Emily_Rodgers
Emily Rodgers
American singer-songwriter
Emily Rodgers is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She is signed to Shimmy-Disc,[1] which is owned and operated by noted indie producer Kramer, with whom she has worked for over a decade.[2] Her music has been compared to Cat Power, Mazzy Star,[3] Cowboy Junkies,[4] Songs: Ohia, and Tara Jane O’Neil.[5]
Rodgers grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, and attended Goshen College, where she studied English and began writing music and performing.[6] In 2003, she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she honed her craft and began performing in earnest. She released her first album in 2005, which was described as “post-rural, ethereal alt-country drenched in primo melancholy and reverb”.[7]
In 2008, Rodgers was approached by legendary indie producer Kramer, who is known for having produced Galaxie-500, Daniel Johnston, Low, Will Oldham, and Half Japanese. That same year, she signed to Misra Records, which was home to Great Lake Swimmers, Centro-matic, and Shearwater. In 2009, Misra released Rodgers’ second album, Bright Day, which she debuted at the label's South by Southwest Music Festival showcase.[8] In 2016, Rodgers released her third album, Two Years, on Misra, again with Kramer at the helm.[9]
In 2019, Rodgers partnered with Kramer and her husband, guitarist Erik Cirelli, to write and record I Will Be Gone, her fourth LP.[10] Written and recorded in just six days in her attic, the album utilizes lyrics by Rodgers and music by Cirelli.[11] In addition to mixing, mastering, and producing the album, Kramer also serves as vocalist, bassist, pianist, and arranger, and the record belies an immediacy that is reflective of the time-limited nature of the recording process.[12] The record was released in 2021 on Shimmy-Disc.[13]