Connor Desai by Connor Desai

You can hear the echo in the mic, and whether or not this was actually recorded in a club, I can still smell the alcohol in the air, feel the close presence of the crowd, and see the cabs and buses moving past the windows. And like the others, the song is dreamy. Sad sentiments set to romantic music. “Don’t waste your lovin’ on me,” she sings, “I’m too drenched to sense that it’s warm.”

Desai makes a seamless transition into more radio-friendly pop on the EP second half. “Wake Up” is snappy and playful, and “Will You Love” has a very modern pop/rock feel. It flows. But I like the return to the lush sound on the final track, the intriguingly-titled “Deviance,” and those fabulous lyrics:

Inhibitions fade,

I’m emptying my pockets on this stage

Slide down ridges in my pants and fingers

Ridges in the throats of the singers ...

I’ll just hit “play” and slide into this again. Next time Seattle gets hit with the crazy snowstorms they had this winter, Desai should just step out into her yard, strum her guitar and sing. People will be talking for years about that crazy winter where it stayed at 90 degrees and half of Puget Sound evaporated."

--Jennifer Layton, Indie Music Magazine

"Slowcore fanatics might be amazed with the deft ease that Connor Desai portrays a sound that’s somewhere lost between pop, indie folk, and vocal jazz. Sort of like if Norah Jones had never been discovered and was forced to record in her Brooklyn apartment. The album is awash in fiery lyrics that are delivered with sublime intentions. A sexy vocal dances above the fray of stripped down percussion, light guitar, and danceable bass lines. This is New York City (via Seattle) captured on wax my friends (or silver disc for you heathens out there)."

- J-Sin (Smother Magazine, Smother.net)

Over the years, Connor Desai has morphed her folk roots into jazz, indie, and even (tastefully produced) pop numbers. While her songs often oscillate between these genres, they do so effortlessly thanks to the common thread of her unmistakable vocals.

Connor has been singing since she can remember. She started piano lessons around age 8, but the guitar she received for her 16th birthday is responsible for her place in the music scene today. She credits Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin, and James Taylor as her first real inspiration, and later, as she began experimenting with new sounds and musical disciplines; Feist, Norah Jones, and Laura Veirs came into sharp focus.

She started her public career in suburban Pennsylvania while still in high school, playing at open mics and various school-related gigs. After that came a short stint in Durham, NC – a year of college and more open mics. Then onto Seattle, where she finished school at UW, formed a band, and began gigging in earnest. She continues to play at bars and clubs in and around the Seattle area.

Connor’s band consists of longtime bassist, Alex Trzyna; drummer, Mike O’Doherty; and newest member, Frank Metting, on keys and lead guitar. Connor, Alex, and Mike recently recorded her first (self-titled) EP in November 2006. The album contains all original songs written by Connor and was produced by Matt Brown of Trespassers William. While only six tracks in length, it is representative of the style and scope of her music, and reflects both old and new influences while remaining utterly unique. Although she is proud of her debut effort (set to release in late February 2007) Connor is secretly counting down the days till she can get into a studio again, as she found recording to be one of the most rewarding experiences of her life thus far.

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