ABOUT
KELSEY MICHAEL
The music of Penzance based singer songwriter Kelsey Michael is a hotline to West Cornwall’s nature and landscape, bonding listeners through a re-kindling of their collective experience of wild places.
Singer Songwriter, storytelling, folk and classic pop all work together in her music which has 'classic' elements but offers a very contemporary voice. These are songs with a rare ability to speak to audiences old and young, to create community, entertain and make moments rooted in the here and now.
Kelsey writes beautifully crafted songs on piano and performs solo, duo and with her trio which can expand into ensemble. Lethowsow trio features percussionist Greg Dyer (Radio Rio, DJ Descafeinat) and bassist Ben Kypreos. Additional singers join the band whenever possible.
Her musical style recalls ‘classic’ 60s/70s female artists such as Laura Nyro and Carole King. Uplifting catchy tunes take their place amongst dreamy wide horizon song-landscapes conjured from draw-bar organ and shruti-box folk drones. Audiences immerse in Kelsey’s growing biodiversity songbook where Herons, Starlings and Butterflies all find poetic treatment. A singer with a dynamic wide-reaching vocal range, she can take her listeners to rare and exhilarating places, creating a world of texture within a song.
Kelsey has sung on five albums by Sean O'Hagan of The High Llamas. She also sings on contemporary classical composer Jocelyn Pook's soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut'. In the jazz world she has performed live with Liam Noble and Tom Bancroft. Her first job was as a backing vocalist with The The. She has a background as a singer and performer in theatre with Insomniac productions, Hoodwink and many other companies.
FULL BIO HERE
Whilst raising a family in West Cornwall I have been a musician in the community, leading singing groups in rural areas, pioneering wild singing walks full of original songs for clifftop and hedgerow through the seasons, and mentoring young singers.
Nature and observation of landscape and wildlife are central to my songwriting, In the last few years I have worked with others in the transition towns movement to raise awareness about the need to conserve and protect ecosystems to bring about natural solutions to the climate and ecology crisis.
THE BAND
GREG DYER
Greg Dyer mixes world rhythms with hip hop and jazz drumming. He has plays in Cornwall with Falmouth based Brazilian influenced Bossa Nova and Choro band Radio Rio. He also performs and records in duo with cellist Kath Williams, sampling and beatmaking. The pair are regulars at Tropical Pressure and Great Estate festivals.
BEN KYPREOS
is a musical force, a multi-instrumentalist with drums, guitar, keyboards and bass all within his palette. Ben plays acoustic bass with Kelsey's core trio and sings backing vocals. His other projects include: Darrel Higham, The Trophy Husbands, Space dog and Buddy Holly musical. Recently Ben has been collaborating with Hillbilly folk outfit Cahooty and lending his guitar and arrangement skills to the dark, beautiful and humorous songs of Penzance singer and songwriter Lucy Birbeck.