RACEHORSE ( on FORD TO CITY: DROP DEaD records) available now at Ameoba records in Hollywood and amazon.com and available digitally this week on itunes (check back shortly)
BUY NOW!
5/29 cd release and show at hotel Cafe tonight!
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holly ramos
visit holly at www.myspace.com/hollyramosmusic
august 25th
after much work and losing my entire facebook profile, i am back on facebook. i am in the process of publishing a holly ramos page for music, right now i am merely a person, not a band, as far as they are concerned. you can become my fan by searching me on there and clicking on the picture of me with my guitar, even though the page is unfinished. see you over there!
july 26
gee whiz, i have been locked out for a while , happily writing and keeping up a myspace bage, but glad to be back here with access to my website! yea!
feb 19 check out my fav reveiw ever! especially the part about neil young and bob dylan, oh la la! antimusic.com (click here to read)
live feb 7th at zoeys 451 e main st, ventura, ca 93001 with Jesse malin
jan 22 Racehorse listed in top 10 of 2007 in The Herald Sun
live dec 5th at hotel cafe featuring jess stroup on guitar 9pm and jesse malin on at 10pm
NEW REVIEWS!! check out the new Music Connection (on news stand tight now!) and the newest issue of The Big Take Over for a Racehiorse review!
oct 22 and i just gheard that the uper beautiful and talented Lynne Von (x-da Willys) covered "Kiss like a Waterfall" at her last NYC gig!!! so flattering!! day of the dead is just around the corner, see you at the graveyard!
so much has been going on! wow! lots of writing and music and playing, no time to write!!
see holly live
sat sept 8th and sun sept 23
sat sept 8th 8:30pm
maude carrin gallery
7427 beverly blvd, l.a. ca 90036
loft party and benefit 7-11pm with firebug and baxter house
sun sept 23
at tangiers with ACUTE
2138 hillhurst ave la, ca 90027
7:30
Aug 14 tour diary part 2 posted on my myspace blog, "wild horses couldn't drag me away"(click link above)
holly will be teaching a free songwriting workshop in conjunction with smart gals and pulitzer-prize winning lori parks' 365 plays in 365 days (click for more info)
friday august 10th at mama's hot tamales
122 W 7th street 7-9pm
los angeles 90057
call to confirm time 213-487-4300
1/2 block west of alvarado across from mcarthur park!
FIY MAMA'S sells THE best coffee, by the cup or the bean!!
7/8 TOUR DIARY POSTED ON MY MYSPACE BLOG! (click above link) "jfk's death car and crack hotels"
6/7 Holly is on the road!
MIDWEST DATES:
sat june 9 the Shelter, detroit Michigan
sun june10 Double door, Chicago, Ill
tues june12 Pop's, Sauget, IL (just outside st louis mo)
wed june13 the bottle neck, lawrence, Kansas
fri june15 the bluebird, denver, co
sat june16 Kilby Court, salt lake city, UT
RACEHORSE ( on FORD TO CITY: DROP DEaD records) available now at Ameoba records in Hollywood and amazon.com and available digitally this week on itunes (check back shortly)
BUY NOW!
5/29 cd release and show at hotel Cafe tonight!
Holly Ramos at the Hotel Café
"When Holly Ramos was fronting the New York trio Fur in the 90's, she sang with a sweetly endearing voice over a buzzing beehive of punk tempos and power chords on souped-up Blondie-ish tunes like "Beautiful Wreck". She was at the center of the Manhattan underground- rock scene, backing the late Joey Ramone on guitar at one of his Christmas concerts and later working with Jesse Malin and Antony & the Johnsons. Now she’s performing solo and living in L.A., but yoy can still hear lipstick traces of the Lower East Side in her phrasing and imagery on her new solo CD, Racehorse (on the wonderfully named Ford to City: Drop Dead Records). “I’m wearing two-day-old eye shadow in the sun on my stoop and thinking about you.” She confides on the sentimental Johnny Thunders-style ballad “Thinking about You”. Most of the songs on Racehorse are about love or losing love, such as he slowly unwinding waltz “Kiss Like a Waterfall” (which was co-produced by celeb pals Ryan Adams and Malin), and she puts a delicately innocent Jonathan Richman twist to her version of Ray Davies’ “Art Lover.” Tonight she celebrates her cd release with an early (6:45pm) set. (Falling James) LA WEEKLY
new reveiws!
Holly Ramos Comes Strong Out of The Gate
Written by Holly Hughes, (blogcritics.org)
Published May 17, 2007
Talk about timing — Holly Ramos had flown from sunny L.A. into New York the evening of the great nor'easter. Her plane was delayed some ridiculous number of hours on the tarmac; she finally touched down at 3am. She is zonked, and it's still pouring outside.
But like the gutsy New York native she is, Holly's unfazed. "I'm actually kinda digging this weather. Now I can buy a three dollar umbrella in a bodega," she says with a wicked little grin. "You can't do that in L.A." She's ridden the subway to our interview, and is still impressed at how fast her New York street skills have kicked back in. "I'm dodging around people, yelling, 'Get out of my way!' I haven't used that voice in years ." Clearly it feels good.
Luckily, Ramos has a day to recuperate before her date at the Mercury Lounge, opening for her high school friend Jesse Malin. Petite and pale as she is (no West Coast tan – you've gotta love that), she's got a certain tensile strength I'll lay my money on.
Speaking of laying money down, I ask her why she's titled her new solo CD Race Horse . She shrugs, grins, and admits that it doesn't fit with the image of a blonde girl singer with a kittenish, breathy soprano. But playing against type intrigues Ramos. In much the same way, the CD's acoustic Americana twang is deceptive, given the urban snarkiness in the lyrics.
These are songs about people who mope around their apartments, ordering takeout and watching Dirty Harry movies, or who make out with their boyfriends between eating French fries in a diner. Even a song like "Coal Miner's Lullaby" isn't really about life in the coalfields – it's one of what she calls her "I wish songs," recording a fleeting longing for a different, more straightforward life. "I'm always saying things like 'I wish I'd been a cheerleader and lived in Queens' – it doesn't mean I really want to." The straightforward life is an alien concept for Holly Ramos. It's been a long time since her 1990s stint in the downtown punk band Fur, but she's still got a few tattoos and a discreet diamond nose stud to prove her creds.
So where did the album's mellow alt.country sound come from? Ramos admits that it's partly a case of growing older, entering a more reflective phase of life, but Race Horse also evokes artists that she's dug for years like Neil Young and Billy Bragg. "I worked for years as a vinyl DJ in those downtown clubs," Holly reminds me. "I became kind of a musicologist – plus all those old 50s and 60s singles, I know them all. I wish there was a way to make a living just doing that; I know so much obscure music…."
Holly's wide-ranging musical passions helped inspired her pal Jesse Malin to evolve from D Generation garage-rock vocalist to Bruce Springsteen acolyte; she and Malin co-wrote two songs for his most recent album Glitter in the Gutter . The process of pulling together her own solo debut album took longer, though. Ramos admits she's not a disciplined songwriter – the tracks on Race Horse accumulated over a few years, a melodic line here, a fragment of lyric there. "I'm rushing out the door, late to work, and something pops into my head so I run over to the answering machine and stick in on there…eventually my husband says the answering machine's full and I'd better get some of those off there." She rolls her eyes.
Eventually the scraps got worked into full songs; to fill out the CD, she wrote three more songs, "Evangeline," "Sick of Goodbye," and "Better Yet," which ironically turned out to be some of the album's strongest tracks. My personal favorite is " Better Yet ," a series of spunky self-assertions with the cryptic quality of Zen koans – "I'm gonna say what I said and mean what I meant / I'm gonna be where I am and been where I went / I'm gonna do what I do and get what I get / I'm gonna love you / Better yet." Sung over a simple acoustic guitar, with just the faintest counterpoint of a distant lonely trumpet, it turns simplicity into a virtue. "We did that in one take, you know that?" she says proudly. "I like it when that happens – that rawness, that edge. I'm a big fan of mistakes and messes."
Then there's the "Gold and Catholic," a knotty little syncopated number about the unresolved issues left simmering between a rebellious daughter and her dead father. It's like years of therapy distilled into one rueful shrug, one of those songs that goes deeper with every listening. The one cover on the album is a curious choice — "Art Lover" by Ray Davies, a lesser-known Kinks track from the viewpoint of a male pedophile. The wistful delicacy in Ramos' girlish voice, though, brings a haunting new dimension to the song.
"There are some people who are singles artists, and there are some who are album artists," Holly says. "It's like the difference between indie actors and blockbuster actors." (For the record, Holly has done a bit of indie acting herself). "I'm an album artist; I like having the whole thing hold together." Race Horse holds together, all right, and it's a winner.
Biloxi herald review may 18, 2007
'Racehorse' a sure bet for win
****
Holly Ramos, former Fur lead vocalist and Greendoor DJ, has relocated to California from New York and produced this quirky May 29 release that blends genres like a painter, with a slight emphasis on alt-country. Ten of the 11 songs are self-written/collaborations, with the slightly creepy Ray Davies' song "Art Lover" fitting in with the others quite well.
Holly's voice sometimes has the childlike quality of late '60's pop-folk princess Melanie, but there's also a sensual, womanly tone on some songs. Most tunes have '60's/'70's melody combined with an edgy attitude. "Kiss Like A Waterfall," which is a cool collaboration with Jesse Malin and Ryan Adams, is a moody slow stroller that illustrates that point.
Other favorites include the opener, "Thinking About You," which is a perfect, catchy, wistful power-pop gem. "Evangeline" is a tale of a quirky girl, sung playfully over a chugging, squirrelly bass-driven structure; and, "This Bird Has Flown" is achingly wonderful. Ask for this interesting disc locally, or shop online at www.hollyramos.com .
Maverick Magazine says of Racehorse :”…this is very much a contemporary vision of 1960-s music. Think Marianne Faithful, Laura Nyro or Jackie DeShannon. Holly’s voice has a childlike quality but all the sensuousness of a woman and the songs veer from heartbreaking (Sick of Goodbye) to funny (Evangeline). With lashing of steel guitars, slide and Dobro this has a country-ish vibe, but not in the traditional sense – one for the alt.country crowd.”
Lost at Sea, www.lostatsea.net
Holly Ramos, former lead singer of the punk band Fur, takes on a new form with her debut solo effort Racehorse. The album has an alt-country feel throughout, with Ramos's acoustic guitar bringing most of the sound. Themes of love and loss abound on the album. On the first track, "Thinking About You," Ramos sings "It's hard to get up. I just keep calling that same old take out menu./ I'm eatin' with my eyes closed and lyin' in my bed and thinking about you." On the track "I Ask Myself," Ramos laments "Our love is history, gone for good just like you and me./ Our love is going gone, the record over like a played out song."
Ramos gives credit to her influences throughout the album, especially on the track "Coal Miner's Lullaby," which echoes the 1969 Loretta Lynn hit "Coal Miner's Daughter." Ramos invokes love: "I wish i was a coal miner digging in a mine, then I'd be with you darling all the time," and family: "We could have a baby pretty as could be, dress her up on Sunday and go for rides like family." The track also reveals redemptive nature in the last verse, when Ramos sings, "I never had a mom, I never had a dad, I got a long boring list of the things I never had./ But boring lists mean nothing when you get to sing./ That long list ain't too long cause I got a song."
For those just getting over a relationship, Ramos might be able to soothe your hurt with her soft voice. Listening to this album, you would not know that Ramos developed her chops in the world of punk rock; it is quite a stylistic departure yet fans of Fur may nonetheless be pleasantly surprised at what they find on Racehorse. Ramos shows us that there is a little bit of heartbreak in everyone, but pain can be transformed and "mean nothing when you get to sing."
05/20/2007 06:00 PM - rant & rolll radio with roy trakin
KLSX 97.1 FreeFM
I will be performing live on the radio, the other guest is BILL WITHERS!!! please tune in and call in and say hi!!! also online live (and later podcast) at http://www.971freefm.com the show is called industry night with dave addleson, and a segment of that is called media whores with dave and ray. click here to listen you can find my name at the bottom under "industry night with dave adleson". my segment is at the end of this podcast (there is one interview before me). i sing this bird has flown live in the studio!!!
04/30/2007: russell trunk's exclusive magazine interveiws holly (click to read) www.exclusivemagazine.com
the mercury lounge show went great! thanks everyone for coming out!
4/17/07 Mercury Lounge show S O L D O U T !!
3/28/2007: Live in New York City opening for Jesse Malin APRIL 17
Mercury Lounge 217 E Houston street 8:30pm
advance tickets available at ticket web 866-468-7619
2/25/07: lots of exciting things are brewing, new york city show soon to be announced!
check out 2 co -writes with Jesse Malin on his new new cd, glitter in the gutter: "Black Haired Girl" and "Tomorrow Tonight"!! in stores march 20!!
live in CALIFORNIA: sun feb 11 at sisters of bubik 6:30
34 south raymond ave, pasadena, ca 91105 free and
sat feb 17 at synergy 9pm
4455 overland ave, culver city, ca 91105 free
H A P P Y N E W Y E A R !
LIVE IN L.A!!
JAN 21, 2007 at The Talking Stick
1630 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, California 90405 - free
Dec 25, 2006, RIP James Brown. one of my truest heros has past on, god bless.
i wrote a blog about my memories at www.myspace.com/hollyramosmusic.com where you can also hear the song "james brown" that i wrote and recorded with FUR!
Dec 18, LIVE IN L.A!!
last minute addition to the CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR at EL CID's 18 of LOS ANGELES's finest singer/songwriter will be performing original christmas songs on SUNDAY DEC 19th thanks to AMY RAASCH!! plus fabulous crafts sale and raffle!!
Dec 14, 2006: Racehorse was mentioned in Filter Magazine in Jesse Malin's top ten for the year!
today is Patricia Dooley's birthday, my best friend from first grade. i lost touch and would love to find her again.
check out my new blog about my infamous christmas song, and hear the song (see myspace link at top of page).
DEC 10, LIVE IN L.A!!
JAN 21, 2007 at The Talking Stick
1630 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, California 90405 - free
LIVE IN L.A!! Holly will be performing at Sustainable City Speakeasy at Mt Hollywood Underground 4607 prospect ave (corner of prospect and rodney, one blk north of Hollywood, one blk east of vermont ) in Los angeles on Sun Nov 26th at 7-9pm along with panel discussion about what you can do today to build a green LA~!!~!!. this is a speakeasy (wink) so you must know the password: "what can i do?"
This part isn't the password, but a nice finisher..."baby's in black and i'm feeling blue!"
LIVE IN L.A!! Holly will be performing at room 5 in Los angeles on Sat Nov 11th at 10:30pm. room 5 is located upstairs from amalfi restaurant at 143 N La Brea just south of Beverly Blvd
Oct 18th check out my first blog, about cbgb's at http://blog.myspace.com/hollyramosmusic
Oct. 16th, CBGB's closed down last night. I played my first gig there with my band FUR on new years eve 1992 opening for dGeneration. I spent many a saturday afternnons there at the hardcore matinees in the 80's. i remember the first time reagan Youth played a black sabbath song, War Pigs, and Jerry Williams did the sound. I had my one and only fist fight outside the club, defending an attack from a famous groupie. I will not name names. I saw the bad brains and hole and countless other great bands rock that stage and I am honored to have been a part of the history and saddened at the end of an era. Thanks for everything, Hilly. VIVA LA CB's, amen.
the new york shows went great-thank you to everyone for coming down!
7/25 holly will be playing in new york on
thursday august 3rd at fontana's at 9pm &
friday august 4th at cbgb's gallery at 8pm
please come by and tell your friends
MilesofMusic.com, a cool indie online music store just picked up Racehorse. they sell interesting stuff, so you're bound to find great new obscure sounds when you visit to buy Racehorse click here to buy racehore advance copy at miles of music!
Racehorse review
Manhattan raised Holly Ramos now calls LA home. But there's no taking the New York out of this big city gal who was once the front woman of the punk rock trio Fur. Her debut recording tones it down considerably for an intimate and intriguing set of urban folk-rock dusted with the grit and charm of classic NY punk. She possesses a husky voiced innocence that suggests Victoria Williams with a habit. Or perhaps a mash up of Blossom Dearie and Marianne Faithful, through which she sings her spare rock lullabies of urban fairy tales and love. There's playfulness here but a heavy underpinning of mystery and sensuality too. At times Racehorse sounds dirty, in a good way, especially when she gets to the Kink's cover, "Art Lover", which casts an ironically sweet edge on the inherently sinister song about pedophilia. -- Robinson, Miles Of Music
7/5/06 BUY advance copy NOW at www.cdbaby.com/cd/hollyramos
you can hear everysong on racehorse now by clicking on the above link to cdbaby!
7/4/06 Look for Holly in NYC at the end of this month. check back for details
6/16/06 Hear Holly's song "Evangeline" on the radio! Listen to Carolyn Fox's show friday night at midnight
KHZ 1580 AM. Don't forget to call and tell them how much you liked it!
6/14/06 Holly is new to myspace. visit www.myspace.com/hollyramosmusic and add her as your friend!
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