Land of the Living New Album release from Eleanor Underhill By Peggy Ratusz
F
rom the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, I spoke to multi-faceted, multi-instrumentalist; multi-talented Eleanor Underhill, where she was visiting her family (social distancing guidelines in place) on Emerald Isle in late May. They all quarantined for weeks before heading to the beach for their annual reunion. Born and raised in Williamsburg, VA, she moved to WNC to attend Warren Wilson College. A fearless musical explorer, she thrives on going places she’s never been before. Luckily she shares with us her discoveries and treasures via sound, lyric, rhythm and melody. My first encounter with Eleanor was 8
thesofiamagazine.com | July 2020
maybe 12 years ago, where I experienced first-hand her undeniable warmth, talent and easy going demeanor while co-billing with her at a local female artist showcase. Since then she’s completed countless tours, nationally and internationally, with critically acclaimed Americana band, Underhill Rose; a band she co-created with guitarist, singer songwriting partner, Molly Rose Reed. Eleanor Underhill & Friends is a non-touring project she formed in 2014 with Zack Page on bass and Chris Pyle on drums. While simultaneously and successfully juggling these two endeavors, a solo project has now emerged for this visionary.
‘Navigate the Madness,’ was her first solo release in 2018, garnering praise for its rich tapestry and electronic sounds. Her latest release, ‘Land of the Living’ takes notes from ‘Navigate’ but resumes the journey down a tangent path of more sonic surprises and stylistic souvenirs. From writing, playing multiple instruments, singing, producing, engineering and editing, ‘Land of the Living’ is in every sense of the word, a solo undertaking. “It was all recorded at home except for the drums, which were tracked locally at Echo Mountain Studio. I really wanted to push this one to a higher fidelity, and getting the drums dialed in professionally was a big part of accomplishing that. I recognize that
