Brandi Carlile Tours with Ray Lamontagne, Solo : March 17, 2011

Brandi Carlile, singer and songwriter, is gearing up for a tour in May and will collaborate with Ray LaMontagne on a tour that goes into the early part of summer. Carl [...]

brandi carlile Biography

Brandi Carlile is a singer and songwriter hailing from Ravensdale, WA. The 30-year old and openly lesbian musician is best known for her collaborations with other big folk-rock-country names such as Dave Matthews Band, Indigo Girls, Chris Isaak and most recently, with pop icon, Elton John.

Carlile started to garner attention through her performances in various Seattle night clubs like the Tractor Tavern, Paragon and The Crocodile. Her genre would range from pop rock, folk rock to alternative, and has always tapped the help of twin musicians Phil and Tim Hanseroth as her back-up crew. Eventually, she caught the attention of Dave Matthews after she and the twins performed at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in 2003.

In 2005, she released her self-titled debut under Columbia Records. Its lead single, ‘Fall Apart Again’, didn’t have as much luck as it’s follow-up, ‘What Can I Say’, which ranked no.18 at the US Triple A charts (adult album alternative). During the same year, Carlile found herself to be among Rolling Stone’s “10 Artists to Watch”.

In 2007, she released her sophomore set, the T Bone Burnett produced ‘The Story’, with the titular lead single peaking at no.3 in the US Triple A charts. The record also featured a collaboration with female singing duo Indigo Girls entitled ‘Cannonball’. In 2009, she dropped her third record, ‘Give Up the Ghost’, which entered the Billboard charts at no.26. The Jason Lader produced set includes the track ‘Caroline’, a duet she shared with Sir Elton John. Her fourth studio effort, produced by Trina Shoemaker, is both yet to be titled and given an official release date.

Carlile also devotes her time to various causes such as the environmental non-profit group Reverb and The Looking Out Foundation, to which she donates a dollar for every ticket she sells from her shows. The organization funds other various groups such as Reverb, Honor the Earth, and the American Diabetes Association, all of which also receive assistance from Carlile through her fundraising gigs. She also performed alongside Ben Taylor in ‘Eden Presents…Alive in the World’ concert in 2006, for the benefit of Eden Florida, a group which helps both children and adults afflicted with autism.