Brooklyn,
NY native Rebecca Pronsky was just eight years old when she began singing
professionally. Rebecca studied voice with a local rock singer who had
a weekly gig at the Bitter End in Manhattan. One night she invited Rebecca,
then a third-grader, to sing at the club. The crowd loved her, and not
surprisingly she immediately felt enamored with performing. Fast-forward
past the wonder years and there she was- a full-fledged teen singer-songwriter.
Pronsky had picked up the guitar and had begun to write her very own
songs.
Rebecca moved up to Providence, Rhode Island for college where she attended
Brown University. She studied ethnomusicology and received jazz vocal
training, all the while thinking, drinking, and dreaming. It was there
she made her first record, the sparse, solo Milestone.
Rebecca released her EP 'The Early Hours' in 2004. The album received
glowing press and continues to be heard on local and college radio.
The EP presents a full band behind Pronsky’s jazzy voice and clever
lyrics. The album received praise for both its songwriting and musicianship.
Northeast Performer called Rebecca a “true vocal talent"
while Time Out NY labeled her songs “poignant” and the Montreal
Gazette dubbed her “the new Joni Mitchell.”
Rebecca’s third release 'Departures and Arrivals' is out now on
Nine Mile Records and is
receiving distribution through Burnside. On the new
release Rebecca continues to boldly blur genre lines while staying true
to a solid and accessible songwriting style all her own. 'Departures
& Arrivals' features a number of talented musicians and a collection
of new tunes with stellar production by Rebecca's guitarist and long-time
musical partner, Rich Bennett.
San Francisco's East Bay Express calls 'Departures & Arrivals' "her
most polished effort yet with a distinct country-pop flavor"
and Philadelphia's Jewish Exponent says Rebecca "displays the
same remarkable mix of grace and grit as Neko Case." Americana
UK says "This is a definite grower as the songs reveal their
secrets with repeated listens.... a cut above your average female singer
songwriter with excellent production values..." The record
is receiving national airplay and Rebecca's song "Break Even"
has been featured on XM Radio's "The Loft."
Rebecca continues to tour nationally, focusing on the northeast and
southeast and occasionally visiting the west coast. In her travels she
has played at many of America's best listening rooms including the Living
Room, Club Passim, Iron Horse, Tin Angel, World Cafe
Live, Iota Club & Cafe, Gravity Lounge, Evening Muse, Bluebird Café,
Eddie’s Attic and many more.
In case you were wondering, Rebecca's top 10 albums are:
1.) Hejira (Joni Mitchell)
2.) Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (PJ Harvey)
3.) Hissing of Summer Lawns (Joni Mitchell)
4.) Geogaddi (Boards of Canada)
5.) A Bird Flies Out (Deb Talan)
6.) Club de Esquina (Milton Nascimento)
7.) Aja (Steely Dan)
8.) Flaming Red (Patty Griffin)
9.) Heaven or Las Vegas (Cocteau Twins)
10.) Glow (Innocence Mission)
