Ariah &

I always tell people it’s fun to go to shows where your haven’t heard of anyone on the bill, because you get to enjoy the thrill of discovering someone new. I had that thrill again the other night when I went to Arlene’s Grocery in NYC, although it wasn’t exactly the original plan.

Originally I came to see a band that I knew, but they were a late scratch due to illness. I’m glad I still went, because one of my discoveries that night turned out to be Ariah &, a soulful singer-songwriter from the city (FYI, her name really does end with an ampersand. This will be explained later).



A talented artist you can’t help but love, here are three reasons you should see Ariah & live.

1. She has a killer voice

In addition to Ariah’s original work, she performed two covers on this night, and I think they provide a great insight into who she is an artist. Those covers were of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good,” and a smoothed out, jazzy version of The White Stripes’ “Fell in Love with a Girl.”

The range of Ariah’s musical taste is equaled in the range of her voice, as she can go smokey and soulful, or light and airy. Either way, you can’t lose, because she’s adept at both.

2. You never know who you’re going to see

The name Ariah & stems from Ariah’s love of working with a plethora of different musicians. In her bio she notes that when she has a band assembled on stage with her, they’ll come up with something unique for after the “&” depending on the vibe of the evening, i.e. Ariah & The Time Orgy (yes, that was an actual name).

On this particular night she was joined by an upright bass player, a violinist, and a drummer, to go with her vocals and guitar. If I were to see her again in a few weeks, the lineup could be slightly altered, or completely different, but based on the caliber of the members of her band on this night, it’s safe to assume that whoever comes after the “&” is going to be a top notch player.

3. Her personality is amazing

Ariah has a naturally effusive personality, and with every mic break – whether she's discussing the backstory of a song, or the interesting origin of her band name – she becomes more and more endearing.

The transition from “artist” to “friend” happens before she’s even halfway through her set, which is why the transition from being a listener, to being a fan, happens equally as fast. - Adam's World

Seeing its official release come today on May 31st, 2021, Ariah & has put forward yet another spectacular single titled “Get Me Back”. Enlighten yourself and read along for our featured review, in addition to a background on the artist as well.



Currently representing the New York music scene, Ariah & is a singer and songwriter who’s been in the game for a little over 10 years now. After feeling the lull of quarantine like so many, thankfully the artist snapped out of it and began to create again. Her latest “Get Me Back” is the result of this reunion. Let us potentially be the first to publicly say it, but this song is an absolute beauty.



The obvious aim of this article is for you to take your time and give it a listen, so we’ll just kick things off here with a plea to please do so. There was something so emotionally vulnerable and open about this track that it’s had us replaying it over and over since the moment it became available to stream. It’s definitely a vocal-forward single, but also the type of song that takes a close ear to really decipher the complex themes in the lyricism being presented. Without a doubt it’s multifaceted and really shows off the best in Ariah.



Given the circumstances of life, expenses, and attempting to get studio time, the way that this was recorded has a raw and honest feeling to it. The accomplishment of visualizing something and bringing it to life is one thing, but to then actually put out positivity into a world that needs it so badly is a beyond impressive feat of his own. We know how tough it has been for artists out there, which is why this has swiftly become one of the more relatable tracks we’ve heard in quite some time.



To no surprise in the slightest, but the rest of Ariah &’s discography is nothing to push aside either, there’s so many gems to uncover as a whole here, but our recommendation is to start with this track and work backwards. Without spoiling anything or giving too much away, you can audibly hear the positive changes and evolution within the artist’s sound that have made her the performer she is today. A new hope for us would be to witness this live, hopefully sometime in the near future.



There isn’t too much else to say here, other than give this track your listen! Additionally, you can also follow along with everything Ariah by clicking the links below. Enjoy!

Listen to “Get Me Back”

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Artist Website - We Write About Music

Music is often said to be an art of the passionate. A musician must keep on making music dedicatedly. It’s important to hold your calling with honesty and work on it.



Ariah Noetzel, a Brooklyn-based musician/Vocalist as well as a songwriter who is back with her new song ‘Get Me Back’ which was released on May 31st this year. She was a semifinalist in the New York Coffee Music Project 2018 and was also press-covered for her song ‘Gold Bottle’, which is available on her website.



Objectives

Ariah’s sole objective of making music is to reach out to listeners who are struggling and empathize via music. She says, “I just love writing songs and singing. I want to share them with the world. When I write something which I’m proud of I get tears of joy and I want to spread that very feeling out in the world.”



Musical Journey

Ariah started writing songs when she was in high school. She says, “I was an awkward kid with low self-esteem who found her voice via singing.” Her dad drove her into the city every Monday to play at open mics in the east village to help her get over her stage fright and there she fell in love with performing and started booking some gigs. She continued to play at local venues in NYC throughout her time at NYU and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to record and release an EP in 2016.



Struggles & Inspirations

She had her ups and downs, highs and lows, with a 9 to 5 job at the desk, she continues to produce her music. She says, “Since releasing my EP, it seems my luck had run out as I continued to write songs and play shows with very limited money and resources to record my songs. At some point, I had grown defeated, especially during the COVID-19 wave where I was unable to play any show at all, but I was wrong. It’s a feeling – not a goal. When I started playing again it felt like reuniting with my true self. It felt amazing and I won’t give up on it again anytime soon.”



Ariah admits putting herself out there wasn’t very easy. She loved layers and collaboration in her music so she always wanted to be a member of a band. “I tried to form several bands but faced difficulties in organizing and maintaining members”, she adds. Her desire to put out her songs eventually led to solo work. She loves the chills of playing, it makes her spirit soar. She loves it when her listeners and audience connect and feel through her music.” She takes her music and aesthetic very seriously, which is the floral vintage visual theme. This theme defines her soul’s message – to keep it light-hearted, fun, silly but personable. She loves encouraging people with her awkwardness on-and-off stage, so often she jokes around with her audience and somehow that pulls off happiness for her too. - Level Up Magazine

Ariah&, is the name of a New York-based artist, who through her music delves into a cataclysm of incongruous sounds. Shaking and shuffling, recent track “Gold Bottle” is characterized by the sweet howl of Ariah&’s vocals all while set to a kindling guitar backing. Progressing through the highs and lows of Ariah&’s vocals, the song is in constant flux; brimming with burnished brass and finishing with a flamenco flourish.
“Gold Bottle” follows other tracks from her self-titled EP and features the mandolin-like clang of strumming track “No Gauge”: - At Cost Magazine

Where to begin… it’s difficult to pick only one favorite song from Ariah&‘s excellent self-titled debut EP. The collection of songs immediately drew me in, like snorkeling in Caribbean crystal turquoise waters, following a swarm of colorful fish, going deep, and deeper and realizing that you can only go that far with a snorkel. But it doesn’t matter because you can still see all the wonders underneath and the sun shining above, breaking through the surface painting beautiful patterns and letting everything glitter and shine…

Ariah&’s songwriting is bright, optimistic and alluring to a point where it’s hard to believe that songs can be that beautiful, with vocals so versatile and tender and yet at the same time so powerful that they leave you breathless. After having listened to Ariah&’s EP on repeat several times, I was more than curious what she would sound like live.

Luckily, there was an occasion and of course, Ariah& did not disappoint! Having been invited to play a last-minute set at The Delancey two weeks ago, still overcoming a nasty cold and a streak of not having played live, Ariah& sounded as lovely and wonderful as it can be. She played all by herself which gets extra kudos in my book.

Ariah& has a few shows coming up, playing together with a full band, and I highly suggest to come out to see Ariah& live before it’s no longer possible to see her up close and personal. Because… it will happen. Until then, enjoy photos from her set at The Delancey, listen to her EP in its entirety on SoundCloud here or get it on iTunes and listen to my maybe two favorite songs, the opener “No Gauge”, and the closing “Screaming Seasons” faintly reminiscent of The Church, yes. - Glamglare

Ever hear a voice that had you stop dead in your tracks? A voice that made you forget everything that was happening around you, as you were left hypnotized by the words being sung in the distance? Ariah & has one of those voices.

Like Tori Amos, Feist, Tiny Ruins, Sharon Van Etten, pick a name and the New York City-based, singer-songwriter’s potential is sky high. Her self-titled, debut EP, which she released last month, is like a dream, and the one song that typifies her brilliance is “Everlasting”. The song starts off peacefully, swaying calmly like a kite in the ocean breeze. It then intensifies, moving from a dream-folk number into a gritty alt-rocker a la Alanis Morissette. The lyrics are also superb, as Ariah & explores humanity’s mortality and its relationship to nature. As you listen, you might agree that “Everlasting” is a beautiful piece of poetry. - The Revue

“No Gauge” – Ariah&. Ariah’s low alto voice contrasts nicely against a chipper mandolin and blaring trumpet. She can belt like Amanda Palmer, too. - Independent Clauses