Piney Gir (pronounced "gear"), often shortened to Piney, is an American musician and singer, born in Kansas but based in London, England since 1998. She has released seven studio albums.
Piney's musical style is predominately edgy indie-pop, although she has been described both as a musical "chameleon"Uncut magazine, 15 September 2006 and as "the indie Dolly Parton"Culture Deluxe 18 October 2010 and "Transatlantic Pop Guru".
Piney was raised in the Bible Belt of Midwest America and was sheltered from most secular music and culture growing up. She took piano lessons from the age of four and sang every week in church. As a teenager, Piney rebelled against this upbringing embracing all types of music, which may later explain her ability to write and create all genres of music. She then went to UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance where she majored in music, firstly playing drums and pitched percussion, but then changing her major to voice. When she moved to London, she went to Central Saint Martins and took some night classes while doing temp jobs by day; working in bars and clubs at night, she then joined synth pop duo Vic Twenty. Vic Twenty released a single on Mute records sub label Credible Sexy Units and toured the UK and Europe with Erasure. It was at Truck Festival that Truck Records saw Piney play the Trailer Park Stage and offered her a record deal in 2003, the start of her prolific career as a solo artist.
Musical career Piney is an established figure on the London music scene, and has toured the UK, Europe and America extensively. Among others, she has supported Gaz Coombes, Ride, Erasure, Wanda Jackson, The Hidden Cameras and The Research and she's played many festivals around the UK, US and Europe including appearances at Glastonbury festival on the Park Stage and South by Southwest. She has collaborated with many successful artists, including Andy Ramsay of Stereolab; Rob Campanella from The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Eamon Hamilton from the band Brakes and British Sea Power; Sweet Baboo, Willie J Healey, Angela Correa of Correatown, The Real Tuesday Weld, and Simple Kid.
Piney sings in Gaz Coombes's band and is a singer with Noel Gallagher. She has also sung with Garth Hudson from The Band and regularly sings with Dream Themes and Ralfe Band (both live and on their records). She also sang on the Corona Virus themed Disco album "Stayin' Alive" with Rhodri Marsden. Piney is a backing singer on Danny Goffey's forthcoming solo album as well as singing on Lawrence's new Mozart Estate album, Tower Block In A Jam Jar.
Discography
Peakahokahoo
Released on Truck Records (2004).
The album is electronica in style, and features Simple Kid. The album was extensively toured, including a slot supporting Erasure on a month-long European tour, and a session for Mark Radcliffe on BBC Radio 2.
Singles from Peakahokahoo Janet Schmanet/Kissing/Sweet (2004) Truck Records Creature/Ruth Is Coming to America/Jingle De Lo Marcelo Crivella (2004) Truck Records Greetings, Salutations, Goodbye (2004) Truck Records
Hold Yer Horses
Released on Truck Records (2006).
Whilst touring Peakahokahoo, Piney was offered a support slot at a working men's club with an Americana band and decided to try playing country versions of her songs. This led to the formation of The Piney Gir Country Roadshow, and the release of Hold Yer Horses. The album was selected as one of the top five of 2006 by Phill Jupitus in the 5 December issue of Radio Times magazine, saying, "the stomp and twang of these songs of love and life are unmissable".
Singles from Hold Yer Horses Great Divide (2006) Truck Records I Don't Know Why I Feel Like Crying But I Do (2006) Truck Records Greetings, Salutations, Goodbye - Country Roadshow Version (2007) Truck Records
The Yearling
Released on Hotel Records (2009).
After releasing the electro-quirk album Peakahokahoo and alt-country album Hold Yer Horses, Piney married the two styles together to create folktronic fusion album The Yearling, which combines the twang and heartbreak of country music with eclectic beats, lo-fi synths and found sounds. Album track and single, Of All The Wonderful Things, features Eamon Hamilton from Brakes and British Sea Power. Album track Miss Havisham features in the film You're Not You starring Hilary Swank. The album secured radio sessions with Mark Radcliffe, Marc Riley and Cerys Matthews on BBC Radio 6 Music. Piney toured the UK extensively with The Yearling: she supported The Hidden Cameras on a UK tour as well as supporting The Research on a UK tour, played SXSW Festival in Austin Texas and Slottsfjell Festival in Norway.
Singles from The Yearling Of All The Wonderful Things/My Imaginary Baby (2009) Purr Records Say I'm Sorry (2009) Hotel Records Weeping Bee (2009) Hotel Records For The Love of Others (2009) Damaged Goods
Jesus Wept
Released on Damaged Goods (2010).
The second Piney Gir Country Roadshow album evolves from the classic, old-fashioned Nashville Sound of Hold Yer Horses into a more Laurel Canyon, country-rock style with a modern twist. A lot of this album was written on tour by Piney with the Roadshow in the back of the tour van and in various venue dressing rooms. Half of the album captures a sunny California vibe, while the other half has a dark murder ballad edge to it. Jesus Wept was recorded at Bark Studio in Walthamstow with Brian O'Shaunghessy known for his work with Primal Scream, Denim and My Bloody Valentine. The album features collaborations with members of Danny and the Champions of the World and Fionn Regan's band. The Piney Gir Country Roadshow toured the UK extensively to promote the album and Piney played SXSW festival, as well as the UK festival circuit. Single, 40 Days 'n' Nights, was used in Italian indie film Some Say No directed by Giambattista Avellino.
Singles from Jesus Wept 40 Days 'n' Nights (2010) Damaged Goods. B-side After The Flood is a remix of 40 Days 'n' Nights by Simon Bookish and there is a cover of Bob Dylan's Forever Young Lucky Me (2011) Damaged Goods. Features a cover of Billy Idol's White Wedding as a B-side that was used in a Peugeot advert.
Geronimo!
Released on Damaged Goods (UK) & Highline Records (USA) (2011).
Geronimo! was recorded in early 2011 in Los Angeles with Brian Jonestown Massacre's Rob Campanella. Garo Nahoulakian was lead guitarist, arranger, and co-producer of the album. Nelson Bragg (percussionist for The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson) played percussion on most songs on the album. Brass was played by Tom Bennellick who also played on The Beatles Sergeant Pepper album and Oxford-based jazz musician Lloyd Payne.
The album was recorded almost completely live over six days. It has a reverb-drenched, analogue, 1960s sound.
Piney toured the UK and also America for the first time playing CMJ Festival as well as dates on the East Coast, West Coast and Chicago. She did an interview on NPR's Weekend Edition and played NPR's Mountain Stage in West Virginia alongside Will Oldham. She played Glastonbury Festival and was joined on stage by her former bandmates Georgina 'George' Terry and Katrin Geilhausen from all-female, art-rock band The Schla La Las.
Outta Site was playlisted at BBC 6 music and on Amazing Radio. It was supported by DJs including Lauren Laverne, Mark Radcliffe, Gideon Coe, and Simon Raymonde. Oh Lies was used on ABC 's Private Practice. Outta Site, Stay Sweet and Oh Lies were used on Misfits (E4), Made in Chelsea (E4), Being Human (BBC), Waterloo Road (BBC) and Switch (ITV).
Singles from Geronimo! Oh Lies (2011) Damaged Goods Outta Sight (2012) Damaged Goods Would You Be There (2012) Damaged Goods Stay Sweet (2012) Damaged Goods Longest Day of Spring (2012) Highline Records Friends and Neighbours (2012) Highline Records
mR. hYDE’S wILD rIDE
Released on Damaged Goods (UK) (2015) and Greyday (USA) (2016).
Piney's sixth studio album was partly recorded in Andy Ramsey (of Stereolab)'s studio and features Andy on drums for select tracks as well as members of Gaz Coombes's live band and Emiliana Torrini's band.
The album channels 60s beat pop with a touch of Kraut rock, which creates a retro-futuristic angle. There's a grungey riot grrl edge to it with growling, distorted guitars and there's a synthy edge to it too, using vintage space echo, marimba, omnichord and pocket piano; they combine to create euphoric shimmering indie to reinforce riff-led guitar pop.
Singles from mR. hYDE’S wILD rIDE Keep it Together (2015) Damaged Goods Gold Rules (2015) Damaged Goods Mouse of a Ghost/Tilt-A-Whirl (double A-side single) (2015) Damaged Goods
You Are Here Released on STRS Records (2019).
You Are Here is Piney's 7th album and explores the spaces and spikes of angular art rock and pop inspired by Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, making heavy use of the Eventide effects box, which Tony Visconti said "f*cks with the fabric of time" and synths and sax reminiscent of Roxy Music. The themes are darker than usual for Piney, who, like many artists at this time, were disillusioned by Trump, Brexit, the #MeToo movement, the growing wealth gap on the rise, gentrification pushing people out of their homes; then Piney lost a close friend, and had some health scares of her own, it was a very dark time for her. "You Are Here" captures the collective experience of dealing with loss and adversity through her own personal lens. Recording the album was a jam session, as Piney and her bandmates created the music spontaneously in the studio, sometimes in only one take, she worked with members of Gaz Coombes' touring band Garo Nahoulakian, Mike Monaghan, Nick Fowler and Tomas Greenhalf, as well as Rusty Bradshaw who played with Florence and the Machine and Harry Deacon who plays with Palace, and Razorlight. Guest vocalists on the album includes Sweet Baboo who also played baritone saxophone and Willie J Healey guested on the single "Puppy Love." With additional production and mixing from Simon Byrt and Oli Horton from Dreamtrak.
Singles from You Are Here
The Great Pretend (2018) STRS Dreamcatcher (2019) STRS Peanut Butter Malt Shop Heartthrob (2019) STRS Puppy Love featuring Willie J Healey (2020) STRS
Other releases
"I'm Letting in the Sunshine" (2012) Wise Music - featured on the Sky series Hit and Miss "Me and Mr Wolf" with The Real Tuesday Weld (2012) Moon Setting - Crammed Discs "Ghost of the Year" with Correatown (2014) Sleep and Other Drugs - Another Room Recordings "My Halloween" (2013) Damaged Goods Records "Love Is a Christmas Rose" (2016) Wise Music
Compilations
Greetings, Salutations, Goodbye - Blue Balearic (2004) K-I-S-S-I-N-G Little White Chapel Mix - A Catholic Education (2004) - Freedom Road Records Need Some Time (w/Trademark) - Truck Seven (2004) - Truck Records Jezabel - Roxy Soundwaves (2005) - Lanai Ltd Don't Say You Love Me - Erasure Remix (2005) - Mute Records Nightsong - Rob Da Bank presents Sunday Best (2005) - Sunday Best Hello Chanel - 20 Nights of Wine and Song (2005) - Grey Day Sugar - 50 Minutes (2006) Exercise1 I Want To Touch You - Never Love That Feeling Vol 2 (2006) - Club AC30 Hello Chanel, Electronic Bible 2 (2006) - White Label Music Say I'm Sorry - Slottsfjell (2008) - Slottsfjell Festival Productions Waiting on a Sunny Day - Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool: A Global Pop Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (2009) - WIAIWYA Every Day's A Holiday – Festivus (2012) Highline - Featured on the E4 series Made in Chelsea It's Christmas - Festivus 2 (2013) - Highline Records Velvet Ears presents STRS featuring Piney Gir (2018) The Great Pretend - Joyzine 15 (2018) This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us - Dream Themes featuring Piney Gir (2019) - ECC Records
Radio