Shelby Earl weaves epic stories of love, loss and darkness with her emotive voice. Treading the line between indie and folk, Shelby is an essential part of a new wave of female musicians like Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten who are writing poetic song lyrics and offsetting them with sparse production in order to expose the heavyweight emotions at play.
Shelby draws characters in her musical stories; her latest album tells tales of babies not yet born and of women who will cry an ocean of tears, if only to test their ability to swim. Couched in symbolism, each track is like a short story that you listen to over and over, annotating it in your mind.
Experience Shelby’s power and storytelling skill at Whelan’s this Sunday, September 10th.