Elana Brody & Madelyn Ilana at Offbeat Roadhouse, Aug 19
By WTJU
Elana Brody and Madelyn Ilana will pull into Offbeat Roadhouse Friday night, August 19, for a concert which will also be broadcast on WTJU. These two solo artists are kicking off their first ever tour together right here at Offbeat Roadhouse.
This is a free event, open to all. Masks are strongly encouraged for all attendees. You can also listen to Offbeat Roadhouse on the radio (91.1 FM) or on-line, and even video stream it at WTJU’s Facebook page or YouTube channel. But concerts always sound better with you as part of the studio audience. WTJU is located at 2244 Ivy Rd in Charlottesville, right next door to Vivace. There is plenty of parking, both in our lot as well as the Sentara lot next door.
Elana Brody, as a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and celebrated vocalist, brings a sound to the world that crosses genres and bends expectations.
Her first release “Stars Out of My Eyes” is an Americana tune, harkening to her Appalachian roots. Raised up by “back-to-the-land” homesteaders, in the mountains of Virginia, she was readily exposed to the sounds of country, bluegrass, and folk music traditions. In a home with “hippie” consciousness, Elana also had her fair share of exposure to the folk music from the 60s and 70s, where the poet-lyricist speaks to the shadows of our American culture and the times. This current release of Elana’s brings a unique blend of the two – Americana and Activist-Folk – and you almost can’t know if this is a song that celebrates or subverts the traditions of the Fourth of July. In this way, her music reaches audiences on both sides of the divide.
Though much of her music now is being released in the folk-genre, with comparison to Brandi Carlile and Joni Mitchell, much of Elana’s musicality has been expressed as a pianist and vocalist. With some songs, she can take you back into a vaudevillian time, and has been compared to the theatrical-pop piano composers such as Kurt Weill, Kate Bush, Regina Spektor, and Amanda Palmer. She also has been compared, vocally, to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Jeff Buckley, Barbra Streisand, Jill Scott, and even new pop artist Halsey.
Inspired by liminality, Madelyn Ilana calls her music “dream folk”. Madelyn’s music is for healing and from healing, therefore sometimes soothing and sometimes cathartic. Live performances weave together original songs, improvised violin pieces, and spoken word poetry.
