris’ Le Bataclan … like I said, huge there. You can purchase To Be Still here. The first 50 orders will receive a personalized bag of tea from Alela. I’m not sure what that means, but it must be a good thing.

“White As Diamonds” - Alela Diane

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