Mother Banjo - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Mother Banjo is a one-woman band featuring Ellen Stanley on banjo and vocals. Raised on rock and pop music and trained classically on piano, oboe and voice, Ellen fell in love with folk music as a teenager as she became hooked on public radio and discovered the church coffeehouse scene in southern Connecticut. It was there that she got exposed to a wide variety of acoustic artists and devoured the sounds of singer-songwriters, bluegrass bands and old-timey ballads. Although an avid prose and poetry writer, Ellen did not connect with her own songwriting voice until she graduated from college and moved to Minneapolis where she bought a house, got a cat and took up the banjo. After performing pretty regularly at cabaret-style variety shows and open mics, Ellen has started touring more nationally, hitting clubs and coffeehouses from New York City to the Montana Rockies.Mother Banjo's music combines the haunting sounds of traditional folk and gospel with contemporary alt-country and Americana hooks. Poetic and rich, her songs are sad, sweet and full of the stories that inhabit the wide open prairies of the Midwest. She just recorded her debut CD Swing Low, featuring four original songs and her fresh take on the spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Produced by Dave Bade (Sweet Colleens) and recorded at his home studio in Bloomington, MN, the album is wonderfully raw and acoustic, leaving the songs and characters to speak for themselves. It features guest appearances by acclaimed singer-songwriter Justin Roth and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Greenhouse (Sweet Colleens). In support of her new CD, Mother Banjo will be touring throughout 2007 and 2008. For press inquiries or booking, email [email protected] or click on her Sonicbids EPK.

Myspace Layouts at Pimp-My-Profile.com / Gothic Angel

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/8/2006
Band Members: MOTHER BANJO: Swing Low

Sweet, lonesome songs--wonderfully bare and acoustic.

Influences: The Nields, Van Morrison, Josh Ritter, Kasey Chambers, Richard Shindell, Eliza Gilkyson, John Prine, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer, Tony Trischka, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson, Kate Rusby, Greg Brown, Buddy & Julie Miller, Rani Arbo, Cassandra Wilson, The Waifs, Gillian Welch, Dolly Parton, Tim O'Brien, The Story, Rosie Thomas, Tom Russell, Emmylou Harris, Neko Case, Martin Simpson, Tim Eriksen, Cordelia's Dad, Iris DeMent, Dirk Powell, Becky Schlegel, Adrienne Young, Carole King, Jeff Buckley, U2, Vaguely Familiar
Sounds Like:
View Mother Banjo's EPK
Record Label: So Low Recordings
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

MoJo News: 2 shows this weekend!

That's right, Mother Banjo fans...I have 2 free fun outdoor shows this weekend! My only solo show all summer will be this Thursday, July 3rd at Minnehaha Park, kicking off the holiday weekend with so...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:07:00 PST

MoJo News: Art, Parks ’n Books!

Hey, Mother Banjo fans! Even though the calendar doesn't agree, it seems that summer is indeed here...and with it comes lots of opportunities for outdoor shows.As you'll see below, I've plenty of tho...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:55:00 PST

Tonight at Trocaderos!

Hope you can stop by Trocaderos Night Club tonight for the opening celebration of this weekend's National Conference on Media Reform, benefitting KFAI and the Twin Cities Daily Planet--2 great local m...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:01:00 PST

Twin Cities Daily Planet Article!

There’s a lovely article that Dwight Hobbes did about Mother Banjo with a little Q&A in today’s Twin Cities Daily Planet...Check it out!http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/10107
Posted by Mother Banjo on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:40:00 PST

MoJo New: March Madness!

Happy March, MoJo fans! There are so many fun holidays this month--International Women’s Day, St. Patty’s, Easter--so I’ve been finding many ways to fill the increasingly longer day...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:37:00 PST

No Depression No More

I was so sad last week to hear that my favorite alt-country mag No Depression would cease publication after their upcoming May/June issue. Thankfully they will continue to have an online presence...h...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:01:00 PST

MoJo New: Lots o’ Love This Week!

Hey, MoJo fans! So much going on this week, it's hard to know where to start...Howabout with a Valentine? As you'll see below, I'm playing a fun show this Thursday at 400 Bar called "Lovers, Losers ...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:20:00 PST

MoJo News: YouTube, Reviews & New Shows!

Happy New Year, MoJo fans! It's been a busy holiday season with an adventure-ridden trip to Tulsa (got caught in two snow storms coming back!) and a week in Kaua'i, appropriately referred to as the "...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:38:00 PST

Star Tribune Feature!

Today I opened up the Star Tribune, and to my great surprise, there was my face on the cover of the "Scene" section! I knew there was an article coming since writer Kim Ode and photographer Steve Ric...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:00:00 PST

MoJo in No Depression Blog!

Grant Alden, the editor of my favorite alt-country mag No Depression, mentioned my CD in his blog! Here's a sample of what he says:"[Swing Low] is probably not much more than a home recording, but th...
Posted by Mother Banjo on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:17:00 PST