Flip Grater - Featured Artist July 2008 | christchurchmusic.org.nz

Indie Folk / Alt-Country
www.flipgrater.com www.myspace.com/flipgrater
Contact: Flip Grater
Maiden Records / Native Tongue Music Publishing

Flip Grater is a versatile singer/songwriter, with an acoustic guitar-based repertoire bridging dirty indie-folk and delicate introverted lullabies. Her intimate live act and her recorded work alike have garnered wide critical acclaim. Flip Grater is CHART's Featured Artist for July 2008 and talks to Jeff Fulton...

Hi Flip, how's life in Christchurch for you?
It's great. Cold. But the cold beats life into you every morning which is what I need.

Who are you listening too at the moment, tell us about your new songs and if there any new influences in your song-writing?
I'm listening to Jens Lekman, Nick Drake and Sue Thompson. The new album has some influence from Elvis Presley and the like. I decided I wanted to write some well-rounded nice little songs so I did. There are also some euro-waltz songs in there. A whole lot of 6/8 really.

Your songs have an alt-country leaning and you have a fuller sound now that your last album "Cage For A Song", I understand you have been working with a band this time around?
Yeah I have a fantastic band made up of Simon Hall, Kris Wilson, Simon Brouwer and Tim Chesney. We're playing at the Repertory Theatre Fundraiser on July 4th and after the Chch album release on the 25th, we're hitting the road to promote the album in August. It'll be great to play all the shows with a band!

Where did you record the album and any interesting stories to tell?
The album was recorded at The Sitting Room in Chch by Tim Chesney and Ben Edwards. There are 4 different drummers on the record. Myles Allpress was in Chch for a gig and got roped into playing a tune. Adrian Palmer played on a few and after I'd been to an Insurgents gig, I decided I needed to work with their drummer so I begged him to play on the record too. We had a great time recording it but started losing the plot a little towards the end. Ben, Tim and I needed a bit of time out from each other afterwards.

Last year you had your song 'Long Awaited Sigh' licensed to the US drama Brothers and Sisters, how has been the reaction to that?
That was great! It's a good 'in' for some people that would never have heard my music but love that TV show. The result is that I'm listed on a tonne of US sites dedicated to music from tv.

What are your plans for 2008, any tours planned to help promote the album?
We'll be touring Be All And End All in August and then I'm off to promote the album in Europe during November and December. That will be like The Cookbook Tour - Europe. I'm playing little shows all over the place and collecting European recipes as I go.

Flip Grater's 2nd album 'Be All And End All' is due for release on Monday 21st July 2008.

Be at the Harbourlight Theatre in Lyttleton on 25th July for the album release.

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About Flip Grater

Flip has performed with a number of New Zealand’s premiere artists, including The Phoenix Foundation, Dave Dobbyn, and Anika Moa. Flip has also shared the stage with international stars such as Ben Lee, The Shins, and Hugh Cornwall, and she has traveled to the Texas xx xx South by Southwest (SXSW) festival twice, performing at the 2006 event to a (number)-strong crowd, including pillars of the worldwide music industry.

Her lyrics, deeply pensive, and her voice, that rises like a clear spring and shifts seamlessly into smoky shades of blue in a nuance of moods…is utterly captivating." - THE BEAT, Christchurch Press, New Zealand

Her 2006 LP release, Cage For A Song, turned heads across the folk and alt-country scene, spawning 3 singles, 4 videos and attracting New Zealand On Air support. The track ‘Long Awaited Sigh’ was selected from this album by producers of the hit American television show Brothers and Sisters, for the emotional final episode of their first season.

In 2007, Flip released The Cookbook Tour – a performance/travel journal and recipe book that sparked interest across the country. This unconventional approach to a national tour was heralded by NZ media - including Kim Hill (National Radio), the Sunday Star Times, Herald on Sunday, TVNZ’s Good Morning show and Taste magazine. Major local publishers are currently working with Flip on a follow-up tour, to begin later this year.

Her anticipated new album, Be All and End All, is due for release on Monday 21 July 2008.

Reviews
“Flip Grater’s Cage For A Song is ethereal without being too spacey, it's powerful without being overpowering, sparse without being vacant. 5 out of 5 stars” - cdbaby.com

“An exceptional talent with a gift of arrangement that perfectly captures her varied emotional states. Stunning. *****” - Steve Scott, Waikato Times

“Flip Grater has a Hope Sandoval feel to her acousto-folk, but when she shades to something more angsty indie, she's got a little Cat Power in her.” – The Austin Chronicle, Austin, Texas

Discography
Nameless EP
All tracks © Flip Grater except “Blue Valentine” by Tom Waits
Released: July 2004
NZ release only - sold out

Video links
Ring Around The Rosie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E63SIKnDAZY

Long Awaited Sigh (Brother and Sisters)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siCvktoz-T0&

This Road Leads Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2w8zPkXVLU

Bedside Table
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=briR68S1pLM

Contacts
Publicity (NZ): Lauren Clough lauren@maidennz.co.nz
Publishing: Native Tongue chris@nativetongue.co.nz
Management: Maiden Records maiden@maidenrecords.co.nz

Links
www.christchurchmusic.org.nz/homepage/latest/flip-grater-announces-album-release-tour