Darcie Miner

www.darcieminer.net www.myspace.com/darcieminer www.facebook.com/darcieminer Darcie Miner probably started singing as soon as she could talk. Thanks to her dad, she gained a very early knowledge and appreciation of the history of rock and roll while being exposed to a diverse range of musical styles – classic rock, R&B and even metal. Darcie started playing guitar at age 11 and made her first rather inauspicious debut performance at 13. In her own words, "I was so bad then." It didn't t...

www.darcieminer.net www.myspace.com/darcieminer www.facebook.com/darcieminer Darcie Miner probably started singing as soon as she could talk. Thanks to her dad, she gained a very early knowledge and appreciation of the history of rock and roll while being exposed to a diverse range of musical styles – classic rock, R&B and even metal. Darcie started playing guitar at age 11 and made her first rather inauspicious debut performance at 13. In her own words, "I was so bad then." It didn't take long to develop an emerging talent, however. Under the direction of The Badlees' Brett Alexander, Darcie made her recording debut. Although it may not exactly have been the record SHE wanted to make, it still made a very strong impression. Conventional wisdom followed that “in order to get a record deal you need a band.” At age 16, she had formed her band and a deal with Beyond Music/Universal Distribution soon followed. Darcie began to live the life of the touring musician, traveling up and down the East Coast in a mini-bus before she even had her own drivers license. The band opened for Beyond Music label mates The Go-Go’s and Heart, performing in venues packed to the thousands. They immediately began working on a record. Like many other artists, Darcie soon discovered that the elusive record deal is a somewhat mixed blessing. Halfway through the recording process, something just didn’t seem right. Label money stopped coming in and eventually everything was put on hold. Darcie left Beyond Music, and the label folded soon after. Left with only 6 songs fully recorded, she decided to continue moving forward independently. "The truth is, every label I showcased for after that passed. 'We don’t hear any hits' was the word." Not surprisingly, this was hardly a permanent setback. With a wide network of loyal support, including a push from Philadelphia radio station WXPN, Darcie released the 6 songs as a self-titled EP in the summer of 2002 and toured as support for Edwin McCain. She made various TV appearances, played shows at colleges and renowned venues like the 9:30 Club, CBGBs and House of Blues, while sharing the stage with Patty Griffin, Richard Thompson, Graham Parker, Drive By-Truckers, Wyclef, Beth Hart, Citizen Cope, Rodney Crowell and more. WXPN named her an Artist to Watch. Along with her band, she performed on the competition show “Next Big Star” on the PAX Network. She also performed solo on CBS’ Star Search in 2003 – just her and her guitar singing The Box Tops' "The Letter. " She was also the first unsigned act to perform live on MTV – a show called “Advance Warning” – where she performed a song co-written with famed producer Matthew Wilder (Kelly Clarkson, No Doubt, Christina Aguliera). In 2004 she began recording The Fragile EP with producer Steve Ward, which was released in 2005. Just a few months after the release, she was hit with a tragic personal setback. "I just disappeared for a while, basically. My family has always been a major inspiration for songwriting, but sadly in a very depressing way. After that happened I didn’t write a song for a year. Actually it took a whole year to write 'Trainwreck In Pennsylvania' because it made me so sad." Through a fortuitous chain of events, Darcie teamed up with mulit-instrumentalist and producer Jimmy Patton and the two formed a powerful musical bond. In mid-summer 2007, they began recording in Patton's home studio. "It's really the best way to make a record... with someone you’re friends with, who likes the same music you do. I have never had so much fun making music." With the release of Loneliness Anonymous, Darcie has finally found her true voice and she's done so with a vengeance. Loneliness Anonymous has the rootsy, guitar-driven edge and bittersweet lyrical pathos of artists like Kathleen Edwards and Tift Merritt. But unlike many standard indie singer/songwiter records, Loneliness Anonymous is also balanced with the hooks and pop sensibilities of Sheryl Crow and even contains some nods back to classic 70's pop bands like Big Star. Darcie has officially shed her status as a girl with a guitar whose young age belies a mature talent. She's simply a huge talent. Period.