Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out!

About Me

In the EU? Download singles or order a copy of the full album, hello, my uglies, today:my uglies are now available on Napster!"...an exceptional voice." - Stuart Bailie, BBC Radio Ulster, May 2008 "Her words are open and heartfelt, and melodies linger, creating a perfect balance of emotion and light." - Sentimentalist Magazine, NYC, Spring 2007 "Standing head and shoulders above any of her contemporaries, if there's any justice in the world it's only a matter of time before Austin commands a higher profile, both locally and internationally. . . [she] performs what can only be described as ethereal, heartfelt music in the Martha Wainwright or Joan As Police Woman vein."- Patric Baird, 24/7 (Belfast Telegraph), March 2007 "Your voice is something special." - an old guy, Rotterdam Bar, Belfast, April 2007

"You sing like a nightingale." - Finnian, Spirit Store spectator, Dundalk, June 2007

"A logical progression for a musician with a twisted, criminal mind." - Commissioner Gordon, Gotham City

Hi! I'm from Virginia & have been living for seven years in Belfast.My: -mom was a writer -my dad played drums in an 80s metal band.They were: -New York implants in the Blue Ridge Mountains.I grew up listening to the echoes of music from neighbours' porches, yards and tent meetings. At night: -some neighbours used to stay up late playing fiddle, bass and banjo. (I'd drift into sleep with the music drifting in my window. Or up from the basement where my parents' band was practising.)Besides singing up down the hills as a kid, I've played in numerous pubs, clubs & coffee shops in both the US and the UK. I've supported: P.O.D. (believe it or not!), Devon Sproule, Iain Archer, Juliet Turner, Eric Taylor, The Believers & Steve Forbert.I'm also proud to say I teach voice and have worked with some incredible singers.
View Rachel Austin's EPK

Check out my music on iMeem!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 3/3/2006
Band Website: hellomyuglies.com
Band Members: Rachel Austin: singering & guitaring Steve McKnight: guitaring Pete Bankhead: mandolin, piano

Recording: Declan Legge: producer

Live at Christmas time on Kick Out the Jams

Spring 2007 on Kick Out the Jams
Influences: Havalina Rail Company, Carla Bruni, Victoria Williams, Martha Wainwright, Bill Mallonee, Gillian Welch, Over the Rhine, Billie Holliday, Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, Devon Sproule, Morella's Forest, Sigur Ros, Mum, Ella, Jewel, Nina Simone, Alison Krauss . . .
Sounds Like: Joni Mitchell impersonating Jeff Buckley

Type of Label: None

My Blog

The Zachel Files: uglies... released!

The album was launched Thursday night at McHugh's to a standing-room only basement full of some of my favourite peoples. If you missed the gig, you can order a copy of hello, my uglies from from downl...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Mon, 26 May 2008 11:12:00 PST

Exhibition & Album Launch

That's right, kids, big news. The album launch will be Thursday 22nd May at McHugh's in Belfast. Doors at 9, music starts around 9:30 with some excellent talent opening, not to be missed. I'll be acco...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Wed, 07 May 2008 03:52:00 PST

where we are...

With recording finished, thoughts have turned to mixing, mastering, album art, CD duplication, digital distro, promotion - basically the business side. It’s the part that’s stereotyped ...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 06:52:00 PST

Festival tickets: fast!

Only 40 tickets left for Nebraska Revisited next week. Please be warned if you intend to turn up without tickets. NEBRASKA REVISITED: Wednesday 20th FebruaryOh Yeah Building, 15-21 Gordon St, B...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:00:00 PST

24/7 column: Teenage Kicks

I wrote a short column for Belfast Telegraph's 24/7 weekly:Thanks to Si for scanning this for me....
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:09:00 PST

: : : Soon : : :

Two-thousand and eight : : :as of yet, this year has been fresh, joyful, deep, full.But not twee, hyper, presumptuous or busy.The ongoing recording will soon be coming to an end, and then you'll be he...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:34:00 PST

Homeless Awareness Week Campout Tues 4 Dec

Join us for a Camp-out (see image 3) to raise awareness of issues surrounding homelessness in Northern Ireland. We'll be at Stormont Tues 4 Dec 3pm till Wednesday 5 Dec at 11am. Come on out, or even j...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:08:00 PST

Keep the Arts Alive

Check out the campaign to defend arts funding in Northern Ireland here.Arts funding in Northern Ireland is seriously lagging behind that of its neighbours. Funding estimates for the next few years hav...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:26:00 PST

Florence Foster Jenkins

OK, so I was going to post something serious and externally introspective, but instead you have to check this out:Florence Foster Jenkins (1868November 26, 1944) is an American soprano who became fam...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:52:00 PST

Irish music scene documentary

I'm excited to announce that I've been chosen to take part in a documentary about the Irish music scene. The documentary is geared towards helping people understand how to go about starting and mainta...
Posted by Rachel Austin - hello, my uglies now out! on Mon, 12 Nov 2007 05:11:00 PST