Rachel Platten in Ventura
She recently added a plethora of new tour dates (see full schedule below) with headlining shows and some tour jaunts with Lucy Woodward, Bess Rogers, and labelmate Tony Lucca. For fans who can’t make it to a show, Platten has scheduled a very special online StageIt Release Day Show ( http://www.stageit.com/rachelplatten/rachel_platten_album_release_web_show/2276) at 7 p.m. eastern. Earlier this week, radio stations welcomed the release of her single “1000 Ships,” and fans received an exclusive sneak peak at the accompanying video on YouTube.
With a smile that lights up the room and style sensibility to match, it’s no surprise that Rachel Platten has also been receiving much attention from the beauty and fashion community this month. She is featured as April’s spotlight artist for Tone Skin Care’s “Backstage Pass” online series ( www.facebook.com/toneskincare), and love-at-first-listen track “Nothing Ever Happens” was used in designer Rachel Roy’s fall campaign. In addition to working with Roy, Platten has also collaborated with and been sponsored by fashion brands Banana Republic and Quiksilver. She is scheduled for a repeat performance at Banana Republic’s flagship store on 34th Street in Manhattan on May 19th after the success of her performance at the store in November.
You may catch Platten’s music and vocals in some other interesting places: beyond vocals for recent spots for Dixie Paper Plates, Downy, Jeep and Barbie, three of her songs (“Nothing Ever Happens,” “Overwhelmed,” and “Remark”) will be used in the In-Sight Dance Company’s latest production, “This Is… Next Stop” which runs from April 28th through May 1st at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City, NY; www.insightdance.org).
For someone with so much on the calendar, it’s enough to make the head spin, but Platten keeps her focus. In keeping with her debut album’s title (“Be Here”) she says, “My goal is to be present in the moment and not worry about what’s behind or in front of me.” With music that the LA Music Examiner says is “artfully crafted and joyfully accessible,” Platten, who meshes catchy piano hooks with her unmistakably soulful, and uplifting voice, creates music that boasts elegantly crafted, deeply melodic, intelligent songwriting, resounding with echoes of the Beatles and Carole King, Kate Nash and Regina Spektor: her music is infectious, raw, and powerful. Selling out clubs along her rigorous tour schedule, Platten infuses a unique love and passion into each and every one of her performances. Boston born and raised, Platten was classically trained on the piano from a young age and started performing while in college and studying abroad in Trinidad. Naming influences such as Toots & The Maytals (who she was asked to tour with in 2006), Elton John, Carole King, Billy Joel, Lauryn Hill, and The Beach Boys, Platten attempts to do what she feels these artists do so beautifully – infuse often weighty, serious subject matter with light and melodic intelligence that is both instantly catchy and uplifting.
