Jeanna Salzer

Jeanna Salzer is a budding singer/songwriter from Milwaukee who has been gaining in praise from around the city, including being voted Milwaukee’s Best Acoustic Musician and Female Vocalist of 2009 by Shepherd Express. Her song “Take It All” was also listed as the #41 best song of 2009 by 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. That song can be found on the group’s newest EP, which was released late last year, entitled “Breaking Point.”

The EP is quite solid, consisting of six songs that showcase the band’s wide range of styles, from waltzing romanticism (“Breaking Point”) to fist-pumping rock (“Love Me”). Salzer’s vocals take center stage throughout, singing in a style that could be compared to such present-day divas as Annie Clark (St. Vincent) or Regina Spektor, but with enough unique power to stand alone from those comparisons. Each track is injected with a large dose of pop sensibility, as each song could find a comfortable home on the radio; but aside from that, there is also a high degree of musicianship present in the band’s playing, which sets it apart from the more conventional fare sometimes found on the airwaves. The second half of “Penny Heaven,” with its fierce vocal build-up, is worth the price of the EP alone.

I previously saw the Jeanna Salzer Band live when they headlined Linneman’s earlier this year, and that performance really convinced me that Salzer and her band are something to keep an eye on in the upcoming months. Utilizing a mix of originals and well-selected covers (St. Vincent’s “Marry Me” and Bon Iver’s “Lump Sum”), the band expertly played to the packed room, converting many listeners to dancers by the end of the night. The Bon Iver cover elicited a big response from the crowd, as the delicate vocals were preserved while adding a bigger rhythm component underneath, getting the crowd out of their seats. But even bigger than that was original track “Love Me,” which got the biggest response of the night, an impressive feat for an up-and-coming band.

Salzer recently collaborated with Nicholas Sanborn from Made of Oak for a recent Unlooped session. The Jeanna Salzer Band plays at Summerfest tonight on the Cascio Interstate Music Stage at 7:30PM.
- Muzzle of Bees

On June 25th at bSide in Milwaukee, we kicked off Unlooped Live, which is every last Friday of the month. We brought together Jeanna Salzer(Jeanna Salzer Trio), Nick Sanborn(Decibully, Buffalo, Made Of Oak) and Rory Sazama for a special one-time live set. Then Brainfeeder artist Lorn ended the night off right with amazing set in honor of his debut release “Nothing Else”. We recorded Salzer, Sanborn and Sazama’s set, but unfortunately only got one decent track due to our recording device. We will be trying something different to capture the next Unlooped event. In the meantime check out this track below from the night. - Unlooped

That Jeanna Salzer won two categories just a year after releasing her debut EP, Raindrops, illustrates how quickly this young singer-songwriter has made her mark on Milwaukee’s acoustic music scene. An alum of several Downtown coffeehouses, as well as the city’s Chick Singer Night showcases, Salzer sings achy, soulful piano-pop that’s several notches smarter than the similarly pretty music regularly featured in romantic comedies and TV shows like “Grey’s Anatomy.” - Milwaukee Shepherd Express

It was just last year that Jeanna Salzer released her debut EP, Raindrops, a collection of jazzy, contemporary pop influenced by artists like Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon, but the singer has made a quick impression on Milwaukee’s acoustic music scene. A sign of her rising local stardom: This week she won the Shepherd Express’ Best of Milwaukee Award of acoustic musician, and it’s easy to see what Shepherd readers hear in her: She writes soulful, little piano-pop tunes that linger pleasantly in the head for hours.

http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-8657-jeanna-salzer-w-adam-koehler.html - Milwaukee's Shepherd Express