Blanche
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Blanche
- Genres: Country
Biography
Gothic indie-country-folk medicine show revivalists Blanche formed around frontman Dan Miller nearly a decade after he folded his earlier project, Goober & the Peas. Looking back to early American folk music as an influence, he assembled Blanche during informal living-room music sessions, with Miller's wife, Tracee, filling in on bass and vocals, Detroit area producer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Feeny on pedal steel, newcomer Lisa "Jaybird" Jannon on drums, and Patch Boyle on banjo and autoharp. Their independent release If We Can't Trust the Doctors caught the ear of V2 Records, which signed the band to their roster in early 2004. Their subsequent touring lineup was filled out by the addition of multi-instrumentalist Little Jack Lawrence, who filled in on banjo and autoharp in Boyle's absence. The band hopped down to Nashville in early 2005 to record the songs that would later appear on their first EP, What This Town Needs. It featured two tracks from Blanche's forthcoming full-length album, Little Amber Bottles, and was scheduled for release in the States in late October 2006, but when V2 folded, the album's release was delayed. Blanche ended up on the Loose imprint and Little Amber Bottles was released in the U.K. in summer 2007; the album was issued in the U.S. via iTunes later that year. ~ Zac Johnson, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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Blanche (band)
| Blanche | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dan John Miller and Tracee Mae Miller |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Genres | Alternative country |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Loose Music V2 Records |
| Associated acts | Goober & The Peas The Raconteurs The Greenhornes |
| Website | http://www.blanchemusic.com/ |
| Members | |
| Dan John Miller Tracee Mae Miller David Feeny "Little Jack" Lawrence Lisa "Jaybird" Jannon |
|
| Past members | |
| Brian "Patch" Boyle | |
Blanche is an American alternative country band from Detroit, Michigan. Their music is based in Americana, early country, and folk blues, with a touch of haunting Southern Gothic stylings and garage rock mentality. Blanche is known for wearing vintage fashion of the early to mid-20th century.
The origins of Blanche can be traced back to the early '90s band Goober & the Peas. Led by Dan "Goober" Miller, the band was devoted to cowpunk, and dressed in honky-tonk attire. After the break-up of Goober & The Peas, three of the band's members -- Dan Miller, Jack White, and Damian Lang -- formed the garage rock band Two-Star Tabernacle with Miller's wife Tracee Mae Miller. The band split in 1999, after releasing one 7-inch vinyl with Andre Williams. White went on to form The White Stripes, Lang joined The Detroit Cobras, and Dan and Tracee Mae formed Blanche.
Since 2003, Blanche has performed at several international music festivals, including Lowlands, Pukkelpop and the CMJ Music Marathon. The band opened for and toured with The White Stripes, Loretta Lynn, Ditty Bops, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, Calexico, The Kills, and Brendan Benson, among others. Blanche has also appeared on several radio stations for live performances and interviews in the United States and Europe, including WFUV in New York and XFM in London.
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Contents
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Members
- Dan John Miller - guitar, lead vocals
- Tracee Mae Miller - bass, vocals
- Lisa 'Jaybird' Jannon - drums, vocals
- "Little Jack" Lawrence - banjo, mandolin, vocals, keyboards
- David Feeny - pedal steel guitar, dobro, keyboards, clarinet, melodica, vocals, percussion
- Former Members
- Brian "Patch" Boyle - banjo, autoharp
Discography
Albums
- If We Can't Trust the Doctors (2004, V2 Records/Cass Records/Loose Music)
- Little Amber Bottles (2007, Loose Music)
EPs
- Demo EP (2003, self-released)
- America's Newest Hitmakers (2004, Loose Music)
- What This Town Needs (2006, V2 Records/Loose Music)
Singles
- Who's To Say/Superstition 7" (2004, Cass Records)
Other Appearances
- "Never Again" (demo, Comes With A Smile #14, Spring 2004)
Other Projects
In addition to Blanche, the band members have been involved in various other music and arts:
- In the 2005 biopic of Johnny Cash, Walk the Line, Dan Miller played the major supporting role of Luther Perkins, Cash's guitarist. Perkins' wife, Margie, was portrayed by Tracee Mae. Miller also appeared on the film's T-Bone Burnett-produced soundtrack.
- Tracee Mae Miller is an established painter, and also makes many of her own dresses. For a short time, she ran a popular eBay store, where she sold revamped vintage clothing.
- Feeny was in the '80s garage band The Hysteric Narcotics as well as the Orange Roughies, and is currently also in the band American Mars. He also runs Tempermill Studios.
- Little Jack Lawrence has been the long-time bassist for The Greenhornes, and has been known to play with both bands on the same night. He is also a member of Jack White's bands The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. Lawrence's stand-ins for live performances with Blanche have included former member Patch Boyle, Detroit musicians Dean Fertita and Steve Nawara, and former Goober & the Peas member Tom Hendrickson Jr.
- Lawrence, Miller, and Feeny briefly played in the Do-Whaters (along with the Greenhornes' drummer Patrick Keeler), the backing band for Loretta Lynn's 2004 album, Van Lear Rose. The album was produced by Jack White, who also led the band.
- Patch Boyle has drifted out of the music business, and is the co-founder of the Detroit web magazine Model D.
External links
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