Rose Polenzani w/ Ami Saraiya

Saturday, November 26, 2005

"As holy as a mystic, and profane as your perverted fantasies." This is how Amy Ray (Indigo Girls) described Rose Polenzani before signing her to Daemon Records in 1998. Soon after, Rose was sharing the stage with songwriters such as David Gray, Alejandro Escovedo, Kristin Hersh and Vic Chesnutt. In 2002 she toured the country with Erin McKeown, Jess Klein and Beth Amsel as part of Voices on the Verge [Rykodisc], a CD introducing four new and important songwriters. The record sold 30,000 copies in its first year and was featured on NPR.

The Washington Post, who called Rose "Haunting and magnificent" in a recent live review, declared that "there's a lovely, placid quality to [Rose's] singing and she uses it to disguise songs that are often dark and dire and wholly disconcerting. . . . Polenzani is staking a claim to intriguing material well beyond standard pop fare." August is Rose's fourth solo record. At times evoking early Liz Phair or Edie Brickell, the record was recorded and compiled at her apartment in Boston.

Ami Saraiya of Chicago's Radiant Darling weaves a delicate tapestry of half-heard stories, scratch jazz, ghost myth, americana and chamber pop. Radiant Darling has just released their debut album "Cryptomenisa" on Tense Forms Records. Saraiya will be performing a solo set at this show.

Reviews:
---Imagine Sade but with an Eastern Indian background. When Saraiya gets on stage, she digs deep exuding raw energy.--- - Metromix/Chicago Tribune

---While unleashing her most elemental roar or during her perfectly pitched seamless climbs and plunges, when Miss Saraiya took the stage, left to right, top to bottom, the audience was captivated by her voice.--- - Sprawling Din

---Saraiya definitely set her band apart with her sexy sultry vocals.--- - Chicago Sun-Times

---Saraiya has a warm, inviting voice that seems to float on air, welcoming listners to share a cloud with her.--- - Kane County Chronicle