BIO

Lightning comes and goes so quickly...

 ”Your riff sounds like a requiem” quips one fan on Sorcha Chisholm’s Jango webradio page. With a flare for drama and sensuous storytelling, Sorcha enraptures and teases her audience with song material that may raise an eyebrow or two.  Dynamic and mysterious characters emerge from her songs as if from some primordial swamp of the human psyche. Darkness never looked so beautiful. Of her inspiration Sorcha says she draws a lot from the books she reads, the bittersweet lessons of life and the world that seeps into her awareness.
 
 “If parallel universes exist, I like to think they have in me a channel in which to broadcast. I am their anchorwoman. However my language and experiences are human and in that way I try to reach out to the audience. Fear and pain can be especially inspiring as once I’m able to throw them into a song they cease to have any power over me. It’s cheaper than a shrink.”
 
Australian born but now based in Tokyo, Sorcha is finding Japan an interesting backdrop to her musical development.
 
“The Japanese have an uncanny knack for finding simplicity amidst extremity. To a Westerner Tokyo may seem chaotic and over the top. It is actually a finely tuned organic machine where everyone knows their place and what they’re doing with themselves at every moment. Earthquakes are a daily reality here and so nothing is permanent or overly sentimental. For me it’s been a refining process. I’ve become more of what I am and less of what I’m not.”
 
In 2008, Sorcha released “Radiodaze” a 5 track EP with collaborator and producer Abertronix. Recorded at his home studio, Sorcha laid down the vox, piano and guitar while Abe contributed his amazing violin in addition to arranging, recording and mixing the tracks. They are currently working on Sorcha’s debut full-length album, scheduled for release in late 2010/early 2011.

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Born and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Sorcha's interest in music was only preceded by her love for dance and writing. After taking rudimentary piano lessons she turned to emulating the artists she gravitated to in her teens: Jeff Buckley, Portishead, The Doors, Cure, PJ Harvey and Tori Amos. Despite studying sociology at university she often stole into the piano rooms to play instead of attending lectures.

After transfering to the University of Queensland in 1998 Sorcha turned to the guitar the songs started to come. Then one day she was invited to play for the "Venus Rising" women's music event at the Zoo in Fortitude Valley, to be closely followed by a stint playing the guitar for a Vulcana Women's Circus performance.

"I was hanging out at the Women's Room at UQ quite a bit and getting right into my sociological studies in that sense...  Feeling a bit of a Goddess-girl by that time I also joined the "Megaherz" program as an announcer on (community station) 4ZZZ. Many of the songs started coming from a place far off and at once close to home, and they seemed to want to help out or fill me in on another side of the story..."

Three of the songs (on the "Radiodaze" EP) came together while she was house-sharing an old Queenslander on the river with some eight other room mates.

"It was a real party house and downstairs in the "bar room" there was an old upright, a pool table and a drumkit belonging to one of my housemates. I remember jamming with so many people in that room and it was infinitely inspiring being around other musicians, artists and film students and of course their motley crew of friends who would come over to visit (and end up staying!) At the time I was also "womanning" the weekly graveyard shift at 4ZZZ. The track "Radiodaze" was born from my experiences there. "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" was loosely based on a woman I knew at the time and "Lullaby" came along really gently- I often sing it to myself when I can't sleep at night."

A feminist conference (naturally) called her to Melbourne and by that time Sorcha had finished her studies and was ready for a leap. Melbourne embraced her with open arms and she got herself into the studio and recorded "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" (2003) a 3 track demo. The title track appeared on the "EAZE" compilation of the same year. 

Tokyo was the last place Sorcha thought she'd live but the money to work as an English teacher was very attractive. After a 6 month hiatus owing to culture shock and the loss of her black Takamine, she bought a cheap keyboard and started playing piano cover songs in the local Seiyu department store. This later led to a regular spot on the Jicoo Floating Bar in Tokyo Bay and other appearances at restaurants and wine bars. In the meantime she got herself another guitar and went back to performing her originals around town.

While working as a childrens entertainer in Tokyo Sorcha met Abertronix (a fellow Adelaidean) and recognised him instantly as a musical brother. A classically trained violinist and accomplished sound engineer, he offered to produce Sorcha's EP "Radiodaze".

"Abertronix composed the music to "Sea of Blue Skies" and while I was listening, was transported to a far off land in ancient Arabia searching for a blue eyed sage. I wrote the lyrics accordingly. Abe laid down some gorgeous violin phrasings. It's such a lush song. I love it."