Holly Lerski profile picture

Holly Lerski

Handmade & hand played...

About Me


WELCOME to our little place on My Space -
If you would like to buy CDs then please visit our shop at www.hollylerski.com , or alternatively download Holly Lerski & Angelou songs from all the major on-line music stores.

WATCH THE ’MY LOVE’ VIDEO
"Lerski’s songs have a deft touch, and like her hero Jeff Buckley, an air of spiritual redemption" - Q Magazine
"Quietly brilliant folk-pop with a gorgeous voice."
- The Sunday Times
"You’ll be hard pressed to find sounds more achingly lovely" - Mojo
Dubbed by Uncut magazine the spiritual sister of Jeff Buckley, Holly Lerski first appeared on the UK music scene in 1997 with the folk rock group Angelou, and their Jeff Buckley inspired E.P., ’Hallelujah’.
Born in London, England, Lerski began playing guitar aged 6. By the age of 9 her family had relocated to rural Norfolk where the budding boho penned songs, painted pictures, and spent her pocket money on 45’s.
After a few years of playing in bands and riding motorbikes, she found herself graduating from art school and taking up songwriting again. After forming Angelou she signed to Boo Hewerdine’s label Haven Records, and released the ’Hallelujah’ e.p., alongside a UK tour supporting Boo and ex-Fairground Attraction songstress Eddi Reader. Angelou made two critically acclaimed albums on the label; 1998’s ’Automiracles’ (produced by Calum MacColl, son of folk legends Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl) and 2000’s self produced ’While You Were Sleeping’.
By the summer of 2001, Holly and her band had broken into Europe and were releasing records in Spain with El Diablo Records. On their return from the 2001 Benicassum Tour, Holly was approached by Sanctuary Records and signed to the label at the end of that year. After a further extensive tour of Europe and Scandinavia, supporting blues man John Hiatt, recording began for the poppier third album ’Life is Beautiful’ assisted by Johnny Marr Healers guitarist, James Doviak. Released under her own name almost a year later in June 2003, the album earned her favourable comparisons to fellow singer songwriters Jeff Buckley and Beth Orton. Live dates with the Cranberries, Jason Mraz and Josh Rouse followed, as did BBC Radio’s support of the album, play listing of the first single, the Ben Hillier re-mix of ’My Love’, and a Janice Long session.
2004, and Life Is Beautiful was crossing the Atlantic to feature in the US film ’Fish Without A Bicycle’. By the end of that same year Holly had parted company with Sanctuary and was busy setting up her own DIY label. The first release, the limited edition sampler ’Greetings from N.Y.’, received weekly plays on national radio till the end of that year. 2005, and with news that Starbucks Coffee Company would be featuring her songs on their Herbie Hancock summer compilation, Holly continued to spend her time working towards the next record.
Cut to 2007, and after 2 years in Manchester, Holly returned back to the eerie everglades as a solo artist. With Angelou disbanded, Holly flew to the US to play a first solo date at New York’s ’Living Room’, following on from the news that ’Hallelujah was being featured in the final episode of CBS US TV legal drama ’Close To Home’.
2008 - Holly is taking a break from the road, and is happily at home writing, recording, baking cakes, and drawing and painting once again. Life is indeed beautiful.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/23/2006
Band Website: hollylerski.com
Band Members: Holly Lerski

& various other cohorts...
Influences:

Oh so hard to say, but give us a sweet sounding acoustic any day. Perennial musical favourites = Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, John Lennon, Bjork, Sandy Denny, just about anything on Radio 3's Late Junction playlist, Martha & Rufus Wainwright, Kristin Hersh, Jon Brion, Nico, Big Star, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Pentangle, Edith Piaf, Tori Amos, Tim Buckley, Eddi Reader, Mark Eitzel, American Music Club, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Ani Difranco, Vashti Bunyan, Patti Smith, Ruth Minnikin, The Stranglers, The Sundays, Bob Dylan, Red House Painters, Mark Kozelek, Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, early Genesis, Donovan, Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, The Band, Chet Baker, Incredible String Band, The Posies, The Beatles, Mazzy Star, bit of Windham Hill, Miles Davis, Arvo Part, Maria McKee, Aimee Mann, The Flaming Groovies, MC5, Joni Mitchell, CSNY, Tom Waits, Indigo Girls, Simon & Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Led Zeppelin, Dead Can Dance, The Byrds, Nick Drake, Kate Bush, Electric Prunes, Nick Cave, Seth Lakeman, Debussy, PJ Harvey, Leonard Berstein, Gershwin, Britton, Plath, Hughes, Betjeman, Bennett, Angelou, Duffy, Faulkner, Byron, Dickinson, Tennyson, Whitman, Bradbury, Rothko, Rackham, Dulac, Twombly, Joan of Arc, Pankhurst, Picasso, Van Gogh, Kiefer, Cromarty, Tyne, Dogger, every kitsch Hammer film ever made (especially The Wicker Man...love the music & everything directed by Terrence Fisher...genius), Wenders, Jeanut & Caro, technicolor, tea, cakes, rioja, and if you've read this far then lordy lordy, but the list goes on...


Record Label: Laundry Label & Mangrove Recordings
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

New website & download store...

Hey everybody... Greetings from the Eerie Everglades...and if this rain continues it really will be like the everglades...mm...swampy, just how I like it.. So, news. It's been under wraps for a while,...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:06:00 PST

Latest from the sunny hinterlands

Hey all,Well I now have my own studio set up, walls are getting painted next weekend, shelves are being built...I'm having loads of fun recording. These days I'm dreaming songs again....I think it's c...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:01:00 PST

Recording, new toys, Liam

Hey all, Thought I'd send a quick bloggy catch up. Life's majorly hectic at present, but in a good way...aside from family stuff  (like my Mum's hip replacement...brave woman), I've got tunes po...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:00:00 PST

2008...

Greetings from the eerie everglades everybody...And a happy belated 2008! So as I haven't written a blog for ages I thought it was about time I let you know what's been going on.But firstly 2007 - the...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:08:00 PST

Laundry Label download madness..The Orchard...and more songs..

Hey All,You might have noticed there are some new samples up on the player - seeing as 'Everyone's Lonely' is one of the most downloaded tracks I thought I should stick it up here. Talking of download...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:09:00 PST

Happy Birthday Scorpios...

Back from another jaunt - this time a pre birthday weekend treat away watching David Gray...I love David, he's still so normal and down to earth. We got an extra treat too - Neill MacColl was guesting...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:20:00 PST

Ray at the Albert Hall...what a carry on (Cleo)

Hey all, Just back from long weekend in London...saw dinosaurs in Kensington, Amanda Barrie in Covent Garden (most people remember her from Corrie, I always remember her as Cleopatra in Carry on Cleo)...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:57:00 PST

Faith restoration...

Hey everybody...After my last blog I've had a few concerned messages...here's a quick blog to let you know I'm OK! I'm good and happy and I AM carrying on...don't fret...talking of which, just been pl...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Fri, 05 Oct 2007 02:03:00 PST

Art & Lies...

'Art & Lies'. I don't know why that title popped into my head, aside from it's a good book (which I haven't read for years.)...I guess cos lately I've been thinking a lot about art, music, my art & mu...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:16:00 PST

Laundry Label - new beginnings, new releases, news..

'Laundry Limiteds'...new label, new releases.. After a many months sketching up ideas, artwork, logo, etc. we are now able to reveal to you Laundry Labels plans.  From September (date tbc) all 3...
Posted by Holly Lerski on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:02:00 PST