by Thomas Payne
Michelle Blades
By Thomas Paine
Things have really taken off for Michelle Blades since Phoenix New Times gave her music-feature love in June 2009. Come to think of it, the way things are going, the ukulele-heavy, folk-centric solo artist is going to need a full-page spread on a regular basis.
Last month, she released the only-online-for-now album Oh, Nostalgia!, which showcases the singer-songwriter adding her adorable élan to fuller arrangements and instrumentation that aren’t humanly possible as a one-person band. (River Jones Music, the same label that’s released records for Courtney Marie Andrews, sculpted and perfected the album in the comfy confines of its downtown Phoenix home recording studio. Oh, Nostalgia! will see indie-store distribution beginning in April.) Shortly thereafter, Blades confirmed tour dates in California, Oregon, Washington, and (whoa!) France and Luxembourg. Not too shabby for a 19-year old gal that’s only been playing shows in the Phoenix area for a year.
At 8 p.m. Friday, February 26, Blades – the niece of Latin music heavyweight Rubén Blades – will perform a CD-release show that will certainly rival those sold-out affairs that Courtney Marie Andrews experienced at the old Modified Arts. Blades’ onstage ensemble will feature violinist Tobie Milford, another deep cat that is looking to drop a new disc in the coming months.
At press time, New Mexico-based The Pioneers of Primetime TV and local Stephen Steinbrink were scheduled to share the bill. For more information on Blades, visit www.myspace.com/michelleblades. The label she is currently signed to, River Jones Music, can be found by moseying on over to www.riverjonesmusic.org.