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Voted as one of the top 10 folk artists in Austin, Vanessa Peters is already well known in her home state of Texas. Judging by the relentless touring schedule she keeps, it seems that she is trying to make a name for herself in the rest of the world as well. In the last two years, she has criss-crossed America twice and toured all over Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic, both as a solo artist and with her Italian band, Ice Cream on Mondays. But touring hasn’t stopped her putting pen to paper either; she released “Thin Thread†in 2005 to glowing reviews in the States and in Italy, and released her 4th and 5th albums (Blackout and Little Films) this year.
Vanessa released Blackout, an acoustic EP reminiscent of Patty Griffin’s early work, in May 2006. The album was recorded and produced by Salim Nourallah, a well-known singer/songwriter and producer who had worked with up-and-coming bands like The Deathray Davies and more established acts like Rhett Miller and the Old 97’s. Salim’s production caught the band’s ear and so they all headed to Texas to record Little Films with Salim.
Released in September 2006, Little Films chronicles the redemptive and destructive powers that our own personal films have in our lives. Early buzz says this is Vanessa’s best album yet, showing off her 1-2-3 punch of startling lyrics, catchy melodies, and a voice that stays with you for days – likened by one reviewer to “a voice that you could obtain by mixing the earthiness of Lucinda Williams, the witty youthfulness of Beth Orton, and the problematic grace of Suzanne Vega.†The album is a blend of various genres, covering the roots-rock of Wilco and the Jayhawks, the folk-tinged songs of Patty Griffin, and the pop-rock of Aimee Mann.
Vanessa and Manuel Schicchi, the band’s guitarist, have just wrapped up a 40-stop tour across America promoting Little Films. They played in some of the country’s best venues, including McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston, Uncommon Ground in Chicago, Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn, 8th and Rail in Auburn, and the Purple Fiddle in West Virginia, as well as various universities like University of Wisconsin and Texas A&M University. The band is currently in Italy for a few CD release shows at such prestigious venues as Folk Club in Torino, Bar Wolf in Bologna, and the Velvet Underground in Castiglion Fiorentino.
Vanessa and ICOM are endorsed by Norman Guitars, a specialty guitar maker out of Montreal, Canada. They are at home in small clubs, on college campuses, in coffeehouses, and most at home in appreciative listening rooms or house concerts. Vanessa has been nominated for best folk artist, best new artist, best new band, and best female vocals in Austin and in Houston.
“The title track offers summertime college-radio jangle with intriguing, enigmatic lyrics. Peters' words are like splintered pieces of a puzzle; put them together and you start to see stories unfolding in your brain.. Peters is a true poet. These are not pointless, angst-ridden diary chapters. They're revealing, wonderfully written tunes that move and delight the ears.†– Adam Harrington, Whisperin’ and Hollerin’ (UK) (review: Little Films)
“Little Films is the newest record from Vanessa Peters and Ice Cream on Mondays, and if I had gotten my hands on it a month ago, it would have easily made my "best of 2006" list....I don't think it's a stretch to say it would have made the top 10. This is the record I've been waiting for Aimee Mann to make for years. Which isn't any kind of knock on Aimee Mann, who I love, but a statement of just how good I think Little Films is. The voice is one place where the comparison of the two is clear, but the real similarity, I think, is in the songwriting. Peters shares the strange and wonderful talent of taking abstract stories and making them feel incredibly personal, of exhuming the passion, the glory, the sadness from the most mundane places. It makes for an emotional album, but one that never feels overdone or too precious.†– Charles Olney, Heartache with Hardwork
“Easily distinguishing itself from the glut of female singer/songwriters is this literate, haunted gem….the title track [Little Films] is pop perfection, a jangly jewel that camouflages its melancholy lyrics with wind-swept harmonies and ringing guitar riffs.†– Michael Sutton, CD Reviews.com
“Vanessa Peters is the best kind of singer-songwriter: astute enough to explore the deeper recesses of relationships but tough enough to avoid the pitfalls of sentimentality. Little Films, produced by Peters along with Salim Nourallah, is folk-pop of a rare quality. Encompassing a pleasing assortment of styles ('60s retro jangle, confessional '70s soft rock and modern alt-country), Films features a baker's dozen of well-thought-out songs played with just the right amount of grit.†– Darryl Smyers, Dallas Observer
"Vanessa Peters & Ice Cream on Mondays' Thin Thread follows up 2003's Sparkler with a giant step forward...[the songs] skew indie rock more than roots rock, balancing folk and pop deftly. Peters' grasp of her craft matches her confidence." - Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle
Proveniente dalla scena indie texana, la Peters è stata accostata a nomi come Sheryl Crow e Aimee Mann. Ma i suoi testi sorprendenti e le sue performance con gli Ice Cream on Mondays lhanno già resa inconfondibile. Corriere della Sera, Milano, 23 Febbraio 2005. ["Coming from the indie music scene in Texas, Vanessa has already been compared to names like Sheryl Crow and Aimee Mann, and her superb lyrics and unforgettable performances with ICOM are already something not to be missed."]
Se è vero, come si dice, che il buongiorno si vede dal mattino, non è unutopia prevedere per i Vanessa Peters and Ice Cream on Mondays un brillante futuro. - La Nazione, Arezzo, 1 Marzo 2005 ["If it is true what they say, that a great day you can see from the morning, then it isn't farfetched to say that already a brilliant future can be seen for Vanessa Peters and Ice Cream on Mondays."]
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