Lavender Diamond: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

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• Cat Power
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• Linda Ronstadt
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• Young People
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• The Swirlies
• W.A.C.O.
• Queens of Sheeba

Formed:

Jan 1, 2004 in Los Angeles, CA

Genres:

Rock Music, Folk & Country Rock Music

Decades Active:

2000's

The folk delight that is Lavender Diamond originally came to life in Bird Songs of the Bauharoque, a punk operetta inspired by the work of American painter/architect Paul Laffoley. Vocalist Becky Stark wrote and created the piece with a friend while living in Providence, RI, and starred as Lavender herself, a winsome part bird/part human who wants peace on earth. The indie stage show was such a hit at home, Stark and co. went on to tour 56 cities across North America in 2003. Her debut solo effort, the selfproduced Artefacts of the Winged album was made available during this tour, and all the while writing so many songs, it soon became apparent to Stark that her songs deserved to be taken more seriously. A move to Los Angeles in 2004 provided her the creative arena Stark was searching for; befriending guitarist Jeff Rosenberg (Pink and Brown, Tarentel, the Young People) to form a country pop act was where things started to take shape for Lavender Diamond. When she wasn't keeping busy with Rosenberg, Stark was playing classical arias and tin pan alley originals with classical pianist Steve Gregoropoulos (Waco), and making psychedelic doowop material with drummer Ron Rege Jr., formerly of the Swirlies. At the end of the day, Stark opted to collect such sounds as one, and gathered her contemporaries for Lavender Diamond in 2004. Matching the airy light of Linda Ronstadt and Carole King with Bacharachlike arrangements, Lavender Diamond issued The Calvary of Light EP in 2005; a second release, a split seveninch with Queens of Sheeba for Cold Sweat also appeared that year. A buzz around the blogosphere and indie mag elite began to take shape by early 2006, and performances at ArthurFest, South by Southwest, and CMJ New Music Seminar only added fuel to the record label frenzy. In November 2006, while touring with the Decemberists, Lavender Diamond signed to Rough Trade in Europe, and Matador in the U.S. The Calvary of Light is slated for reissue in January 2007.

- MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide