DANIELLE HOWLE

FIRST NEW STUDIO RELEASE IN FOUR YEARS, THANK YOU, MARK, OUT NOW ON VALLEY ENTERTAINMENT

“An extraordinary mind, a southern storyteller with a gorgeous sense of melody that should be pouring out of stereos everywhere. She is one to be treasured.” – THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Shifting deftly between chiming folk-pop, back-porch balladry and Stax-influenced soul, Howle exudes a laid-back confidence that underscores her versatility.” –NO DEPRESSION

“…one of the South’s most underappreciated singer-songwriters and a truly distinctive voice in a crowded field.” –Atlanta Journal Constitution

Oft-compared to Nina Simone and Flannery O’Connor, Danielle Howle is a powerful frontwoman whose vivid, slightly off-kilter musical stories weave a sweet sensibility and bare honesty into her work. Her solo performances are breathtaking; she’s one of the few artists that can hold an audience spellbound whether she’s backed by a band or alone performing an a cappella number. Howle is just as renowned for her ingenuous between-song banter. Her intuitive, often hilarious insights and her ability to connect with her listeners has brought both critical acclaim and a legion of loyal fans. Which brings us to Thank You, Mark, Howle’s first release in four years.

Thank You, Mark, produced by Mark Bryan (Susan Cowsill, Mary Karlzen), manages to capture Howle’s essence and vivid personality. Accompanied by top-notch musicians such as Sam Bush, Bryon House, Tim Vaill, John Young (Spottiswoode and His Enemies), Les Hall (Howie Day), and including a Stax-Volt-inspired duet with fellow South Carolinian Darius Rucker, Howle’s songwriting shows an artist at the peak of her craft, skillfully blending Americana with R&B, classic jazz and a dash of swing, all stamped with her uniquely Southern sensibility. Tracks include: Roses from LeRoy’s, I’ll Be Blue, Fields of Cotton, Oh Swear, If I Can’t Have You, This Kind of Light, Walking Through the Black, Love Is A Fall, Who Knows, Woman to Win, Jesus Won’t Wait.

When not on the road, Howle also lectures on songwriting and performance (she’s spoken at Penn State, Columbia College and University of South Carolina, to name a few) and has also contributed music to feature and documentary films, such the 2003 Sundance award winner, The Station Agent. Her work has also been used in several educational series, including 2005’s Remember My Name, which addressed domestic violence.

Howle first emerged as the frontwoman for the group Lay Quiet Awhile, which debuted in 1993 with the album Delicate Wire. Her first solo CD, Live at McKissick Museum, appeared in mid- 1995 and the following year Howle released About to Burst with her new backing band, The Tantrums, Do a Two Sable, Catalog, and Skorborealis followed with The Tantrums, all capturing her effortless ability to mesh country and punk with spoken-word.

Thank You, Mark is a strong, passionate album featuring Howle’s finest songwriting to date and an even bigger voice, if possible. Let me know if you’ve had a chance to check it out.

Contact: S.C. Entertainment (212) 929-0630

Chicago Free Press

DIXIE DIVAS

By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

The underrated Danielle Howle, who has traversed the punk and folk worlds, sounds as if she’s ready to set the record straight with the accessible “Thank You Mark” (Valley Entertainment). Opening with the country-radio friendly “Roses From Leroy’s,” on which she sounds like the also underrated Marti Jones, Howle swings a bit on “I’ll Be Blue” and shines up the brass section for “Oh Swear.” Howle rolls out her belting skills on Etta James’ “If I Can’t Have You,” a sizzling duet with Hootie’s Darius Rucker. The stunning ballad “Love Is a Fall” and the dark and moody political bent of “Fields of Cotton” exemplify Howle’s versatility.

Danielle Howle - Thank You Mark - If you once upon listening to this CD image a woman with a Bohemian, but sassy and trendy look, with a guitar half her size slouched over her shoulder and hair flowing in the wind, then you have hit it right on the nose. Danielle Howle incumbents her music, and Thank You Mark details her style and creativity. Jesus Won’t Wait is a great Jazz tune. The bass guitar, and Danielle’s spontaneity and sultry voice, makes this song goes deep, hitting every fiber of your being. Danielle Howle creates her own genre of music. She incorporates spoken word and country-like twang to her songs. You would not expect the array of music and the range, although she is mostly indie rock and indie folk. She is in the same category as the Indigo Girls, but not the same. She describes as herself as, "I like to think of myself as a photographer...who uses melody and words in place of film and camera. I just take pictures of time." Danielle Howle. Thank You Mark is good music.

Reviewer: Erika Ellis new pop Reviewer's Rating: 8.5

Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

Hooties and hippies help elevate Howle

By WAYNE BLEDSOE, [email protected] March 17, 2006

Danielle Howle is an appreciative soul. So much so that she named her new album, "Thank You Mark," in honor of her producer, Hootie & The Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan.

"I first met Mark when I was in high school," says Howle, in a call from her Columbia, S.C., home. "He was in USC (the University of South Carolina)."

One of Howle's friends was dating another Hootie member, and Bryan came along one night to hear Howle's debut performance with a band.

Through Bryan, Howle's new album contains contributions from such musical heavy hitters as Sam Bush, Byron House and Hootie singer Darius Rucker.

"I think people from here are really supportive of each other," says Howle of the Columbia area.

It's about time that Howle got her due. A veteran of the bands Lay Quiet Awhile and the Tantrums, Howle has been revered for her sensitive songwriting touch and genial vocals.

Howle says she has been writing songs since she was "a baby sitting in the car."

"In the third grade I kept a journal, and I kept it through the 10th grade," she says. "I was real shy, and writing was the way I communicated with people."

The daughter of a career Army man, Howle went to schools on military bases until she started high school in Columbia. It was a big switch, and making friends wasn't easy.

Music, though, seemed to be. Shy or not, Howle began trying out her songs at local clubs.

As a solo artist and in various band configurations, she recorded for Amy Ray's Daemon Records, Sub Pop and (her new disc) on Valley Entertainment.

Howle says she can't pick favorites from her song catalog.

"They're all precious to me," she says. "I can't dis any of my children."

However, she can tell how each song was born. On "Thank You Mark," several stand out.

" 'This Kind of Light' is about people meeting their destiny," says Howle. "I wrote it overlooking a bluff in the Congaree National Swamp (in South Carolina). When I started, the moon was on one side of me. When I finished, the moon was on the other side.

"On 'Oh Swear' I envisioned Puck from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' but in modern times. He goes to clubs and parties and tries pulling his Shakespeare thing."

She loved working with the musicians that Bryan brought in - all of whom she knew of, but she hadn't thought that they would perform on the disc.

Working on the song "Jesus Won't Wait" with bassist Byron House as sole accompanist helped her learn about singing.

"It took 30 minutes," says Howle. "And I learned more about singing in that 30 minutes than I have in my whole life."

Howle says she can tell that she's grown as an artist, but she's more interested in growing as a person. Her goals have little to do with her career:

"I want to be available to the people who love me," says Howle. "I want to have a successful tomato garden. I don't need to be hoarding my songs like a fool. I want to read good books, hear good music. It may sound cheesy, but I'd like to become a better human being.

"I want to sing in a humming hole in Utah."

A "humming hole"?

"It's this cave, sort of, where you hit this pitch and the resonating sound is supposed to be amazing. Oh, I know. Maybe I've been hanging out with the hippies too much."

Copyright 2006, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

Howle reinvents herself with help from a Blowfish

2006-03-17

By Steve Wildsmith of The Daily Times Staff

Hootie and the Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan owes singer-songwriter Danielle Howle a few royalty checks.

Sure, he's the producer of her forthcoming album, ``Thank You Mark,'' due out April 25, but the album's title is a reflection of Howle's gratitude. Not only does she name-check him in the title, she also gushes about the guy in interviews.

And coming from a talented lady like Howle, that's high praise indeed.

``I tell you, working with Mark Bryan opened my eyes to a lot of things,'' Howle told The Daily Times this week. ``He saw my potential and brought it out in me, and it was amazing thing. It's like I went to music Las Vegas and hit the jackpot.''

``Thank You Mark'' is the latest effort by Howle, who made a name for herself on the Southeastern club circuit with her band, the Tantrums. Equal parts Nina Simone and Flannery O'Connor, she's been praised by everyone from indie queen Ani DiFranco to Playboy magazine. The New York Times even called her ``an extraordinary mind, a Southern storyteller with a gorgeous sense of melody that should be pouring out of stereos everywhere.''

``Thank You Mark'' showcases the diversity of Howle's interests and the versatility of her vocal range. On a solid bedrock of singer-songwriter folk music, she's built a buffet table of various genres and styles -- slow, sensual blues; sultry swinging jazz; old-school country weepers; and sunny sing-along feel-good rockers.

``I'd been writing those songs for quite some time; I'd just not found an opportunity to record them,'' Howle said. ``Then, all of the sudden, I'm talking to Mark one day -- we're buddies, and I've seen him come up through the ranks with his guitar -- and he said, `Hey man, let's make a record.' We put our heads together on the players we wanted on it and went from there. ``It was a very organic process, and a very mellow and cool recording process. A lot of those songs had a chance to evolve on their own before they got recorded, because some of them had been played live. And there are others on there that had never been played before we did them in the studio.''

Bryan himself lent his hand to some instruments, while bassist Byron House of the Sam Bush Band, as well as Bush himself, loaned out their skills to the project as well. In addition, Bryan's bandmate, Hootie singer Darius Rucker, joined Howle for vocals on one track.

``Doing this record taught me to really explore all the possibilities for a song and to not always be content with just what I've written,'' she said. ``Mark encouraged me to try new things. The Tantrums were really good, but sometimes I have a tendency to get blindsided and forget what else I have. Mark helped teach me to pay attention to myself and what else is going on, the learn the craft better and to spend the time to develop the story of each song a little better.

``Most of the vocals were cut on a porch, with me looking through the window at the musicians, and they were learning the music while we were prepping the tape. The orchestration behind it all was the music itself, and it was just amazing. I'd never had an experience like that.''

And with her pedigree -- she cut her teeth on old-school punk and made a name for herself playing to audiences that welcomed her with open arms no matter her style -- Howle has certainly enjoyed her fair share of musical experiences. Much of her success can be attributed to her determination, but a lot of it can be credited, she said, to coming up in a rich and vibrant South Carolina music scene.

``When you're around people who are rocking and you're rocking, it's hard not to be influenced by it,'' she said. ``Folk is basically punk rock with an acoustic guitar, and it was punk bands like Fugazi and The Melvins and Shudder to Think that were the ones giving me gigs. It wasn't the big fancy players; hell, Newport [Folk Festival] turned me down year after year. But the punk bands would give me gigs when nobody else would even give me the time of day.

``That showed me that no matter what kind of music you play, that we all belong to something greater than ourselves. That's the fortunate thing about what I do -- I don't have to play with a single kind of artist. I can play with punk rockers and then turn around and play with some bluegrass boys.'' Danielle Howle Independent Mind

"I like to think of myself as a photographer that uses melody and words in place of film and camera. I just take pictures of time," says Danielle. Her stories are vivid yet off-kilter. Her between-song prattles are full of romanticism and Howle's own perfected yet spontaneous hilarity. Her solo performances are breathtaking and brilliant and consistent critical acclaim keeps press and fans eagerly anticipating her next move. In 2001, The New York Times called her "...an extraordinary mind, a Southern storyteller with a gorgeous sense of melody that should be pouring out of stereos everywhere...she is one to be treasured." Interview Magazine has referred to Howle as "one of the most important voices of her generation," and Playboy Magazine cited Danielle as one of ten "Women To Watch" upon her last full-length release with The Tantrums, Do A Two Sable. Danielle has released records with luminary record labels SubPop, Kill Rock Stars, and Simple Machines, and has become the toast of punk rock and folk communities from D.C. to Seattle. Her music, spoken word, and theatrical work is inventive and magnetic and her creativity has helped to inspire other artists in cultivating their own. Danielle has been featured in music showcases at CMJ and SXSW, attracting high- profile and cutting edge artists. She's opened for Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Gillian Welsh, and Edwin McCain, and has toured with Elliot Smith, Indigo Girls, Throwing Muses, and Ani DiFranco. DiFranco offers, "she is an effortlessly powerful singer and a melodically nimble being."

More information on Danielle Howle and can be found on the web at www.daniellehowle.com, as well as at the Daemon Records site, www.daemonrecords.com. Quotes

“Danielle Howle is the most original and compelling performer we have ever seen ‘by accident.’ She commands equally undivided attention whether she is knocking you down with the sheer force of her voice, twisting you into knots with the subtle complexity of the inner logic of her vocal decisions, or charming you with her effortless wit and between-song chatter. When Danielle is in the room, you can't help but hang on her every word, and once you've seen her perform on the floor of some restaurant, with her acoustic guitar and her notebook, her glass of water and her guitar case propping up her feet, you can't help but think there might truly just be such a thing as "star quality" that doesn't have a thing to do with ad budgets, makeup stylists or major label deals.”—Simple Machines Records

"Danielle's wily, spontaneous, and sometimes reckless approach is a much-needed break from alternative rock's folk-based offerings of late. Howle belts her tunes out all rough and rudimentary, almost yodeling at points, then drops down into raw melancholy spots that grab your heart and twist.”—Village Voice

"...friendly, folksy, and fiendishly fun. Danielle Howle does something different -- she entertains, and makes the world a slightly better place. And that, if memory serves, is what music was supposed to be about, wasn't it?" —Alternative Press

"Danielle Howle possesses that most admirable of qualities -- she can't readily be compared to anyone else. Her strong emotive voice adds to the very human, organic quality of these songs." —CMJ

"...the lead-footed garage ethic merged blissfully with the singer-songwriter's sensitive -- and sensual -- touch to make the material come alive. Howle is an effective frontwoman. One minute she'll croon over a country-ish two-step, the next she's cantankerously muttering stream-of-consciousness style for a low-fi hip-hop number, the next a raging punk rant, the next an anthemic arena rocker." —Magnet

"This witty, self-taught folk poet is as captivating during her between-song banter as she is within the charming framework of her songs. Danielle Howle represents all that is right in the world of singer-songwriters." —B-Side

“Each Danielle Howle song is like a snapshot of an event, some specific moment conveying a specific mood or evoking a memory. The power that Howle manages to summon up via solo guitar and voice is astounding. There's something magical about it, as if she could truly transport you to another moment in time.” —Splendid E-Zine Reviews

“For many artists, the measure for success follows a bigger-is-definitely-better type of formula. Danielle Howle, however, is one of the few musicians who throws this whole equation off. A singer-songwriter with the onstage energy of a six-year-old who ate a chocolate bar before bedtime, Howle plays genre-bending songs influenced by everything from slow country to lively punk.”—The Daily Collegian, Penn State University Press Clippings

Newsweek

The State Newspaper

Time Out New York

Performing Songwriter

The New York Times