Karen Pernick profile picture

Karen Pernick

the thrill of x, the unknown quantity...

About Me

"Karen Pernick’s soulful sound winds around your heart like a fog around a lonely mountaintop." - Performing Songwriter Magazine
"...poised at the crossroads where Jesse Sykes, Cowboy Junkies, Neko Case, and Shawn Colvin collide...quiet, huanted refrains...touchingly beautiful" Musicbox-Online
"...dark and quiet...brooding little gems. (Pernick's) voice sounds like a smoother, mellower Marianne Faithfull...with a weary resignation that approaches a strange state of grace. ... there's an ominous pressure building in the air, and in the heart of the singer...that mixture of dread and anticipation creates the tension that makes Pernick's art so compelling." - All Music Guide
"Luscious vocals dominate these tracks...a poetic dualism reigns..."
- Seattle Sound Magazine
“...(Two Kinds of Weather) is a stunning effort that serves as a reminder that quality is more important that quantity... (the) dark, slightly edgy, full-band setting is perfect for Pernick’s alluring, slightly raspy voice and her evocative, sometimes melancholy songs. Pernick’s imagery is captivating, whether it be the seductive immolation of the obsessive romance in “Brightest Blaze” or the powerful spell cast by childhood memories in “Rain.” Pernick’s melodies are similarly rich and complex, whether it be the restrained Delta blues of “Name of That Bird,” the feedback-driven dirge of “Seven Limbs,” or the warm, major chords that compose “one Way Ticket.” The sole cover is possibly the most achingly beautiful version of “Wild Horses” I’ve ever heard with Horvitz’s grand piano and Timothy Young’s ringing electric guitar weaving circles around Pernick’s world-weary vocal. Two Kinds of Weather casts a powerful spell and is a triumphant return for Karen Pernick.” - Dirty Linen Magazine
TWO KINDS OF WEATHER - Available Now!
You're listening to tunes from Karen's brand new release, Two Kinds of Weather, produced by Wayne Horvitz and engineered and mixed by Matt Brown (Trespassers William) and Tucker Martine (Jesse Sykes, Laura Viers, etc.).
AVAILABLE ON iTUNES!
OR, BUY IT FROM cdbaby.com!
ALSO AVALABLE AT sonicboomrecords.com
REQUEST "TWO KINDS OF WEATHER"!
Other Recordings... Karen's first album, , originally released on Shanachie records and featuring guest Julie Wolf, Bill Frisell, and Robin Holcomb, is a Performing Songwriter magazine "Top 12 DIY" album of the year, and available at CDBaby, Amazon.com, and other retail sites.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 3/18/2006
Band Website: karenpernick.com
Band Members: Karen Pernick - vocals, guitar; Matt Brown - electric guitars; Timothy Young - electric and acoustic guitars, solos; Wayne Horvitz - grand piano, wurlitzer electric piano, hammon b3 organ; Andy Roth - drums; Keith Lowe - upright bass; Jon Hyde - pedal steel; David Keenan - resophonic guitar; Jonathan Kingham and Reggie Watts - backing vocals
Influences: memories of math problems solved in first grade, ferron, robin holcomb, lucinda williams, mark kozelak/red house painters, rickie lee jones, beth orton, leonard cohen, the isley brothers, jane siberry, the rolling stones, karen carpenter, soulfully rendered bluegrass tunes, motown, nina simone, the band, morphine, isley brothers, caetano velosa, bread, odetta, dj shadow, rl burnside, the be good tanyas, john prine, gram parsons, emmy lou, townes van zandt, musician friends, louis armstrong, ranier maria rilke, my second row olympia stadium 'earth, wind and fire' seat.
Record Label: Self-released
Type of Label: None