"What's My Desire?" one of "22 Stellar Songs from 2012"

"What's My Desire?" made it onto Wicked Local's list of "22 Stellar Songs from 2012," and is in some excellent company. Luminaries on the list include the Beach Boys, Ben Folds Five, Gotye, M. Ward, and more. We're honored to be included in their ranks:

"'All my love letters are forged,' sings Ellia Bisker, one of a series of biting admissions on a lovely, lush single awash with strings and horns. The ukulele is just a bonus."

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Sweet Soubrette - 'What's My Desire?' | The 405

New review of the "What's My Desire?" video by the 405:

"Sweet Soubrette have crafted a compelling bitter-sweet pop song of the highest order."

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Sweet Soubrette - 'What's My Desire?' | The 405

Metro - An indie insider’s guide to New York’s best live music venues

Metro - An indie insider’s guide to New York’s best live music venues

New review! "One of New York's most intriguing songwriting forces" -The Deli Magazine

Holy cow, The Deli Magazine just published a very awesome review of Sweet Soubrette in their new CMJ-themed issue!  (We will be performing in the Deli's CMJ showcase at the Living Room next Wednesday night.)  Check it out below:

For the fine-print-impaired, here's what it says:

"Edgy, honest and sultry in deliverance, Sweet Soubrette has quickly risen as one of New York's most intriguing songwriting forces to come out of Brooklyn. Featuring the vocal and musical talents of Ellia Bisker, whose first album Siren Song was released on the indie label MH Records in 2008, Sweet Soubrette hit the ground running with their sophomore album, Days and Nights, three years later. Both albums encompass Bisker's fantastic incorporation of poetry and life in her sweet-yet-sassy lyrics, and Days and Nights features the addition of band members Heather Cole, Mike Dobson and Bob Smith. An enigmatic performer, Bisker has charmed audiences with her rock star command and intelligently crafted music, generating a buzz for Sweet Soubrette that extends way beyond the borders of New York City."  (Christina Morelli, The Deli Magazine)

Vaudeville Stardom

Sweet Soubrette was recently profiled by vaudeville expert and impresario Trav S.D. in the "Stars of the American Vaudeville Theatre" series on his blog, Travalanche. He describes Sweet Soubrette's act as "...distinctive, dark and passionate songs, not just sung, but performed." 

We're in fine company; the series profiles some of the hundreds of performers Trav has presented through his American Vaudeville Theatre in celebration of its 15th anniversary.  Full profile here.

Sweet Soubrette Seduces Audience at Bowery Poetry Club

That's what CultureMob's writeup of the release show says.

Also: "What makes a Sweet Soubrette? Speculatively, one part circus performer, one part poet, and third part rockstar...a Sweet Soubrette show is much like badass adult story time."

Check out the full article here.

First review of "Days and Nights" is in!

Rock NYC says:

"Take Amanda Palmer covering Radiohead and then take Phoebe Legere and drain out the jazz and replace it with Jenny Lewis circa The Execution Of All Things and then throw on some fishnet stockings and you have Sweet Soubrette...this time she has a full band and the songs have texture and beauty."

In other news, 7 days until the big album release show!

Featured interview: Women Who Rock the Underground, Vol. 4: Sweet Soubrette

Check out my featured interview on music blog Knocks from the Underground's "Women Who Rock the Underground" series! I am now officially a "woman who rocks."

International coverage

International coverage update:
Mention on Swiss culture blog!

Review of 10-28 show at Philly’s World Cafe Live!

"Hi, we're Sweet Soubrette and we play songs of doomed romance," says NYC's Ellia Bisker scanning the audience at the World Café Live.

"In fact, fans of doomed romance, look around the room now and make eye contact. Then later on, you can go to the bar and start something that will end badly." She puts extra emphasis on the last two words, and pauses for effect, before launching into a stunning rendition of her song "Unlucky in love."

Wry, unapologetic, sassy and flirty, this tiny ukulele princess is not your typical acoustic act. But her humorous – if jaded – outlook on love is refreshing, and her witty commentary sets the stage for an entire evening of mellow, comedic rock.

Covered head-to-toe in silver sparkles (including big, sparkly fake eyelashes), Bisker is pretty and poised, maintaining the perfect balance of passion and deadpan as she describes past loves – a "mystery man" who is "charming and disarming;" who "came off as smart, but it was actually snark."

Her voice is light and airy with a touch of vulnerability – like the Siren she describes in "Siren Song". She's accompanied by violinist Heather Cole, whose fluid, haunted melodies compliment her punchy playing, and add a hint of melancholy to the humor.

Bisker is tongue-in-cheek funny – Jeanine Garofalo funny – and the audience absolutely adores it.

--Kate Bracaglia, Phrequency.com

New Review in The Deli Magazine

Sweet Soubrette packs "Siren Song" to the brim with bobbing vocals that sway from wispy to very straight forward. Hit or miss, each song explores very different elements from the Hawaiian influence with ukulele to country and even dreamy, electronic music. Some songs, like "Lucky to Be Here," are almost impossible to stop replaying in one's head after hearing them. The aforementioned track is echoed and glitch-y with layered vocals and an honest energy. The intensity of Sweet Soubrette bleeds in and out of the the record but you can pick up pieces of it in some of Ellia Bisker's tangled, strumming songs. With her sometimes Dolly Partonesque singing and multiple styles of instrumentation, she certainly has something unique to offer and is someone to keep an eye on. Also, who can resist mermaids and songs reminiscent of sea shanties?
-L.P., The Deli Magazine, Issue #16, Volume #2, Fall 2008

Radio Interview!

My 3/28 radio interview with two charming DJs from KSUA's Terra-Firma show is now available via podcast. I heart Fairbanks, Alaska!