I first discovered Diane Birch in Episode 24 of Live from Daryl’s House…
If you’re not a fan of the show and love live music, it’s a great mix. Daryl Hall, of Hall and Oates fame, invites new and old artists alike to his upstate New York estate for jam sessions that never let you down.
Check it out here at www.livefromdarylshouse.com. There’s a full archive of shows.
In Birch’s show she said she didn’t feel like she fit in anywhere because she didn’t sound like anything current. So she just decided to just write what she felt. And that’s what she’s done ever since.
This is where singer/songwriters shine; when they can’t find who they want to copy like too many other artists do. That’s when they become themselves in their own unique way.
Check her out here:
I go through a lot of music; my iPhone runs the gamut from Rob Zombie to Andrea Bocelli with some Andrea Crouch, Steely Dan, Willie Nelson and Cage the Elephant thrown in for good measure. But Birch is a rare find and at the top of my play list.
Her album “Bible Belt” came out in 2009 and I wore out the digits on the tracks. Barely 30, Birch sounds like an old soul with hints of Norah Jones mixed with Ricky Lee Jones and sometimes the rebelliousness of Amy Winehouse.
Birch grew up singing in church, like so many of great artists. The child of missionaries, she was born in Michigan with exit ramps from South Africa to Australia before her family came back here and landed in Oregon.
Like so many pastor’s kids Birch rebelled and went through a Goth period but her background remains engrained in who she is, with hymn based songs sprinkled among her thoughts about the afterlife, forgiveness, and all things spiritual. And just not in the way you’d maybe expect.
“I found camaraderie with street kids and Goths and punks,” she says of her Portland years. “It’s kind of textbook preacher’s daughter behavior, when you are shielded from anything that’s dark or secular, obviously you’re curious to find out more. For me, finding the Cure, the Sisters of Mercy and Joy Division was massive.”
It’s a show well worth your trip to LA and a great venue at which to see her.
Your Well Coifed Scribe should be there, conducting an interview to follow with a review of the show. Look forward to seeing you.
Live From Daryl’s House is a great show. I don’t see it very often, but it’s pretty cool – from the arrival scene to the dinner to the jams. They always do the guest artist’s material and throw one or two in from Hall and Oates and maybe another cover. Interesting talk as well about influences, styles. Everyone looks like they’re having a lot of fun. Last one I caught featured Smokey Robinson.
I’ve seen the majority of them and the Smokey episode is my absolute favorite. Recently caught Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) and one with a talented duo that I liked called Johnnyswim.
I’d have liked to have seen one with billy. that had to have been a hoot.
It’s hard to see a bad one! Train, Neon Trees, Fitz and the Tantrums, Smokey, they are all over the map and they all work as seemlessly as if it was the ONLY show to do!
Sorry, Paul but I want to punch the Train guy in the head every time I see him. He and his band blow so I just couldn’t pull the trigger on that episode. Other than that though, you’re right, most that I’ve seen have been really good. The Todd Rundgren episode where they actually shot from Todd’s house in Hawaii was another great one. My only disappointment with the new episodes, no Paul Pesco! The new guy seems to be a really good guitarist (perhaps even better than Paul), but Paul’s personality and interplay with Daryl and guests was a welcome addition to the show.
Ok, doesn’t Todd’s HOUSE make you wanna pull the trigger on him??? That’s so unfair; if it was your or my house, totally cool, however.
I’ve been trading Facebook messages with her today, looks like I’ll get to interview her for the review. Stay tuned.
And her ep isn’t on the list. Oh well. there’s always Youtube…