The Smashing Pumpkins, Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Elton John, David J (Bauhaus / Love & Rockets), Tiësto, Brett Anderson (Suede), Christina Perri (Twilight) and William Reid (Jesus and the Mary Chain) have all had Ysanne play violin, viola and cello with them and/or she’s created string arrangements for songs they have sung. As one of the world’s most sought after alternative rock and pop strings musicians, Ysanne Spevack has played with rock’s most legendary, innovative and inspiring musicians, including Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction / Red Hot Chili Peppers), Steven Severin (Siouxsie and the Banshees), Alain Whyte (Morrissey), Laurie Anderson, and Nik Turner (Hawkwind).
So, it’s natural that she wants fabulous strings for her own solo album. Especially as it’s an album of love songs that she has written and recorded over 8 years, featuring some of her friends including David J (Bauhaus / Love & Rockets), Steven Severin (Siouxsie and the Banshees), Alain Whyte (Morrissey), Nick Yeatman (Joe Strummer / Nick Cave) and Amina Bates (Scanners). It’s been recorded and produced by Kerry Brown (Smashing Pumpkins / Catherine), Kevin Dippold (Smashing Pumpkins / The Seeds), Liam Watson (The White Stripes) and Earle Mankey (Sparks / The Runaways / Concrete Blonde) with much of the album recorded on the same 2″ tape machine that was used for the Smashing Pumpkins album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
It sounds a m a z i n g…
And so Ysanne has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund having her lavish string arrangements recorded by an orchestra in Prague.
* Why an orchestra? Because the only way to get that lush orchestra sound is by using an orchestra… no computer or synthesizer or clever studio musicians can fake an orchestra.
* Why Prague? Because it’s much, much cheaper and more flexible to record in Prague due to the economy, so the orchestra will be paid very well in their own currency, but US dollars buys a lot more time there than in the US. And also, because their style of playing is more emotional than the beautiful LA style, which while being more classically tender, is less raunchy and firey!
* Why Valentine’s Day? Because there’s nothing more romantic than Ysanne’s love songs, except perhaps her love songs backed by an orchestra, except perhaps her love songs with an orchestra in Prague!
** The Campaign So Far * The initial MINIMUM TARGET of $3,000 was hit within 36 hours of the campaign launch! * People from the USA, UK, Italy, India and Australia have all pledged, including celebritied such as a member of the Coppola family and Smashing Pumpkins producer Kerry Brown. * The $3,000 target is enough money to get the orchestra on ONE SONG, so this campaign needs to raise at least $30,000 more if the whole album is to have the orchestra on it! * If there is still more funding after Ysanne’s album is completed, she has pledged to use the money to record the orchestra on songs for her amazing musician friends, starting with the Smashing Pumpkins, whose last record with an orchestra was ‘Tonight, Tonight’ from the album ‘Mellon Colie and the Infinite Sadness’