JOANNE RAND Biography Once upon a time a pigtailed kid with a big stick stood on a Georgia Mountaintop, singing the birds right out of the trees. At sixteen she began a big zigzag all over this country and beyond: Florida, London, Chicago, Santa Fe, Alaska, the Amazon. Then she hit the Pacific Northwest and a certain wild river captured her heart. To this river is dedicated Joanne Rand's seventh self-produced album. Into the River is all about claiming your life, diving from the head into the heart. "Dive in! The river is yours, the river is now, river of life." In an age of uncertainty, Rand evokes the human values of love, compassion and courage. During the late 1980s this same river gave Rand the guts to come out as a radical singer songwriter, capturing hearts throughout the US. "Joanne Rand's singing raises your hair - elegance and fierceness in the same deep breath." -Gary Snyder. "Her singing inspires praise usually reserved for healers and saints" - Santa Cruz Good Times 2002. She has been performing internationally and recording ever since, weaving her life into her work: from the loss of her brother to AIDS (songwriter, Jordan Rand, whose songs grace her albums), to the birth of her daughter, Georgia. Rand, whose style has been dubbed Psychedelic-Folk-Revival and Acoustic Ritual spins songs of transformation and grassroots power. From audiences of 60,000 to personal appearances for hospice patients, weddings and birthing mothers, Rand moves hearts along a wide spectrum of human existence. With roots in classical piano, gospel and the politico-folk-rock music of her youth, Rand's career has included performances with Bonnie Raitt, Richie Havens, Janis Ian and members of the former Grateful Dead. During the 1990s Rand anchored Seattle's hometown music scene. At the same time Rand's quartet was voted Best Acoustic Band in Sonoma County by a California reader's poll. With the release of her latest CD, Rand is returning to claim as home the wild river that has fed her soul for almost twenty years and the wildness that sparked her as a kid on a mountaintop. Hear what others say about Joanne Rand: "Rand plays with a homespun strengths, passion and a grace that is quite distinctive, at times she brings and Appalachian trill to her ballads; at other times, she'll take her voice down to a throaty gritty moan." Santa Cruz "Good Times" pick of the Week, 1999 "Grace and responsiveness flow from her keyboard and intimate voice like fountains, Rand radiates rejuvenation." writes Dirty Linen Magazine, the Folk Music Bible, 2000 "Joanne Rand's singing raises your hair - elegance and fierceness in the same deep breath." Gary Snyder, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author "Exquisite new music. {Her} voice opens the doors of creation." Terry Tempest Williams, Author "Joanne is an open book. The kind of book that you just can't put down. At least until the next volume comes out." Talking Leaves Magazine 1999 "Great stories and deep feelings!" George Winston "Nothing short of brilliant. Richly talented." Santa Rosa Press Democrat "Electrifying" Matrix Magazine "Lullabies to the universe in a sweetly compelling combination of DRIVE and LOVE." Anthem Magazine, 1996 "Gorgeous voice. This woman's voice will take your breath away. Her lyrics are passionately expressive of an absolute commitment to EARTH and WILDNESS." Ladyslipper Music Catalogue, 1993 "Joanne Rand's voice is nothing short of fabulous. She's a storyteller as much as a singer in the old troubadour tradition," Sonoma County Women's Voices. Here are some of the venues and events Joanne Rand has performed at: San Francisco, CA --- The Great American Music Hall Seattle, WA --- The Backstage Portland, OR --- Aladdin Theatre Salt Lake City, UT --- Kingsbury Hall Anchorage, AK --- Performing Arts Center Atlanta, GA --- Eddie's Attic Flagstaff, AZ --- Coconino Center for the Arts Universities --- Over 23 different campuses in 7 states. 1989-2002: Eugene, OR --- Oregon Coutry Fair (Main Stage '93, '96, '98, '02) 1991-96 & 2000-'02: Santa Rosa, CA --- Health & Harmony Fair 1993-02: Seattle, WA --- Folklife Festival 1999: --- Albuquerque, NM --- Folk Alliance Conference 1998: --- Maui, HI --- Spring Renewal Festival 1998: --- Cordova, AK --- Copper River Delta Muskeg Stomp 1994-98: Seattle, WA --- Seattle Hempfest (attendance 60,000) 1997-8 --- Ishi Wilderness, CA ---Led 5 day women's vocal workshop & wilderness trek for Common Earth Expeditions. 1996-97: Seattle, WA --- Seattle Peace Concert Series 1996: Grass Valley, CA --- Sierra Nevada Music Festival 1996: Anchorage, AK --- Women Bearing Witness Multimedia Performance 1996: Moscow, ID --- Renaissance Faire 1996: Corvallis, OR --- DaVinci Days 1995: Santa Rosa, CA --- Voted Sonoma County's best acoustic band (Reader's Poll) 1995: Seattle, WA --- Bumbershoot Festival 1995: San Francisco, CA --- International Transpersonal Association Conference 1993-95: Eugene, OR --- Willamette Valley Folk Festival (headliner) 1994-95: Cazadero, CA --- Fort Ross V.F.D. Music Festival (headliner) 1994: Missoula, MT --- International Native Forest Conference 1987-93: Davis, CA --- Whole Earth Fair 1991-93: Eugene, OR --- N.W. Environmental Law Conference ('93 headliner) 1992: Toronto, Canada --- International Environmental Education Conference 1991: Ecuador --- Voyage into the Amazon Rainforest to record traditional Indigenous music 1991: Miami, FL --- World Women's Congress 1990: Anchorage & Homer, AK --- Earth Day 1990 Here are some of the musicians and speakers Joanne Rand has appeared with: Richie Havens Bonnie Raitt Janis Ian John Trudell Michelle Shocked Kate & Anna McGarrigle John Hartfork 7-Year Bitch Marty Balin (Jefferson Airplane) Pete Sears Big Brother & The Holding Company (Janis Joplin) Floyd Westerman Bob Weir Jerry Brown Thomas Banyacha Joanna Macy John Seed Stephen Gaskin David Brower