Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970, in Biddeford, Maine) is a violinist and singer/songwriter in the indie rock world. Her best known album is Real Life, released in 2006 under the moniker Joan As Police Woman. In addition to her time with the Dambuilders, Wasser's resume includes live performances and studio work with Lou Reed, Tanya Donelly, Sheryl Crow, Sparklehorse, Dave Gahan, Elton John, the Scissor Sisters, Antony and the Johnsons, Joseph Arthur and Rufus Wainwright.
Contents |
Biography
Wasser was raised in Norwalk, Connecticut, with a younger brother, Dan. She began piano lessons at age six, before starting her first violin lessons at age eight. Wasser played violin in school and community orchestras before leaving Norwalk for her college studies. Wasser began her career during her studies at Boston University where she was an early admittance student studying with the renowned Yuri Mazurkevich, who himself had studied under Russian violin virtuoso David Oistrakh. She played with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra before joining local bands the Lotus Eaters, Hot Trix with Mary Timony, and the Dambuilders. During her time in the Dambuilders, Wasser first began to make a name for herself in the indie rock world as she developed her aggressive style of playing, which led to work outside of the group. In the late 1990s, Wasser began to explore more musical paths than those limited only to violin playing, adding guitar and keyboard parts to the Dambuilders recordings, singing vocals, as well as co-writing several songs. Examples of these new explorations can be heard on the Dambuilders' Against the Stars; on both Luster and Itch It, Wasser wrote the lyrics and handled the lead vocals. Due to disillusionment, creative malaise, and a need to expand their respective musical horizons, the Dambuilders disbanded in October 1997. In May of 1997, her lover, musician Jeff Buckley, drowned accidentally, in Memphis, Tennessee. She continued to play with the Those Bastard Souls, a solo project started in 1995 by an old friend, Dave Shouse of The Grifters. The made a record entitled "Debt and Departure". In 1996, Wasser also made a brilliant record with Nathan Larson called Mind Science of the Mind. In late 1997 she created a band with remaining members of Buckley's band called Black Beetle and finished an eponymous album which was never released. This was the first project where she was writing as well as fronting a band. In 1999, Joan joined Antony and the Johnsons. She contributed to his Mercury Award winning album "I Am A Bird Now". Joan has stated in interviews that being part of this band saved her life because of the nurturing effect of Antony and his singularly beautiful voice. The end of Black Beetle in June of 2002 brought the beginning of Wasser's work as a solo artist and the creation of a new band, Joan as Police Woman. Wasser formed the trio in New York City the same year. The group includes songwriter/vocalist Wasser on violin, keyboard, and guitar; Ben Perowsky on drums, percussion and backing vocals; and Rainy Orteca on bass and backing vocals. Other musicians working with the group have included Maxim Moston and Charlie Burnham. The group self-released an eponymous EP in 2004. In February of 2004, Rufus Wainwright asked her to join his band, tour extensively and open the shows with her new project. Her gorgeous, intimate songs and relaxed stage presence gained her notoriety and new fans. In December 2005, Wasser signed a distribution deal with Reveal Records, a British indie label, and subsequently released a 7" single as well as re-released Wasser's debut EP. Joan As Police Woman's full-length debut, Real Life, was released in the UK on June 12 2006 and released in EU, AU and Japan through PIAS based out of Brussels. It was released in the USA on June 12 2007 on Cheap Lullaby Records based in Los Angeles. The music video for the single Eternal Flame, directed by Leah Meyerhoff, is currently airing on MTV Europe. The end of 2007 finds Joan in the studio making her second as-yet-untitled record. She continues to play with Rainy Orteca and is now recording with Parker Kindred, old friend and drummer of her previous band, Black Beetle.
Releases
Full-Lengths
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-Real Life - (June 12, 2006 - CD, Ltd. CD & LP)
- TANYA DONNELLY-This Hungry Life - (2006)
- ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS-I Am A Bird Now - (Feb 2005)
- THOSE BASTARD SOULS-Debt and Departure - (1999)
- THE DAMBUILDERS-Against The Stars - (1997)
- MIND SCIENCE OF THE MIND-Mind Science Of The Mind - (April 16, 1996)
- THE DAMBUILDERS-God Dambuilders Bless America - (1996)
- THE DAMBUILDERS-Ruby Red - (1995)
- THE DAMBUILDERS-Encendedor - (1994)
- THE DAMBUILDERS-Islington Porn Tapes - 1992
- THE DAMBUILDERS-Geek Lust - 1991
EPs
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-Joan as Police Woman - (2004 - CD)
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-Joan as Police Woman - (February 27, 2006 - Expanded CD & LP)
- THE DAMBUILDERS-Tough Guy Problem - (1993)
Singles
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-My Gurl - (January 23, 2006 - 7")
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-The Ride - (May 29, 2006 - CD & 7")
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-Eternal Flame - (August 7, 2006 - CD & 7")
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-Christobel - (October 23, 2006 - Limited Edition CD (1000 copies) & 7")
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-Flushed Chest - (April 16, 2007 - Limited Edition formats tbc)
Compilations
- JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN-Jane Magazine compilation — 2003
References
- Brick, Tricia (Fall 2004). "Into the Light". Bostonia. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2006.
