"Well, if this doesn't make you grin, you must be dead!"-Deni's quote during the recording of Bigger Is Always Better.
Sure, we all have problems in our lives, but Deni's philosophy is - why wallow in misery when music's great ability is to take us beyond life's trivia? And if you can laugh at your own problems, well, that gives you the right to laugh at other people's too!
So, what do you get with Deni Bonet? Well, you get an artist that defines the term alterna-pop. As one journalist suggested, think "Sheryl Crow meets the B 52's" and you'll be close. She is fun, and has great songs, which has meant airplay for the 2 EP's on WDST, Woodstock; WXPN, Philadelphia & WBCR, Brooklyn and many other stations which cover the range of modern rock, college and AAA formats. In fact WDST loves the first EP so much that they continue to play it over 2 years after its initial release. She is commercial in the best sense of the word.
Deni's singing is honest, vulnerable and playful; though often compared to Deborah Harry & Chrissie Hynde, her sound is distinctly her own. Her approach to the electric violin is totally unique, a combination of passion and technique which transcends all the cliché's and which establishes a sound that is instantly identifiable. Her playing style is quite unlike any other violinist you may have seen or heard.
One journalist wrote "...she plays with the frenetic enthusiasm and facial expressiveness of an air guitar-slinging teen..."
Deni’s use of violin, accordion & mandolin, blending the rootsier side of these instruments, with her other musical influences such as Beck, Crowded House, Radiohead, Bach and The Carpenters could be hard to imagine. But once you experience it, especially live, it all makes immediate sense. From the hauntingly beautiful Time to Make A Plan, to the power of Alone and Small Talk (written, incidentally, in England with 2 members of The Shamen), to the quirkiness of Sunshine and Bigger Is Always Better, a constant thread runs through the songs - infectious grooves, stinging, ironic lyrics, and a pop/alternative sensibility that doesn't have a problem with melody, so long as the attitude is right. All this while still managing to keep her tongue planted firmly in her cheek.
Deni's credits as a performer are like reading a Who's-Who of popular, alternative music; she was an original member of the cast of MOUNTAIN STAGE - which as you probably know is a weekly, live performance radio show on around 150 NPR stations across the country - and has either performed or recorded with (here goes...!) REM, Sarah McLachlan, Chris Whitley, Gravity Kills, Daniel Lanois, Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, Richard Thompson, Warren Zevon, Bruce Cockburn and many others. In fact, last year, Deni was invited by REM to appear as a special guest (along with Patti Smith) on their "UP" tour. A complete discography is available.
Her band has performed at Lilith Fair, to amazing reviews, with most reviewers picking her as the standout act on the outside stages. In 1998, Deni had a hugely successful show at SXSW at the State Theater in Austin. On a bill that included John Hammond, Kathy Mattea, and Robyn Hitchcock. she won over the sold-out audience and earned herself a standing ovation. This precipitated an immediate invitation to play at NXNE in Toronto, with a full -page preview in NOW! Magazine. She has been a regular at Intel & CMJ festivals in New York and has become an in-demand act, headlining various festivals along the Eastern seaboard.
Look out for Deni in the Robyn Hitchcock movie 'Storefront Hitchcock', directed by long-time Robyn fan, Jonathan Demme, for Orion Pictures/MGM. Deni was a major musical contributor to the Robyn Hitchcock album, Moss Elixir and their tours together, as a duo produced even more accolades for Deni, including rave reviews from USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post and Boston Globe.
She has toured independently in the US. opening for Patti Smith, Lisa Loeb, Midnight Oil, The Tubes, Marshall Crenshaw, Robyn Hitchcock, The Beautiful South, The Nixons, Luka Bloom, The Bogmen, & The Continental Drifters. Her 2 visits to Turkey, have provided some great photo opportunities and, of course some wonderful musical moments, playing at a major international festival in Istanbul, and in clubs around the country, (including "Manhattan" in Ankara!)
Deni was the first 'alternative' act to be asked to play the series of lunch-time, summer shows in Herald Square, in New York City, usually reserved for opera, string quartets and 'safe' jazz. This show was the most successful of the season by far and she has been invited back every year .
Her demo tape was cited by Mike Mills of REM in Mojo Magazine as one of the 3 things he is listening to at the moment. Together with an appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, a full-page article in the New York Press and a 1-hour concert special on PRISM, the Philadelphia-based arts and entertainment TV channel, it looks like the buzz has really started!
