Rebecca Hart was once described as 'the love child of Suzanne Vega and Steely Dan'. Despite this early setback, she has continued to hone her particular brand of moody rock songs dressed up as folk. The current eclectic instrumentation can involve synthesizers and a full drum kit as well as trumpet, fiddle, upright bass and guitar... but they are equally at home scaling back for an intimate acoustic set. (They love house concerts!) Either way, a connection with the audience is paramount. Hart, who grew up in a theatre family and is an actress and a lyricist/librettist for theatre - is as noted for her "infectious stage presence and unique audience rapport" (BAMCafe) as for her 'impressively well-textured' contralto or the poetry of her songs. Recent shows include Manhattan's The Cutting Room, the Rockwood Music Hall, the Kraine Theatre, and the Irish Arts Center, as well as the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's summer concert series in CT and a memorable weekend performing at the Kripalu Yoga Center in Stockbridge MA. Hart's 2018 EP The Magician's Daughter was produced in part by Ben Sollee at Tin Ear Studios in Louisville KY. She lives in NYC.
photo credit: Ben Sollee, post-rehearsal for 'At The Vanishing Point', Actors Theatre of Louisville. (Previous page photo credit: Ben Arons, @Ars Nova NYC)
'The Magician's Daughter' EP was written in part in residence at Space on Ryder Farm and recorded between 2016 and 2018 in Louisville KY and NYC. Production by acclaimed songwriter Ben Sollee and by Ben Arons.
Previous recordings: Crash & Strum 2006 (produced by Benjy King), Live at Joe's Pub 2008.
photo credit: Isaak Berliner, Eugene O'Neill Center 'Garden Gatherings' summer 2021. (Chris Nattrass on bass, Matt Gelfer on fiddle, electric mandolin, and backing vocals; Nick Stephens on keyboards and trumpet, Rebecca Hart on guitar & lead vocals.)
the band's 'tiny desk' submission 2020
PRESS
"A fine modern folkrocker, with an impressively well-textured voice, sticky melodies, and an ultratight band... a potent dose of downtown heat" - Time Out
"The impish Rebecca Hart has delighted audiences with her infectious stage presence and easy audience rapport. {The band} provide rhythm for Hart's rhyme, drawing on folk and funk foundations to inform their own unique style of rock n' roll." - Brooklyn Academy of Music web site
"Rebecca Hart has a voice as low-down and gravelly as a flat tire on a 47 Studebaker halfway between Little Rock and Texarkana. Yes, Yankees, that's a compliment." - jd oxblood, Cultural Capitol blog
A true artist ... folksy & funky collude to produce a very distinct and captivating sound" (Shaun Flagg, Skope Magazine)
"A chick singer/songwriter with a rocker's soul that has something to say and knows how to get her point across. Debuts like this deserve special attention when they come along. " (Midwest Record Recap, review 'Crash & Strum' 2006)
a little comedy number for Hartford Theatreworks' 'Living Room' livestream series
A3 Artists Agency, Literary: max.grossman@a3artistsagency.com
rebecca@rebeccahart.net