People in a waiting room take therapeutic turns with a sledgehammer in the new video for Palehound’s “Cushioned Caging,” one of the most entertaining, crisply directed local clips you’ll find. And it was done in collaboration with high school students from the Real to Reel Filmschool of Boston nonprofit Raw Art Works.
“It captures the environment of being caged, because waiting rooms are pretty bleak,” Palehound singer/guitarist/songwriter Ellen Kempner says. “They did an amazing job. I was shocked. Well, not shocked. I could trust them, but damn!”
Kempner was still a teenager when she wrote “Cushioned Caging” and other songs on 2015’s Dry Food, which brought her national indie-rock acclaim and the chance to tour both the U.S. and Europe. In high school, Kempner says, “I was kind of a weirdo… I had some great friends, but I spent a lot of time alone, smoking weed by myself and writing songs.”
She began writing at age 10 but didn’t think her songs were cool until years later, says Kempner, who also honed nimble guitar chops versed in jazz and classical as well as rock. At 13, when she attended a camp in her native Connecticut, Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis was her counselor. “I was actually covering Pearl Jam, and she was helping me learn the song,” Kempner says.
Dry Food reflects her interdisciplinary sensitivity, from chugging rocker “Molly” to jazz-shaded acoustic work, dovetailed by self-aware lyrics that softly reframe the pains of love. And Kempner played every instrument except drums (handled by Jesse Weiss, now part of her live trio completed by bassist David Khostinat). “It would be daunting for me to relinquish that power,” she says. “I’m just so neurotic, and I need things to sound exactly like I envision them.”
Which makes Kempner a tad uncertain about the follow-up she plans to record this fall. Despite some writer’s block, she says the bulk of the writing is done. “I definitely feel good,” Kempner says, “but I’m also nervous, obviously because of how well the last record was received. I don’t want to let anyone down.”
Striking a Chord
Catch 10 Local Bands Making Waves.
By Paul Robicheau | Photo Credit: Chad Kamenshine | Aug. 1, 2016
Palehound
People in a waiting room take therapeutic turns with a sledgehammer in the new video for Palehound’s “Cushioned Caging,” one of the most entertaining, crisply directed local clips you’ll find. And it was done in collaboration with high school students from the Real to Reel Filmschool of Boston nonprofit Raw Art Works.
“It captures the environment of being caged, because waiting rooms are pretty bleak,” Palehound singer/guitarist/songwriter Ellen Kempner says. “They did an amazing job. I was shocked. Well, not shocked. I could trust them, but damn!”
Kempner was still a teenager when she wrote “Cushioned Caging” and other songs on 2015’s Dry Food, which brought her national indie-rock acclaim and the chance to tour both the U.S. and Europe. In high school, Kempner says, “I was kind of a weirdo… I had some great friends, but I spent a lot of time alone, smoking weed by myself and writing songs.”
She began writing at age 10 but didn’t think her songs were cool until years later, says Kempner, who also honed nimble guitar chops versed in jazz and classical as well as rock. At 13, when she attended a camp in her native Connecticut, Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis was her counselor. “I was actually covering Pearl Jam, and she was helping me learn the song,” Kempner says.
Dry Food reflects her interdisciplinary sensitivity, from chugging rocker “Molly” to jazz-shaded acoustic work, dovetailed by self-aware lyrics that softly reframe the pains of love. And Kempner played every instrument except drums (handled by Jesse Weiss, now part of her live trio completed by bassist David Khostinat). “It would be daunting for me to relinquish that power,” she says. “I’m just so neurotic, and I need things to sound exactly like I envision them.”
Which makes Kempner a tad uncertain about the follow-up she plans to record this fall. Despite some writer’s block, she says the bulk of the writing is done. “I definitely feel good,” Kempner says, “but I’m also nervous, obviously because of how well the last record was received. I don’t want to let anyone down.”
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