I have recently discovered Regina Spektor when the cellist of her band Daniel Cho was tragically drowned before a concert in Montreux, Switzerland.
Regina Spektor grew up in Moskow where she began to play the piano. When she was 9 they emmigrated to the USA. Regina has studied the piano and composition, and she began to write her own songs and started her carreer as a singer/songwriter. She has produced several CDs, the latest CD is Far.
She plays the piano or the guitar to accompany her songs, but sometimes she just uses drum sticks to play the rhythm, or she has a band to play with her. Her songs have been used for TV series and movies. She writes interesting songs that are often influenced by her classical education as a musician.
NPR has produced several concerts with Regina Spektor, three concerts are available:
Regina Spektor on Mountain Stage 2009
Regina Spektor on Mountain Stage 2009: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120250919
New York-based singer, pianist and songwriter Regina Spektor returns to Mountain Stage for the second time to perform songs from her recent album, Far. The album was recorded with three high-profile producers — Mike Elizondo, Jeff Lynne and Garrett “Jackknife” Lee — in addition to David Kahne, who worked on Spektor’s critically acclaimed 2006 album Begin to Hope. As Mountain Stage host Larry Groce notes, Far sounds concise thanks to Spektor’s distinct style and approach to singing, writing and playing.
With assists from Daniel Hae-Wan Cho on cello, Kaoru Ishi Bashi on violin and John McKenzie Smith on drums, Spektor’s rhythmic, nimble piano style and acrobatic, unconventional vocals are unifying factors in her thought-provoking songs. The latest single from Far, the powerful “Laughing With,” is included in this performance.
- “The Calculation”
- “Eet”
- “Folding Chair”
- “Machine”
- “Laughing With”
- “Dance Anthem of the ’80s”
- “I Don’t Want to Live Without You”
- “Blue Lips
Regina Spektor on Mountain Stage 2008
Regina Spektor on Mountain Stage 2008: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94889309&ps=rs
September 22, 2008 – In the early 2000s, Russian-born Regina Spektor was making music in tucked-away clubs on New York’s Lower East Side. By 2003, she’d landed a record deal with Sire, and her self-released album Soviet Kitsch was reissued by the label.
Spektor’s tantalizing piano playing and her quirky character pieces helped land her widespread exposure, particularly after the 2006 release of Begin to Hope. Buoyed by the hit song “Fidelity,” the album was critically acclaimed, and helped cement Spektor’s place as a pop-music phenomenon.
Regina Spektor in Concert 2006
Regina Spektor in Concert 2006: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6161219&ps=rs
October 3, 2006 – Regina Spektor makes quirky, artfully orchestrated music with hip-hop rhythms, inspired pop melodies and the passion of punk rock. On tour for her latest CD, Begin to Hope, Spektor visited the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. for a night of music, originally webcast live on NPR.org Oct. 3.
One of my favorite songs by Regina Spektor is Machine. I have added two videos of this song to this post – she plays together with her band including Dan Chon on cello:
Regina Spektor – Machine – Live Paris Bataclan 01-07-09
Regina Spektor – Machine Live (Bonnaroo 2010)
Additional information about Regina Spektor
Homepage: http://www.reginaspektor.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/reginaspektor
Fan-page: http://www.reginaspektor.org/
Wikipedia (Engl.) about Regina Spektor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_Spektor
laut.de about Regina Spektor (German) with bio and CD reviews: http://www.laut.de/Regina-Spektor
This post in German: