Indie-folk singer Malcolm Rollick is going to need a serious nap when all is said and done, but for now she's pulling into Portland on her bicycle as part of her Portland to Portland Bike Tour.
She departed Portland, Ore., in March, and since then has been more on the road than off. All told, it will be an eight-month odyssey during which she'll log a heck of a lot of miles and save a heck of a lot on gas. But that's not why you should pay attention to her.
Be it plane, train, automobile or bicycle that brings her into town, her music is the real star. I spent the better part of an hour at www.malcolmrollick.com and on her MySpace page listening to songs from all three of her records. "Breaking Strays" is from Rollick's 2005 CD "Scaffolds." "Mama been lookin' me down in the graveyard, mama knows I'm wearing black again," sings Rollick in a voice reminiscent of Lucinda Williams and steeped in solemn honesty.
On her records, there are guitars and keys and violin, among other ethereal sounds. But the thing that will really get you is her descriptive writing and a voice that comes from some place where tumbleweeds zigzag across a dirt road, graveyards are sunny and angels like to tread.
-By AIMSEL L. PONTI
to see this article in context click here: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=287975&ac=Go
A Slow Kid on a Bike, Coming Your Way
February 17th 2009 12:38pm
Indie kids on bikes is nothing new in our neck of the woods, but cross-country? That's a different story. Neo-folk singer Malcolm Rollick, who has shared the stage with such superstars as Kimya Dawson and CocoRosie, will be taking her show on the road, literally. Her eight-month Portland to Portland bike tour will take her first to San Francisco and then pass through Colorado, Missouri and New York (among other states) on her way to Other Portland.
See Rollick off at her kick-off party, March 1 at Alberta Street Public House (1036 NE Alberta St., 248-7665), where she will be co-headlining with Katie Sawicki and Jake Kelly. Doors open at 8 pm, with a requested $5 donation. And don't forget to check out updates after March 2 on Rollick's blog: http://slowkidonabike.blogspot.com/
Adrienne So, Willamette Week
Malcolm Rollick is a wearer of silly hats and a player of folk ballads that are nice and un-boring. And she's cute in a way that only folk singers can be cute."
Drew Gemmer, Portland Mercury
"I have rarely heard that a voice can transport such an amount of intensity even via CD. I can just guess how this must be to experience it live."
Madchen Blog, Germany
Out Artists on the Rise
by GO Magazine Staff
Malcolm Rollick
When singer/songwriter Malcolm Rollick recalls performing with musician Kimya Dawson (formerly of The Moldy Peaches), her face lights up. Kimya, she believes, inspired her to be honest in her work.
Honest is the best way to describe Rollicks music. She prefers improvising; spontaneity feels most genuine. When Im improvising, says Rollick, I can say things I dont have the guts to say otherwise.
Music has always been a substantial part of Rollicks life. She recalls a childhood filled with musicfamily members bringing out their guitars and playing folk songs on holidays. In 2003, Rollick graduated from SUNY Purchase with degrees in both music and literature. When I hear someone bring literature into their music, she laughs, Im totally geeked out and excited.
As an out musician who wants to express herself without being pigeon-holed, Rollick has respect for indie musicians that care about the music, not about the musicians personal life.
Ive been lucky enough to work with a lot of indie-rock artists, Malcolm says. If you can sing, they want to work. No one wants to talk about who youre sleeping with.
All the stuff Ive been working my ass off for is coming down the
pike now, Rollick says. A lot of responsibilities come with that.
Among those responsibilities is the completion of her second album,
which she hopes to finish before the end of the summer. Beginning
on August 16th, she will tour from Michigan to Durham, North Carolina,
and will eventually tour the U.S. Be sure to look for her in your
city. -TM
"a home cooked meal in the dark woods.... generously uncomplicated.... unapologetic as the sky"
Check out Malcolm in GoNYC!!!
Click on the magazine link anytime this month to see the full article.
Pictured Above in Upper Right Corner
"A voice in every way connected to the two very real hands that hold and play her instrument..."
