Recent Reviews for Two Kinds of Weather:
"...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." - All Music Guide
"Luscious vocals dominate these tracks...a poetic dualism reigns..." - Seattle Sound Magazine
"Two Kinds of Weather' is the perfect second CD from Seattle singer-songwriter Karen Pernick. …The melancholic opening 'Angie's Tavern,' is beautifully drawn out, with fine pedal steel and subtle piano by (producer) Horvitz. The accomplishments of this album are many, with the main triumph being Pernick’s voice - - dark and lived-in, while simultaneously offering a pristine clarity. She sounds seductive in 'Seven Limbs,' threatening in 'Greater or Less Than,' and… beautifully contrasting this is the closing track 'Name of the Bird,' with the lyrics: 'Cry, oh she's cryin/ the saddest song I've ever heard/ cry, oh she's crying/ wish I knew the name of that bird.' The name of that bird: Karen Pernick." - Altcountry.nl / 4 stars
“...(Two Kinds of Weather) is a stunning effort that serves as a reminder that quality is more important than quantity... (the) dark, slightly edgy, full-band setting is perfect for Pernick’s alluring, slightly raspy voice and her evocative songs. Pernick’s imagery is captivating... (her) melodies are similarly rich and complex... 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
"Karen Pernick’s soulful sound winds round your heart like a fog around a lonely mountaintop." - Performing Songwriter Magazine
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BIO:
Northwest singer-songwriter, Karen Pernick, has toured and played festivals and clubs locally and nationally, from Bumbershoot to SXSW, garnering several songwriting awards along the way. Her first album, Apartment 12, released on Shanachie Records, features guests Bill Frisell, Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco), Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb.
Her second and most recent recording, "Two Kinds of Weather," is an independent release, produced by Wayne Horvitz, with contributions from Matt Brown (Tresspassers William), Tucker Martine (Laura Viers, Jesse Sykes), Reggie Watts (Maktub), Timothy Young (The Youngs), and others.
Additional Press/Reviews:
"With Pernick, whatever is, is right. Melancholy and longing are syncopated to perfection. Her voice goes up that enviable octave or two or three in just the heart-stopping spot. In the title song of her record, Apartment 12, she sings, ‘I wish that I could find a way into that other clear refrain.’ The thing is, that's exactly what she does." - - The Village Voice
"A kind of gutsiness comes through in her songs, which portray people battling independence, stubborness, and the tenuousness of human connection." - - The Seattle Times
"Pernick learned the art of songwriting from the legends themselves when she worked behind the scenes at the nation's longest running acoustic music club, The Ark in Ann Arbor, MI. Now a long-time Seattle resident, Pernick has matured into a thoughtful, crafty lyricist with a gift for probing the heart's contradictory cravings for spiritual communion and independence. Her songs are full of lovely, poetic details and possessed of a cool, unsentimental wisdom... The sophisticated, evocative settings of Apt 12 feature Laura Love, Bill Frisell, Robin Holcomb, Julie Wolf, and Wayne Horvitz. " - - from Thom Jureck, "Schoolkid's Records" "Contemporary Folk Artist of the Year, 1997"
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