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MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND



Last Updated: 12/18/2009

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Status: Single
City: DETROIT
State: Michigan
Country: US
Signup Date: 12/19/2005

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Thursday, September 10, 2009 
It might appear that things are quiet in the world of My Brightest Diamond.
Nay! There is lots of noise being made.  Shara is singing several songs in
The Long Count, has a solo show at The Pygmalion Music Festival and is
performing select shows with The Decemberists (see below for details).



The Long Count
In an inspired collision of creative worlds, three inexhaustibly original artists—brothers Bryce Dessner and Aaron Dessner of indie rock band The National and omnivorous visual art phenomenon Matthew Ritchie—combine talents to create a song-filled myth about the beginning of time. A feast of images, instrumentals, and songs thick with primordial mystery, The Long Count pairs Ritchie's protean forms with a twelve-piece orchestra and the Dessners' gothic mix of electric and orchestral sounds. Shara sings the roles of the Heart of the Sea, the Seven Macaw & the Mother of Light with performances on September 11th at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Champaign, Illinois & then later at BAM in Brooklyn, NY on Oct 28, 30 & 31. Other guest vocalists include Kim and Kelley Deal (The Breeders), and Matt Berninger (The National) to round out the line-up in this visionary collaboration between music and art.





















Shara will sing some of her old MBD jams, accompanied by her pile of instruments,
at 8:45pm on September 17th at the Krannert Center in Champaign, Illinois
as part of the Pygmalion Music Festival.
^^^
^^^





























Shara will be performing in her role of The Queen with The Decemberists this fall. 
This is it!  The final lap!  The final spell and blast of furious "repaaaaids!!" that will
be heard throughout the Americas! As Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) and Shara say,
this has been a delightful experience of magic, friendship & bliss. In our hearts we will
be D's fo-evuh.  Please check www.mybrightestdiamond.com for dates
5:00 PM 
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009 

Inspired by the honey bees housed on Detroit’s urban farms, Shara
wrote a song, “The Honey Bee”, which is available for free download
(though you do have to register) on www.biggestlabelever.com .... ..


Why all the hubbabaloo?  Well, on April 25th, the non-profit Invisible Children
will be staging a global event in an effort to rescue the 3,000 child
soldiers in Uganda.  Lots of folks are donating music for the cause, so
check it all out.  The more energy we give, even with our thoughts,
imagining those dear kids not having to carry around guns, I think the
better.  So everybody while you are listening to the song, think lots
and lots of big, free thoughts for those kids!


8:08 PM 
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009 


Dark Was The Night will be released on February 17th, 2009. Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National produced the album, and John Carlin, the founder of the Red Hot Organization was the executive producer. A total of 32 exclusive tracks have been recorded for the compilation. It will be available as a double cd/triple vinyl/download and will benefit the Red Hot Organization - an international charity
dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. Red Hot was founded on the premise that even without a cure, AIDS remains a preventable disease – and music is a great vehicle to raise money and awareness for it. This is the 20th year of Red Hot, and this is the 20th release!

OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS THE DARK WAS THE NIGHT MYSPACE PAGE WILL BE STREAMING ONE NEW SONG A DAY, RIGHT HERE! CHECK BACK DAILY TO HEAR A NEW TUNE.



1. Knotty Pine by David Byrne & Dirty Projectors [January 15, 2009]
2. Cello Song [January 16]
3. Train Song by Feist & Ben Gibbard [January 17]
4. Brackett, WI by Bon Iver [January 18]
5. Deep Blue Sea by Grizzly Bear [January 19]
6. So Far Around the Bend by The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly) [January 20]
7. Tightrope by Yeasayer [January 21]
8. Feeling Good by My Brightest Diamond [January 22]
9. Dark Was the Night by Kronos Quartet [January 23]
10. I Was Young When I Left Home by Antony + Bryce Dessner [January 24]
11. Big Red Machine by Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner [January 25]
12. Sleepless by The Decemberists [January 26]
13. Stolen Houses (Die) by Iron and Wine [January 27]
14. Service Bell by Grizzly Bear + Feist [January 28]
15. You Are the Blood by Sufjan Stevens [January 29]
16. Well-Alright by Spoon [January 30]
17. Lenin by Arcade Fire [January 31]
18. Mimizan by Beirut [February 1]
19. El Caporal by My Morning Jacket [February 2]
20. Inspiration Information by Sharon Jones [February 3]
21. With A Girl Like You by Dave Sitek [February 4]
22. Blood Pt. 2 by Buck 65 Remix (Featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti) [February 5]
23. Hey, Snow White by The New Pornographers [February 6]
24. Gentle Hour by Yo La Tengo [February 7]
25. Another Saturday by Stuart Murdoch [February 8]
26. Happiness by Riceboy Sleeps [February 9]
27. Amazing Grace by Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues [February 10]
28. The Giant of Illinois by Andrew Bird [February 11]
29. Lua by Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch [February 12]
30. When the Road Runs Out by Blonde Redhead + Devastations [February 13]
31. Love vs. Porn by Kevin Drew [February 14]








3:49 PM 
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009 


 In a reconstruction of A Thousand Shark's Teeth, we bring you four remixers Alfred Brown, DM Stith, Son Lux and Roberto Carlos Lange (Epstein, Savath and Savalas, ROM). Asthmatic Kitty has commissioned them to each create a separate EP of remixed material. The first was by Alfred Brown. 

Drawing inspiration from My Brightest Diamond's many references to the heavens, Alfred Brown developed a narrative to guide the composition process of his remixes.  The stunning result is a cinematic and textural avant-classical deconstruction of A Thousand Shark's Teeth. Instead of a straight ahead approach to remixing a single song, Alfred combined parts from different songs, juxtaposing new elements to give the preexisting material new meaning.  The guiding narrative is about an astronaut stranded outside of his ship while working in Low Earth Orbit.  As he descends toward earth he is completely cut off from
all communication with Earth and finds himself totally alone.  During this time of complete isolation he thinks about his loved ones back on Earth, about his life, about God, and about dying.  The remixes narrate, through words and music, these contemplations being sent out across the universe; and the echoes that come back.

I.

1. Overture
2. A Thousand Stars Against a Dark Sky
3. In Vacuum
4. black!Black!BLACK!

II.

5. Of Fear and Wonder (I Found a Universe)
6. I'm Never Letting Go (Stars at Elbow and Foot)
7. The Lonliest Man In History (Looking Down from the Top of the World)
8. You Are Now Untouchable (Esto Perpetue)

The second of these EPs is by Son Lux. With this graceful Dr. Frankenstein approach to the My Brightest Diamond material, Son Lux has created four very distinct remixes, ranging from the old-school electro mashed with New Orleans
horn funk treatment of "Apples," elegiac ambient strings overtop minimalist post-rock drumming on "The Diamond," break driven cutup rocker of the anthem "Inside A Boy," to the lowrider chamber piano chopped "To Pluto's Moon." The adventurous stylistic range of each remix is a reflection of the EP as a whole; it is at once many things with Shara Worden's original vocals as the cords holding them all in perfect tension.

1. Apples
2. The Diamond
3. Inside A Boy
4. To Pluto's Moon

These 4 EPs will be released as a hard copy collection later this spring.  In the meantime you may purchase the songs on Itunes or read more at www.mybrightestdiamond.com 



3:31 PM 
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Tuesday, August 19, 2008 

..


Cover art by David Stith
Release date: iTunes exclusive- September 23, 2008

While Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond retains a French vocabulary more comparable to that of an African Grey Parrot than to Victor Hugo, she does love to sing French songs from the 1930s. Borrowed melodies from Worden's favorite French sparrow, the inimitable Edith Piaf, "Adieu mon Coeur," and "Hymne A L'Amour" have become standard concert repertoire for My Brightest Diamond in recent years.

After having fled Germany to escape the Nazi's in 1933, composer Kurt Weill penned the music for "Youkali:Tango Habenera". Years later, Roger Fernay added lyrics describing a vagabond trip to an island of bliss called Youkali, whereupon landing a fairy would act as one's personal tour guide. Youkali is a land of happiness and fulfilled desire, a place where all the stars shine brighter. But the dreamy mists dissipate in the second verse, as life progresses tediously while poor human souls seek to escape to the mysterious utopia in vain.

With the help of co-producer / ear candy man Zac Rae, a longstanding Diamond collaborator, these recordings take new flight with his host of reversed pianos, paint can snares, and warbling theramins.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1. From the Top of the World
2. Youkali: Tango Habanera
3. Hymne Á L'Amour
4. Adieu Mon Coeur

This digital-only release will be not so digital when My Brightest Diamond takes to the air in September from Brooklyn and only hours later lands in Europe. She'll be no doubt playing these songs, as well as selections from Sharks Teeth, when she passes through the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, and France. Set to play in string trio formation, the Diamond has magic magic magic in store, as well as a delightful double bill with friend, local Brooklyn conspirator and french speaker Clare & The Reasons! More European dates are being added daily- oh and yes, we'll announce the US tour soon too!

For show details please hop to the tour dates!
9:55 PM 
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Monday, May 12, 2008 
Our second album, A Thousand Shark's Teeth, is just a little over a month away from release. To whet your appetite, we are releasing the first single and activating preorders for Shark's Teeth, which you can make from SCDistribution here. Preorders will receive access to download an exclusive bonus EP, Shark Demos, to hold you over until release.

This downloadable bonus EP, Shark Demos, is a fully realized collection of alternate versions of the album tracks plus one album outtake.  Orchestrated and complex, yet spacious and  direct, these versions are a rewarding listen for the opportunity to hear how the songs have mutated into their final form. It also provides a sneak peek into what is bound to become one of the standout releases of 2008.

Tracklist of Shark's Bonus EP
1. Apples (alternate version)
2. Bass Player (alternate version)
3. To Pluto's Moon (alternate version)
4. If I Were Queen (alternate version)
5. The Diamond (alternate version)
6. Music Box (outtake)

The first single from the album, "Inside a Boy," is a digital release and also includes the beatbox-driven fantasy tapestry rock "I Had A Pearl." Also included is a cover/remix version of album track Black and Costaud by friend Tim Fite (Anti-) and a remix of Inside A Boy by Son Lux (Anticon).

You can buy Inside a Boy from iTunes here for $1.99, or at your favorite digital music store.
Download SonLux remix at pitchforky.


3:59 AM 
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008 
Charming, playful, daring, foreboding, graceful, eclectic, exciting and visceral: these are all the first words that come to mind after a full listen through A Thousand Shark's Teeth. It is a record that evokes and challenges, full of the sorts of melodies and arrangements that stay with you long after the album's stopped playing. Combining songs that were written both before and after the release of Bring Me the Workhorse, and produced and arranged by Shara herself, A Thousand Shark's Teeth reflects different times, feelings, musical genres and facets of one's personality, all perfectly sewn together by the powerful thread that is Shara's dynamic voice.



Originally meant to be a more classical, string quartet affair, A Thousand Shark's Teeth slowly evolved and refined itself over a period of six years. The record, which was mixed by Husky Höskulds (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), was recorded in Berlin, Los Angeles and New York City, and features twenty different players all contributing little bits of musical magic. Influenced by artists such as Tricky, French composer Maurice Ravel and Tom Waits, in addition to the star exploration themes of Anslem Kiefer's paintings, the imaginary landscapes of photographer Robert ParkeHarrison, films by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Alice in Wonderland, A Thousand Shark's Teeth is a musical snowglobe that sparkles each time you touch it. The songs, whose themes broach intimacy, kisses by moonlight, laundry, lost friendship and more, marry vast instrumentation – marimbas, harps, clarinets, French horns, rabid guitars, vibraphones to name a few – to create an unequaled amalgamation of style and color. In simple terms: it's beautiful, and there's nothing else quite like it.



Opener and first single "Inside A Boy" is classic Diamond – slippery guitars meet with gorgeous strings and Shara's powerhouse voice, which folds nicely into "Ice and the Storm," a driving foot-stomp of a tune full of swirling vocals, metallic crackles and a stuttering beat. "Black and Costaud" borrows lyrics from a Ravel opera and sees Diamond full of dramatic flourish, while "From the Top of the World" vibrates with soulful swagger, showing off Shara's tremendous guitar playing. "Apples" is Diamond at her most coy, her vocal line delivered with quite a flirtatious smile, "Like a Sieve" twists a Tricky sample upside down, and "Goodbye Forever" swells with a string-heavy chorus as Shara sings of things lost in a fire, literally and figuratively, exploring both beauty and danger in a shark's kiss.



The tracklisting:



1. Inside A Boy
2. Ice and the Storm
3. If I Were Queen
4. Apples
5. From the Top of the World
6. Black and Costaud
7. To Pluto's Moon
8. Bass Player
9. Goodbye Forever
10. Like a Sieve
11. The Diamond






7:29 PM 
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Wednesday, March 07, 2007 
"Tear It Down", My Brightest Diamond's new remix record has been released! Remixers on "Tear It Down" include the likes of Alias, Lusine, Gold Chains, Stakka, Murcof and many more. Many of the remixers have snazzed up or stripped down the original song forms, while some have rearranged the melodies and the parts to create something entirely new, focusing on one element of the song and elaborating on that theme, rather than being bound to the storytelling of the original track. The remixes found on "Tear It Down" range from all over the globe (Belgium, France, Mexico, England, you name it!) and encompass many genres – from glitchy ambient textures to get-your-booty-on-the-dance-floor club mixes (Shara will surely meet you there for that one).


For more information, go to www.mybrightestdiamond.comor to purchase, go to www.asthmaticitty.com

2:48 PM 
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Friday, January 05, 2007 

WNYC: April 9, 2008. LISTEN
From the Top of the World | Apples
Shara Worden: vocals, guitar, kalimba
Rob Moose: violin
Olivier Manchon: violin
Hiroko Taguchi: viola
Maria Jeffers: cello

..

Playin' around: October 24, 2007. LISTEN
Rock n Roll Will Never Die
Shara learns to use idrum and a casio keyboard.

Daytrotter: August 25, 2007. LISTEN
Shara reads from a collection of thoughts and stories by photographer Diane Arbus.

Huey Lewis Compilation: July 25, 2007. LISTEN
Naturally
Album to be released sometime in '08.
Performed with
Sebastian Krueger: Bass Clarinet.
Marla Hansen: Viola bumble bees.
Nathan Lithgow: Bass

Stereogum: July 12, 2007. LISTEN
Lucky
Performed with
Alfred Brown: Texture.
Sebastian Krueger: Bass Clarinet.
Marla Hansen: Viola.
Nathan Lithgow: Bass.
Ryan Lott: Mastering.

Liberated Matter: April 10, 2007. LISTEN
Hi, Remember Me?
MBD is featured on Cross-Pollination: The Mixtape Vol. 1

WOXY: April 5, 2007. LISTEN
Golden Star | Freak Out
Solo performance. Includes interview.

Daytrotter: February 10, 2007. LISTEN
Magic Rabbit | Something of an End | Freak Out | Gone Away
Performance with
Joel Shearer: guitar.
Zac Rae: guitar, keys.
Blair Sinta: drums.
Joseph Karnes: bass.
Hella Fabulous: freak outs.

KCRW: March 14, 2007. LISTEN
Feelin' Good | Something of an End | Dragonfly. Youkali | The Good and The Bad Guy
Solo performance. Includes interview by Chris Douridas.

Minneapolis: November 30, 2006. LISTEN
Something of an End | Gone Away | Feelin' Good
Solo performance. Includes interview with Shara.

WFMU: September 18, 2006. LISTEN
Golden Star | The Good and the Bad Guy | We Were Sparkling | Robin's Jar
Includes interview with Shara and Marla.
Performance with
Rob Moose: violin
Marla Hansen: viola
Nathan Lithgow: bass
Sebastian Kruger: guitar

KVRX: September 16, 2006. LISTEN
Disappear | Golden Star | Dragonfly
Performance with
Rob Moose: violin
Olivier Manchon: violin
Marla Hansen: viola
Maria Jeffers: cello

Jedi Mind Tricks Collaboration: September 5, 2006. LISTEN
Razorblade Salvation

NPR: July 11, 2006. LISTEN
Golden Star | We Were Sparkling
Includes interview by John Schaefer with Shara.
Performance with
Yuko Naito: violin
Marla Hansen: viola
Maria Jeffers: cello
Sebastian Krueger: guitar

Indie-Eye: Summer 2006. LISTEN
Dragonfly | Golden Star | The Good and The Bad Guy | If I Could Say One Thing
Solo performance. Includes interview with Shara.

French Radio: June 14, 2006. LISTEN
Something of an End | Golden Star | Je n'en connais pas la fin/L'hymne a l'amour | Feelin' Good | Dragonfly | Robin's Jar
Solo Performance.

Asthmatic Kitty, February 7th, 2006. LISTEN
Riding Horses
MBD is featured on Mews Too: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation.

Before there was My Brightest Diamond, there was Awry.

Purchase ONLINE

For more info on Awry go HERE or visit myspace.

8:04 PM 
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Monday, September 04, 2006 
Yellow Bird Project asked Shara to draw a tee shirt design for the charity of her choice. Hooray for the flock of birds! Hooray for Road Recovery! Road Recovery is comprised of entertainment industry professionals whose lives have been touched by addiction and other adversities and now wish to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Shara has known members of the executive board of Road Recovery for many years and believes in their work, so she felt great about supporting them! You can support them too by purchasing a tee shirt here.

12:00 PM 
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