Lily & Madeleine sign to Asthmatic KittySister duo will issue EP in June, make guest appearance on Mellencamp's 'Ghost Brothers' albumBy David Lindquist
Lily & Madeleine are moving toward wide exposure for their clear, stirring harmonies, as independent label Asthmatic Kitty Records has signed the sister duo to a recording contract.
“The Weight of the Globe,” Lily & Madeleine's debut EP released in January, will be issued by Asthmatic Kitty on June 11. Formats include 10-inch vinyl, CD and online download.
“We’re so excited,” said Lily Jurkiewicz, a 16-year-old sophomore at North Central High School. “We’ve met a bunch of people on the label. Everybody is so nice and inviting. We’re really looking forward to being associated with them.”
“Everybody (at Asthmatic Kitty) is really passionate about their work,” said Madeleine Jurkiewicz, an 18-year-old senior at Bishop Chatard High School. “I think it’s a great opportunity.
Asthmatic Kitty, co-founded by indie-rock star Sufjan Stevens, maintains offices in three cities: Brooklyn, N.Y., Lander, Wyo., and Indianapolis. The label’s recordings are distributed by Bloomington-based company SC Distribution (an offshoot of the Secretly Canadian label).
Paul Mahern, who manages Lily & Madeleine and served as producer for “The Weight of the Globe,” said Asthmatic Kitty is a good home for the duo.
“They’re great people,” Mahern said. “They have a captive fan base because of the music they release, especially the Sufjan stuff. I think his fans are going to love the girls.”
Lily & Madeleine will become known to fans of John Mellencamp when the “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” album is released on June 4.
The sisters supply guest vocals to “Truth,” the only “Ghost Brothers” song performed by Mellencamp. Created by Mellencamp, author Stephen King and music producer T-Bone Burnett, “Ghost Brothers” is executed in the tradition of an old-time radio play. Performers include Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Ryan Bingham and Kris Kristofferson, along with actors Matthew McConaughey, Meg Ryan and Samantha Mathis.
Mahern said Mellencamp picked the Jurkiewicz sisters as collaborators after watching a video of their cover of Richard and Linda Thompson’s “Dimming of the Day.”
“We did a rough mix of (‘Truth’) and I sent it off to L.A. for T-Bone’s crew to mix it,” Mahern said. “I kept thinking, ‘T-Bone is going to replace them with famous people.’ And the mix came back two weeks later, and they were still on it.”
Lily & Madeleine are featured prominently in a video that promotes the release of “Ghost Brothers.”
To celebrate the Asthmatic Kitty signing, the duo released today a live video of “Back to the River” from a Feb. 9 performance at Fountain Square's Do317 Lounge.
Lily & Madeleine will perform on June 8 at Deluxe in Old National Centre. Mahern said the sisters will record an album that month, followed by tour dates in July. Madeleine plans to enroll at Indiana University in the fall.
http://cmsstage.indystar.com/article/20130319/THINGSTODO02/303190021/Lily-Madeleine-sign-Asthmatic-Kitty
