Biography

RADIO PROMOTION By Art Menius Radio
art@artmenius.com https://artmeniusradio.com

“Intensely political, lucid and invigorating. Majestic!” - Michal Boncza Morning Star (UK) 5 stars

Perhaps it is no coincidence that musician Phoebe Rees was born in the shadow of Old Oswestry, a 3,000-year-old settlement just five miles from the Welsh border that is one of the best-preserved Iron Age hill forts in Britain.

But even if it’s not actually true that “the hills are alive with the sound of music,” Phoebe Rees’ life certainly is. It’s not every folk musician whose mum worked in a music store, bringing home clarinet, recorder, ocarina, concertina, and accordion, who grew up listening to recordings of Schubert, Bob Dylan, and traditional Bolivian dance music.

It’s also not every young artist who worked in a community arts project in Sao Paulo and as a volunteer choir leader for a children’s choir project in Mumbai. And it’s not every performer who draws inspiration from Celtic, English, and American folk traditions; early years living and playing music in the Scottish Highlands; studying classical viola in Edinburgh and London; and a passionate commitment to social justice.

So it should come as no surprise that long-time organizer and musician Si Kahn asked Phoebe Rees to release her first full-length album, in celebration of his 80th birthday this April, and to carry his music forward long after he’s gone. She’s exactly the kind of person Si most likes to partner with: Deeply decent, with a strong sense of responsibility, and a lovely soft sense of humour, a pleasure to work with in every way.

Si has chosen well. Phoebe’s performing style is energetic, engaging, quietly charismatic. Unlike so many singers who use only one instrument on stage, Phoebe creates excitement and diversity by accompanying herself brilliantly on violin/fiddle, piano, and viola, by singing a capella, and by creating original arrangements of traditional songs and ballads.

"Phoebe Rees’ first full-length album Bring In the Light is, truly, music therapy for a fractured, hungry world. It tells us to remember, to listen, to let go, to open up, to come together, to believe." - John McCutcheon

"Gifted roots musician Rees has marked Si Kahn’s 80th birthday by recording a complete album of the renowned singer and activist’s songs, with predictably stunning results." - Music Notes with Kevin Bryan