NEWS
Jill Tracy on “Songs of Decadence,” limited edition vinyl
with Blixa Bargeld and Stephen O’Malley
“Jill Tracy is the ideal artist to bring the work of Przybyszewski to life.” Malört Förlag
“Songs of Decadence” — the new 7″ collectable vinyl split with the legendary Blixa Bargeld (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Einstürzende Neubauten) and Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O)))) is now available exclusively in Sweden. An EXTREMELY LIMITED edition of autographed copies available via this website sold out in mere hours.
From the press release:
Jill Tracy has recorded a new song “The Colour of the Flame,” (Totenmesse) commissioned by Swedish publishing company Malört, to accompany their 2014 book, an homage to 19th century writer/occultist Stanislaw Przybyszewski’s gorgeously terrifying tales.
Przybyszewski was a major name in nineteenth century avant-garde circles, and was a close friend of both Edvard Munch and August Strindberg. His short stories and novels were beautiful, decadent narratives of transgression, occultism and eroticism. Malört states that “Jill Tracy is the ideal artist to bring the work of Przybyszewski to life.”
Jill Tracy has based “The Colour of the Flame” on Przybyszewski’s The Mass of the Dead.
BLIXA BARGELD: Grand Hotel Tbilisi
STEPHEN O’MALLEY: Epipsychidion
JILL TRACY: Totenmesse (The Colour of the Flame)
Jill Tracy’s Parlour of Spirits:
Full concert and Musical Seance at the EDWARDIAN BALL— Jan 18!
Jill Tracy’s Parlour of Spirits! The famed and beloved Edwardian Ball returns! Yes, for the very first time, “Belle of the Ball” Jill Tracy performs a full length concert and Musical Seance upstairs— within the lavish red-velvet walls of the historical 1909 Masonic Lodge. (You may remember this gorgeous location from her “Haunted by the Thought of You“ music video.) The Freemasons held their secret ceremonies and rituals in this very room, now it’s our turn to conjure some magic. Save the date Saturday January 18, 2014!
She will be joined by percussionist Randy Odell, bassist Kenny Annis and theremin player Meredith Yayanos (The Parlour Trick.) Fingers crossed violinist her Seance partner-in-crime Paul Mercer will return in the flesh too!
Get your tickets to the Edwardian Ball NOW!
Bauhaus’ David J and Jill Tracy create dark classical version
of the band’s iconic “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”
Our dark season treat for all you immortals… Undead is Forever.
An exquisite new cinematic interpretation of the Bauhaus classic “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” from David J, one of the legendary band’s founding members, with signature post-classical piano from noir chanteuse Jill Tracy.
Featuring an excerpt from Lord Byron’s chilling vampire poem, ‘The Giaour’
Says David J: “Jill Tracy’s piano playing is magical, so sensitive and beautiful, it blows me away.”
With Ysanne Spevack on eerie antique autoharp, violin and backing vocals, Kenny Annis (contrabass) and Randy Odell (drums, percussion.)
This dark melancholic exploration was recorded live by candlelight in a single take.
Jill Tracy discusses the making of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” in a new interview on FEARnet.
New review in GENERATION BASS: “I was a little apprehensive to hear this new version (of Bela Lugosi’s Dead) but I gotta say it is pretty spectacular. It continues that same strange Bossa Nova riddim and evokes the gothic vibe and atmospherics of the original in a less raw but more cinematic way…Truly beautiful and I am in love with it all over again! I’ve had it on loop for the past 1 hour!!”
Listen and download the track HERE.
(Photo of David J and Jill Tracy by Audrey Penven. Cover art by Michael Houghton.)
Jill Tracy Interview in Gothic Beauty Magazine
“Enchanting… A woman of many, many talents, Jill Tracy has spent nearly all her life channeling the melancholic and macabre to weave a sonic web as delicate as it is strong.”
GOTHIC BEAUTY MAGAZINE
ON STANDS NOW! New Issue 41 now available featuring 3-page interview with Jill Tracy by Jessika Hulse. As well as great interviews with Chris Corner of IAMX, Frontline Assembly, and Edward Gorey. Order your own glossy copy HERE! (photo by Audrey Penven)
(excerpt) “One of my greatest pleasures right now is immersing myself in unusual locations laden with mysterious history, and manifesting music from my reaction to the environment. The intensity and immediacy is fascinating. I call it “spontaneous musical combustion” (as homage to “spontaneous human combustion,” and my affinity for peculiar history and science tales.) I’ve found myself conjuring the hidden score inside haunted castles, abandoned asylums, decrepit mansions, gardens, and graveyards…” JILL TRACY
DEATH SALON Interviews Jill Tracy:
Join her October 18 for Los Angeles Death Salon
(excerpt) “I was given the book The Mysterious World when I was a child and when I first opened it, there was a picture of spontaneous human combustion. I had never heard of such a thing in my life. There’s that wonderful old photograph of Dr. John Irving Bentley who suddenly burst into flame. There’s a bit of his leg, with his foot still in a slipper, his walker, and cinders everywhere. This fascinated me. I was obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock, Bernard Herrmann, Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, Jean Cocteau. I just wanted to live in those worlds. I still do…”
Jill Tracy discusses her work in progress with the Mütter Museum, her inspirations, and her affinity for the macabre with Death Salon Organizer Megan Rosenbloom. Jill Tracy will perform live with an intriguing array of historians, artists, writers and creators in the acclaimed Los Angeles Death Salon Oct 18-20. Read the full interview HERE.
Presenters include authors Bess Lovejoy (Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses), Colin Dickey (Cranioklepty and Afterlives of the Saints), Mel Gordon (The Grand Guignol: The Theatre of Horror and Terror and Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin) medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris (The Chirurgeon’s Apprentice,) Caitlin Doughty (Host of Ask A Mortician/The Order of the Good Death,) Joanna Ebenstein (Morbid Anatomy,) Annetta Black (Atlas Obscura,) Ronni Thomas, (The Midnight Archive,) Paul Koudounaris, (author Empire of Death,) Evan Michelson of TV’s “Oddities,” Sarah Troop (The Cabinet of Curiosities Podcast, ) Death Gospel troubadour Adam Arcuragi and many more!
Tickets and more info about Death Salon HERE.
Elegant Alchemy:
New Jill Tracy Interview in the BAY GUARDIAN
Great new in-depth piece—“Elegant Alchemy:”
Jill Tracy interviewed by Arts Editor Cheryl Eddy of the Bay Guardian— hear stories of sudden lightning storms and late night police during the new Jeremy Carr music video shoot in New York City, chilling tales of composing inside the Mütter Museum, The Musical Seance, and more.
(excerpt) “People bring these items to The Musical Seance — we’ve had everything from cremated remains, to antlers, to a toothbrush. Swords! Haunted portraits! It’s almost like Antiques Roadshow for the Netherworld. But the one thing I’ve learned through all of this is that every object, every place, and every person has a story to tell that will break your heart.”
Read the full interview HERE.
(photo by Audrey Penven)
Jill Tracy Sees Romance in Shadows:
New Interview in SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Jill Tracy sees Romance in Shadows: “Musician Jill Tracy has been described as a musical sorceress, evocateur, intrigante, woman of mystery, ‘dark Queen of Melancholia,’ ‘femme fatale for the thinking man….” A chat with San Francisco Chronicle’s Katharine Schwab about the lure and beauty in darkness, her love of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, and transporting her listeners into her “elegant netherworld.” Read the interview HERE.
(photo by Neil Girling)
Haunting, provocative new video to Jill Tracy’s acclaimed “Pulling Your Insides Out,” featured in the surreal thriller “Ice Cream Ants”
Update! WE did it! Thanks to you, we are 233% funded! You can check ongoing Kickstarter updates and see behind the scenes progress of the two new music videos HERE.
Visit the THANK YOU PAGE —a gallery of all backers!
NOTE: We’ve had inquiries from people who would like to donate, but did not hear about the campaign until it was over. We welcome donations at any time, which will be used to fund new musical works, music videos, live shows, and upcoming projects. Every wee bit helps when you support an independent artist! Visit the DONATIONS page for more on how you can get involved!
“Dark Seductress Jill Tracy featured as Dexter’s “Final Requiem:”
New Article in Dark Media Online
Hailed “A femme fatale for the thinking man” by San Francisco Chronicle, and “cult darling of the Underworld” by LA Weekly, Showtime Networks sought out Jill Tracy after hearing her provocative jazz noir track “Evil Night Together” and proposed that the tune become the banner song for the Dexter Season 8 trailer.
Read the FULL ARTICLE in DARK MEDIA ONLINE.
(photo: Audrey Penven)
“The Final Symphony:” Jill Tracy becomes Dexter’s Demonic Requiem
“In a few days, The End Begins. I guess it can now officially be added to the Jill Tracy resume: Created Dexter’s Final Bloody Requiem…” Jill Tracy tells the tale behind the DEXTER trailer in a new BLOG.
“Jill Tracy’s Music Graces Haunting New DEXTER Trailer” FEARnet
“Dark music virtuoso Jill Tracy is the ominous and beautiful requiem theme” accompanying the new trailer for Showtime‘s final season of Dexter. Read the FEARnet feature and watch the trailer!
JILL TRACY featured on the new promo for Showtime’s DEXTER!
Jill Tracy’s “Evil Night Together” (from the album Diabolical Streak) was chosen by Showtime Networks as the requiem to promote the wildly anticipated final Season 8 of Dexter!
From the official Showtime press release:
“a final bloody symphony…Set against Jill Tracy’s moody “Evil Night Together,” the trailer recaps the darkest moments of the series’ past seven seasons, culminating with the shocking murder of LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez)-a murder that could very well be Dexter’s undoing, even though his sister was the one who pulled the trigger.”
“It’s like I’m conducting a final symphony,” Dexter says. “Requiem for demonic Dexter.”
Check out this new promo for Dexter: “The Final Symphony.”
To hear more of Jill Tracy’s discography, please visit the MUSIC page.
“Nobody does DARK like Jill Tracy” TV Tropes
“Jill Tracy and Dexter are a match made in an alternate heaven.”
Troy DeVolld, author/TV producer
Atlas Obscura presents JILL TRACY onstage with
“Rest in Pieces” author BESS LOVEJOY May 14!
“A Fate Worse Than Death”
Join us for an evening of stories of the incredible – and sometimes distressing – things that can happen to a body long after it’s buried...
Atlas Obscura presents an evening of dark and deadly proportions with Jill Tracy in a solo concert to welcome author Bess Lovejoy in a discussion of her new hit book “Rest in Pieces, the Curious Fates of Famous Corpses.”
DNA Lounge, San Francisco 7pm-10pm. TICKETS and INFO HERE.
“Finding the Phantom:” JILL TRACY talks music and monsters
with French Vampire Blog
“The closer to death, always more alluring the taboo…”
Jill Tracy chats music, film, and the allure of monsters with Adrien Party of French zine Vampirisme.
“The vampire is one of the oldest, most resilient archetypes, existing in a variety of forms in nearly every culture worldwide. Each culture’s conception of the vampire has been somewhat unique––one type of Indian vampire feeds on the livers of its victims, while a form of Japanese vampire subsists by consuming infants… For Victorian audiences, this spectre of wild sexuality, and the break with proper social behaviours, was unheard of, and terrifying. When Murnau’s Nosferatu debuted in theaters in 1922 (the first film based on the 1897 Bram Stoker novel,) people fainted in the aisles and had to be carried out of the theater!”
Read the full interview HERE.
JILL TRACY interview in Nocturne Magazine!
“On Mystery, Music, and the Mütter Museum:” Jill Tracy chats with Nocturne Magazine’s Fiona McKechnie. A great new lengthy interview with lots of photos!
“Jill Tracy is a conjuror of the enigmatic; a purveyor of the extraordinary, raconteur of dark delights, and all-around creative wonder.” This interview was originally printed as a beautiful glossy 6-page spread. We are proud to present it online for you HERE!
Musical Seance in historical LOS ANGELES mansion
of 19th Century Murderer!– Feb 24, 2013
On June 18, 1896, the usually jovial, soft-spoken Horace P. Dibble went to his job at the Pacific Crockery and Tinware Company. Before the day ended, he stabbed a shipping clerk to death in a violent skuffle. He lived in this odd Queen Anne style house, which is now simply known as Historical Monument 157 in Los Angeles.
Join chanteuse, pianist and storyteller Jill Tracy and violinist Paul Mercer for a very rare evening inside the Dibble House, with a full concert, tales of ghosts, and their acclaimed Musical Seance.
Hailed by LA Weekly as “the cult darling of the Underworld,” Jill Tracy’s dark cinematic elegance pairs with Mercer’s eerie improvisational style which summons the aid of various centuries-old violins and violas. Since joining forces on Halloween 2007, the duo have become widely known for their astonishing channeled duets on piano and violin. The pair affectionately refer to their collaborations as “spontaneous musical combustion.” Their uncanny ability to conjure unsettlingly lavish compositions has led to spellbinding results, transporting the room into “a musical seance.”
Audience members are asked to bring small objects of special significance, such as a photo, talisman, jewelry, toy, token. This is a very crucial part of manifesting the music. Every object holds its story, its spirit. Energy, resonance, impressions from anyone who has ever held the object, to the experiences and emotions passed through it.
The duo have conjured music in such unusual locales as abandoned asylums, caves, haunted castles, decrepit gardens, and were special guests at Anne Rice’s famed Halloween Ball in New Orleans in addition to working on film scores and touring internationally.
V. Vale of RE/Search publications hailed a Jill Tracy/Paul Mercer Seance as “Sheer magic! Perfection. Improvised… If you’re lucky enough to be there, you realize you’ve just had a hint of something extra-mortal, uber-human, transcendent – maybe the concentrated ghosts of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater or the Commedia Dell’arte of the past are swirling around the room . . .and you think that THIS is the new avant-garde: live, un-censored, living theater.”
Special guest author Colin Dickey (Cranioklepty: Grave Robbing and the Search for Genius, and Afterlives of the Saints) will discuss murderous LA tales, and the strange history of the Dibble House.
ONE NIGHT ONLY! Be part of a rare conjuring of music, magic, history, and madness.
Jill Tracy after dark at San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
revealing “The Whispering in the Wood:” Ghosts, Violins, and the Trees that Brought Them to Life– Feb 27, 2013
(Jill Tracy and Paul Mercer. Photo by Libby Bulloff)
Award-winning chanteuse and performer Jill Tracy hosts another “After Dark” event at the Conservatory of Flowers, this time with her long time collaborator, and Musical Seance partner Atlanta-based violinist Paul Mercer.
Can wood remember? Did certain trees through history house spirits?
Violinist and composer Paul Mercer delights with fascinating tales of the synthesis of tree, instrument maker and violin player. Learn about the types of wood used to make various musical instruments – including tropical woods found in the Conservatory – and the role of other plant and animal compounds in making each instrument a unique creature.
Hear stories of three ancient instruments: a mysterious late 19th century violin named Daphne, a luminous late 17th century violin named Abigail, and a stunning 1820 Viola named Henryetta. All will be played during the presentation, so that you may experience their strikingly different personalities.
Mercer spent nearly five years recording improvisations on instruments that seemed to have voices of their own. The result is an eerie and beautiful trip through time, as the voices “whispering in the wood” are finally allowed to speak…
Find out how history’s great violin makers revolutionized the study of wood, and make your own conclusions about the alchemic blend of art and science that goes into creating the world’s finest instruments.
The evening will include a full concert and musical seance with Paul Mercer and Jill Tracy, with master percussionist Randy Odell– plus a rare nocturnal tour of the greenhouse. Also featuring master perfumer Emerson Hart of Nocturne Alchemy, Vice Chocolates, tarot and essential oil readings by Owl Tree Healings.
Experience the whispering in the wood…and the magic of the Conservatory after dark. Weds, Feb 27, 6pm-10pm. More info and tickets are available HERE.
“A Waltz to Make Wishes Come True” Jill Tracy shares her favorite memories on the EDWARDIAN BALL website
“Belle of the Ball” Jill Tracy pens one of her favorite Edwardian Ball memories of all time: involving history, magic, the full moon and “A Waltz to Make Wishes Come True.” Her tale, and many accompanying photos are featured on the offical Edwardian Ball website.
“13 years later, the Edwardian Ball remains a testament to authenticity. A tribute to being anything you wish to be, to escaping the cage of convention, to honoring your passions brazenly and unapologetically, and holding on to your dreams at all costs. This is what we did when they first told us it ‘could not be done.’ –We did it anyway.” JILL TRACY
“Belle of the Ball” JILL TRACY returns to EDWARDIAN BALL
SF and LA! Jan 19 and Feb 23
Jill Tracy returns as “Belle of the Ball” at the 13th annual Edwardian Ball, Saturday January 19 at the Regency Grand Ballroom in San Francisco. Read more about this legendary lavish event in honor of wondrous scribe Edward Gorey. She will also appear at the Los Angeles Edwardian Ball at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater Saturday, February 23. (Photo by Adam Tow.)
Exclusive new interview with JILL TRACY in GOTHIC BEAUTY MAGAZINE
Jill Tracy talks in depth with Gothic Beauty about the inspiration and making of the new album Silver Smoke, Star of Night–from research to recording techniques. Also, the creation of her new collaborative perfumes with Emerson Hart of Nocturne Alchemy, the magic of NIGHT, composing music in the famed Mütter Museum, and what’s to come in 2013. READ the INTERVIEW HERE.
“Night Fragrance for Night Music:”
The new JILL TRACY perfumes with Nocturne Alchemy
Read the new BLOG “Night Fragrance for Night Music,” all about Jill Tracy’s new collaboration with San Francisco’s Nocturne Alchemy: Two magnificent new scents, an homage to dark elegance and beauty, smoke in the shadows. Special Limited Edition hand-crafted sets, in amber glass bottles, autographed by Jill Tracy, just in time for Christmas! (Art by Trista Musco .) Order now, and receive free samples of other Nocturne Alchemy fragrances!
“Beauty Found In Darkness:”
New TWO-PART Interview with JILL TRACY on FEARnet
After Jill Tracy divulged secrets with FEARnet scribe Gregory Burkart, the response was so overwhelming from readers that the interview was extended and became Parts ONE– and TWO! Whew!
Part ONE of FEARnet’s in-depth conversation with Jill Tracy “Beauty Found in Darkness” discusses the creation of “The Fine Art of Poisoning,” her approach to film scoring, the “Musical Séance” project, and her latest and most ambitious undertaking – a Musical Excavation of the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, with its intriguing collection of medical oddities.
Part TWO of the interview is entitled “Jill Tracy and the Season’s Night Music” and reveals the inspiration and approach to creating her stunningly sophisticated new Christmas album Silver Smoke, Star of Night, her new companion perfume line with Nocturne Alchemy, and her unusual live concert events, and sultry after-dark series with the wondrous San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. Don’t miss either one of these in-depth conversations. Thanks FEARnet! (photo: David Allen)
JILL TRACY at the wondrous San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
revealing “An Exploration of Fragrance and the Magical History of Perfumes” –Weds Dec 5, 2012
Jill Tracy returns to the wondrous San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers to celebrate the release of her exquisite, haunting holiday CD Silver Smoke, Star of Night. And she will indulge the senses––unveiling her sumptuous collaborative fragrance line with San Francisco’s Nocturne Alchemy. Certain plants and perfumes have become an honored holiday tradition, from mistletoe and holly to frankincense and myrrh. The Magi’s gift of choice! Join us for a conversation on the magical history of fragrance with master perfumer Emerson Hart of Nocturne Alchemy and Jill Tracy.
You’ll get a chance to see and smell some of these essences in their raw form and sample many exquisite perfumes, learn their secrets, and what goes into creating the perfect concoction.
Perfumers were an integral part of the ancient Egyptian culture. Royal courtiers anointed themselves with fragrant oils, and incense and oils were burned in offering to their gods. Legend has it that Cleopatra ordered her servants to perfume the sails of her royal barge so the breezes that propelled it would also waft a gorgeous scent in its wake. Our sense of smell is tied directly and intimately to the part of our brain most involved with memory and emotion.
The evening includes a nocturnal tour of the Conservatory’s fragrant plants and full concert. CDs and perfumes available at the show! Advance tickets suggested.
Brand new download for The October Season:
“Coronation of the Witch Queen”
A gift from Jill Tracy and violinist Paul Mercer in honor of their favorite dark season! It’s sure to be the perfect score for your haunting nights.
“Coronation of the Witch Queen” was recorded live during an actual Musical Seance session in rural Stone Mountain, Georgia. This is ABSOLUTELY LIVE, improvised, no edits, no overdubs, no fixes…you’ll even hear wood creaking, the sound of the room, the rare, chilling experience of music channeled right before you!
V. Vale of RE/Search publications hailed a Jill Tracy/Paul Mercer Seance “Sheer magic! Perfection. Improvised… If you’re lucky enough to be there, you realize you’ve just had a hint of something extra-mortal, uber-human, transcendent – maybe the concentrated ghosts of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater or the Commedia Dell’arte of the past are swirling around the room . . . and you think that THIS is the new avant-garde: live, un-censored, living theater.”
Read more about “Coronation of the Witch Queen” and download the music HERE.
New JILL TRACY BLOG posted
“Conjuring a Vampyr: with Steven Severin”
Jill Tracy discusses Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1932 ethereal classic Vampyr, and performing alongside Siouxsie and the Banshees‘ co-founder Steven Severin, debuting his new original score to the film. Read the BLOG HERE.
Jill Tracy performs with Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Steven Severin
Legendary co-founder of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Steven Severin has invited Jill Tracy to perform a dark piano set to conjure the mood, and introduce his live filmscore to Theodor Dreyer’s classic silent “Vampyr.”
Two screenings Oct 15, 7pm and 9:30pm, Roxie Theater in San Francisco.
Silver Smoke, Star of Night available now—
with custom inscribed holiday cards
“This is the season’s Night Music–– Jill Tracy’s glorious realm that lurks within the shadow of Christmas, and will cast you under its spell.”
We’re excited to unveil several limited edition gift packages when you order the new album Silver Smoke, Star of Night including custom Christmas cards designed by San Francisco artist Trista Musco (who created the album art!)–these cards will be autographed and inscribed by Jill Tracy to whomever your wish! Plus autographed Silver Smoke, Star of Night portraits by photogrrapher Audrey Penven, and bonus CD of Projekt ‘s new dark holiday compilation “Ornamental,” featuring Jill Tracy, Abney Park, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Ego Likeness, Nicki Jaine, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, and others.
Even more great gift packages will be unveiled soon, perfect treasures for all the dear Malcontents on your list. Click HERE to order Silver Smoke, Star of Night and the various holiday gift packages. Visit the entire Jill Tracy SHOPPE here.
And get the digital download of Silver Smoke, Star of Night for only $6.99!
Tales of the ACCIDENTAL ALBUM: It’s here!
Just what is the “accidental album” Jill Tracy has been referring to these past weeks?
Silver Smoke, Star of Night is a collection of music that wished itself into being. Read about the inspiration and the making of this unusual record in the latest BLOG.
JILL TRACY interviewed on Why We Listen
Why We Listen host Marc Kate asked Jill Tracy to choose 3 important songs in her life and discuss them–as well as the transportive effect of music and darkness, her approach to it –and why she feels “the Soul lives in the silence”….
Listen to the full interview and music HERE.
***In addition to the Why We Listen interview, host Marc Kate spent some time talking with Jill Tracy about her music project at Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum. That interview actually became a special addendum to the episode! Listen to Jill Tracy discussing herMütter Museum project HERE.
It’s Always Night at the Bottom of the Sea: New interview with JILL TRACY
“Sensual, elegant and mysterious, Jill Tracy sings from the dark side of the music, creating beautiful and sinister pictures from past times, which she evokes through her voice and the suspense of the piano notes, as if both were taken from an Alfred Hitchcock’s black and white film.” READ the great new interview with Jill Tracy in ABSENTA MUSICAL, both English and Spanish translations here. (above photo by Audrey Penven)
JILL TRACY in NEWS MARTINI: “Jill Tracy: Living proof that the best things often lie in dark places” :
“Jill Tracy. Oh my. Having turned my back to the mainstream years ago, I felt like I had uncovered a hidden treasure when I discovered Jill Tracy. She is probably the most original singer/artist on the planet and remains the cult darling of the Underground. A place she relishes.
I won’t even begin to describe her sound because the truth is, I can’t really put a finger on it. It’s original with a capital O. Granted, her music has a way of getting in the deepest, darkest parts of your brain compelling you to want more and more. You hipsters looking for something different need to RUN not walk to any place you can listen to her.”
JILL TRACY awarded grant to compose music inside the Mütter Museum
Jill Tracy is honored to make history as the first musician to ever be awarded a grant from the Wood Institute, College of Physicians of Philadelphia to compose music inside the famed Mütter Museum, (the nation’s foremost collection of medical oddities) a series of compositions directly inspired by pieces in the collection. (Above photograph of Jill Tracy in the College of Physicians of Philadelphia by Evi Numen.)
“This is a dream come true project for me,” explains Jill Tracy. “It was vital for me to be in the presence of these long-lost souls, as I composed and recorded. I needed to immerse myself in their world. There is so much lurking here. This glorious synergy– the collection of souls together from various time periods and walks of life, most who endured extreme and rare medical conditions. I needed to be with them as I composed and make them a real part of the creation. This is my gift to them.
All of my work will be factual. I’m in the throes of extensive research at the museum, even utilizing excerpts from letters and doctors’ records. My goal is to evoke the spirit, set a mood that transports you inside just by listening.”
Read Jill Tracy’s BLOG “An Excavation of Musical Spirits,” as she discusses her inspirations and plans for composing in the Mütter Museum. Plus a fantastic in-depth interview about the project with Cristina Zuazua in Chain D.L.K. Magazine.
JILL TRACY featured on Mütter Museum’s TV Series “No Bones About It.”
Mütter Museum director Robert Hicks interviews Jill Tracy in the latest episode of “No Bones About It.” This fascinating and fun discussion covers her passion of composing music in odd and mysterious environments, the musical seance, spontaneous combustion, violet ray generators, spirits within objects, and how her artistry and the Mütter Museum are such a perfect match! CLICK HERE to WATCH THE SHOW!
JILL TRACY in concert at the legendary Mütter Museum March 31!
That’s right! A perfect pairing: the mysterious chanteuse and the nation’s foremost collection of medical oddities. Here is the first official promo shot of Jill Tracy in the famed Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, posing with a 1923 violet ray generator! This is to promote her special live appearance at the 2012 Mütter Ball March 31 celebrating “Medicine and Electricity in the Roaring Twenties.” (Photo by Evi Numen.)
A Violet ray is an antique medical device used in electrotherapy. Their basic construction was invented by Nikola Tesla prior to 1900. Their construction usually feature a combination of a disruptive discharge coil with an interrupter to apply a high voltage, high frequency, and low current to the human body for healing, therapeutic purposes–everything from lumbago to depression–rejuvenation, and personal stimulation.
Many bizarre and fascinating electrical contraptions from the 1920s will be on display and demonstrated! You’ll be in store for a shocking experience indeed.
Not only will Jill Tracy be debuting brand new work crafted just for the event, but she will also make a big announcement onstage about her upcoming project at the Mütter Museum!
She will be performing in both rooms, so you will see her no matter what level ticket you purchase. We’re told Jill Tracy is the first contemporary musician to be invited to perform at the Mütter, so come and make history, as well as celebrate it!
CLICK HERE to view the official promo video with Jill Tracy in the Mütter Museum!
From the Mail Bag: JILL TRACY answers your questions!
Be a part of the best group-effort interview ever! Jill Tracy gives her answers and advice to your questions–from love, career, music, inspiration, overcoming tough times, and even her favorite classic Twilight Zone episodes. Read the latest from the mailbag HERE. You can sign up for the exclusive newsletter here too!
Want to know the most Frequently Asked Questions Jill Tracy receives? She’s answered them for you all on one page. Read the FAQ.
JILL TRACY in the RECORDING STUDIO!
Jill Tracy has recorded a new song “The Colour of the Flame,” commissioned by Swedish publishing company Malört, to accompany their 2012 book, an homage to 19th century writer/occultist Stanislaw Przybyszewski’s gorgeously terrifying tales.
Przybyszewski was a major name in nineteenth century avant-garde circles, and was a close friend of both Edvard Munch and August Strindberg. His short stories and novels were beautiful, decadent narratives of transgression, occultism and eroticism. Malört states that “Jill Tracy is the ideal artist to bring the work of Przybyszewski to life.”
Jill Tracy has based “The Colour of the Flame” on Przybyszewski’s The Mass of the Dead. Her song will be released on a limited edition collectible 7″ vinyl to accompany the book, alongside a new work by Blixa Bargeld (Einstürzende Neubauten.)
Other musicians on the Malört roster have included John Zorn, Gavin Friday, The Tiger Lillies, Jarboe, among others.
For mysteries and musings by the minute,
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and the official Facebook page