Wainscott - After enchanting audiences as part of "Hopestock" which performed at the John Drew Theater early this year,
Beth Arentsen will once again bring her bewitching melodies to the East End for "Candlelight Fridays" at
Wölffer Estate Vineyard on December 18 at 5 p.m.
The appearance marks the last date on Arentesn's autumn 2009 C.D. release tour for her fourth album, "Nicer." With emotionally charged lyrics, a head-turning voice, and a commanding stage presence that is uniquely her own, Arentsen boldly forges forward in the tradition of singersongwriter greats - from Laura Nyro to Kate Bush to Alanis Morissette - on "Nicer." Self-produced by Arentsen with
Lenae A. Harris, mixed by
Eric Yoder, and mastered by
Tony Gillis, "Nicer" fuses together the two milieus of Arentsen's musical roots: acoustic-based melodies and edgy electronic production. "I wanted to set these pieces apart from my previous work," she says. "They stand alone when performed on piano, but I think they really thrive in their new pop-synth world."
Indeed, the songs range from the propulsive Eurythmics-inspired beats of the title track to the haunting soundscape of "Earthquake," a song that never ceases to garner voracious seals of approval from Arentsen's audience.
That audience expanded exponentially this past summer when
Nona Hendryx invited the artist to inaugurate "HopeStock," a concert series that also marked the first date of her C.D. release tour when it arrived at the John Drew Theater in East Hampton. "It was so gratifying to be a part of something larger than myself," enthuses Arentsen. Performing alongside Nona and company was such a blast."
Arentsen is thrilled about the opportunity to complete her tour in the place where it began. "I'm ecstatic about returning to the Hamptons. I always feel so welcomed by the community and I'm excited to be performing in such a beautiful setting!"
Arentsen moved to New York City to study experimental theater at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and to perform her music in Lower Manhattan's music halls. It was her love of songwriting that eventually led her to Austin's SXSW. Arentsent caught the interest of a Chicago label, NoVo Records, which signed her to be the front woman of the [jazz-funk] band, P-1. Crossing all formats and genres, P-1 released two albums ("Step through NoVo," Lightyear/WEA and "Power" through NoVo/Ryko) enjoyed commercial radio play (including #1 hit "P-1 Groove" on NYC's CD 101.9) and landed songs in film and television (Fox Searchlight's "Trust the Man" and ABC's "Samantha Who?").
Inspired by the success of P-1, Beth focused her energy into a more personal project. The end result was "Sap," produced by Jimi Zhivago (
Rufus Wainwright) and recorded at The Magic Shop in NYC. "Sap" departed from the electro vibe of P-1 in favor of a more stripped-down telling of Arentsen's tales that drew upon her early childhood on the ocean and experiences living above the asphalt.
For further information and about Arentsen, go to www.myspace.com/betharentsen, or visit flyingperfect@gmail.com.
Guest (Darren) from Sag Harbor says:
This chick is fantastic. I enjoyed her music at Guild Hall back in early fall.You could hear a pin drop on the carpet when she sang; the entire audience was under her spell. A definite must see.