Audrey Howard
Emeryville, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
We stopped into one of El Rio‘s marathon afternoon/evening patio music marathons long enough to capture a snapshot of The Shelley Doty X-tet, and Steel Hotcakes fronted by local singer songwriter Audrey Howard.
Doty, who plays in the local group Sistas in the Pit, treated the pre-Hallows revelers to some stinging telecaster blues, with Howard, in her Rosie the Riveter finery, guesting for one lead guitar summit.
Audrey Howard, featured on acoustic and harmonies in the trio P’s n Q’s, warmed up her power trio Steel Hotcakes with some Zeppelin covers before unpacking a variety of original material ranging from psychedelic jams to cowpunk-tempo country.
- The BayBridged
“Audrey Howard & The Misters have created an artistic statement with their album Sister Sara. Lyrically sound and instrumentally brilliant, this album has something to offer everyone. Ranging from post-punk alternative to soft rockabilly, this collective has succeeded in creating a sound that is unique, sexy and intelligent. Sister Sara opens with the title track, a funky guitar driven melody with attitude. The influence of Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders is evident in Audrey’s vocals and the catchy rhythm of this track will get the feet tapping from the opening drumbeat. “Sister Sara” is a classically written piece of music with exceptional engineering and lyrics that set forth the imagery depicted on the album cover – women of rock dressed as nuns, running through a field having the time of their lives. This is music with a message and musicians who are completely serious, but who also know how to enjoy it. ”
— Rhonda Readence, A Brilliant Artistic Experience - excerpt from full review - Rhonda Readance
"San Francisco underground scene favorites Audrey Howard and the Misters perform tight-knit rock, driven by Audrey’s mind-blowing, real life guitar hero “riffage.�"-
-- Jenny Hoyston of EraseErrata
"Audrey has a beautiful voice. She rocks like Chrissy Hynde and is melodic like Natalie Merchant."
-- Laura Chandler, record producer
"Audrey Howard is a great performer, one of my favorites! Combining solid song writing, great guitar playing, humor, soul and lyrical depth with consistently edgy, sexy live shows... she rocks!"
-- Jazz/Rock/Studio guitarist Andr� Bush, international touring and recording artist, educator, Guitar Player magazine contributor, author of "Modern Jazz Guitar Styles" coming
soon from Mel Bay.
*Audrey's review in the New Bernal Journal
New Bernal Journal, April/May 2003, Volume 40, Number 2
Local Profile: Audrey Howard
by Paul Welch
Local Rockstar: Audrey Howard is best known to loyal patrons of Wild Side West, as a bartender with an easy laugh and a sympathetic ear.
She is also a talented musician who has been garnering recognition in the local scene. She has already released two full length albums, "Mischief" (2000), a solo project, and "Phase" (2001), with her then-current band Strumpet.
I caught her show at the Bazaar Cafe on March 5th.
She performed solo, with just her acoustic guitar, and the effect was powerful. Audrey has a disarming stage presence; she often appears slightly shy and has a way of using humor to put the audience (and herself it seems) at ease. But as soon as the power cords start blaring, all that changes, and Audrey becomes a force in her own element. Her voice was strong and emotionally charged, filling up the intimate venue. Her songs ranged from the political ("Chatter", about opting out of media bombardment) to the personal "So, You're in Love" (in the best tradition of the genre). Says Howard, "I love performing. I love sharing my passion with an audience and losing myself in the moment. I always enjoy catching the audience off-guard and totally rocking their worlds." I encourage anyone with a love of straightforward, heartfelt music to go see Audrey Howard and get their world rocked.
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Discography
Audrey's "One Subject Notebook" was recently featured on NPR KQED's "Do List"
Audrey is currently working on a new solo album...tba!
Audrey has released a cd with her band, Audrey Howard & the Misters called "Sister Sara." The title-track is a catchy grunge-pop song about...alternate life styles - inspired by San Francisco's Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence!
The new single "Firefly" was recently played on KALX - Berkeley
Audrey Howard & the Misters "Sister Sara" 2009
Audrey Come Lately "Kismet" 2005
Audrey Howard - "Summer Thunder" 2003
Strumpet - "Phase" ep 2001
Audrey Howard - "Mischief " ep 2000
"I Was Made for Lovin' You" (KISS cover is streaming on Women of Substance Radio)
"Just So Ya Know" from the album "Summer Thunder" was streamed on indie105 iRadio LA and is currently being played on "Women of Substance Radio"
"Chatter" and "New Strings" were on the soundtrack to the movie "Smok'd"
Audrey Come Lately performed live on KSZU radio
selections from "Kismet" are featured on podcasts:
http://www.dope-radio.com/
http://snb.libsyn.com/
http://www.tinybinarylife.com/
http://reachingforlucidity.net/
Photos
Bio
Melodic indie-rock, edgy alt-country, punk-pop, singer-songwriter: all these can describe Audrey Howard's music. Her guitar playing is inspired by her heroes Jack White and Jimmy Page. On stage, Audrey can evoke the tortured passion of PJ Harvey, or the sass of Chrissy Hynde, or the smooth wit of Suzanne Vega. She is a well-known rocker in the Bay Area; having fronted the bands "Strumpet","Audrey Come Lately", and "Audrey Howard & The Misters," as well as having playing lead guitar in the 70's tribute all-female drag band "Wood."
Audrey Howard was reared on classical lp's, Bob Dylan, and her mom's singing and piano playing. Audrey took to the keys at a young age. In high school she got into acting and singing in the school plays and musicals. At Northwestern University she majored in acting and played eclectic roles. Meanwhile she was discovering a new passion - playing the guitar and writing songs. Soon she was performing her raw, emotive folk-punk tunes in the student union and in Chicago cafes.
After school she packed up her cat and moved to the fabled land : San Francisco. There she bought a four-track and made her first cd : the bedroom recorded, bare-bones ep., "Mischief." (2000) "Mischief" was put on the juke at her local pub and her first hit, "New Strings" was in heavy rotation. She then formed the punk-pop trio, "Strumpet." The band produced "Phase" (2001), a 4-song ep. "Chatter" - the punkish, anti-media bombardment rant from that ep - remains one of her most popular songs, often inspiring the whole audience to sing along.
Next she went into the studio to record a full-length album. The result, "Summer Thunder" (2003), is a gorgeous pop record which delves into her personal demons: from relationship missteps, to the horrors of working in an office, to the death of her father. Co-produced and recorded by Garth Webber (Miles Davis, Robben Ford), 'Summer Thunder' is an intricate and engaging album.
Audrey has recorded and released 4 albums and has just released her fifth: "Sister Sara," which was inspired by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Check out her video for "Firefly," a beautifully epic song which begins with melodic acoustic guitars and finishes with wall-of-sound electric guitars.
Audrey's current projects include her rock trio "Steel Hotcakes" and her acoustic old-time trio "P's & Q's", as well as solo and combo performances. Audrey has performed at top venues such as Cafe du Nord, Biscuits and Blues, and Bottom of the Hill. She plays to a loyal audience, is actively courting independent labels, and is always gaining new fans. She also writes and records soundtracks for independent films and documentaries.
Audrey Howard creates that rare music which can draw on her core fans of young women, queers, and indie-rock lovers, and can also cross-over into more mainstream audiences.
Band Members
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