Becky Stark
Encyclopedia
Becky Stark is an artist, singer, songwriter and entertainer from Los Angeles, California. She is the voice of the band Lavender Diamond
. She was raised in Maryland where she began performing as a child. At the age of 13 she travelled to the former Soviet Union as part of a U.S. State Department- Sponsored Peace Mission, a travelling musical about peaceful ecology. For four years in junior high school she was the co-host and head reporter for the weekly children's television news magazine KIds' Point of View Television-KPOV'TV - a half hour show broadcast weekly between the WWF and the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. At 18 she starred in the feature film Willa, An American Snow White for PBS. Throughout high school she studied classical singing and learned an extensive repertoire of classical, popular and jazz songs.
She studied Comparative Literature (English and Russian) and Art/Semiotics at Brown University
. In Providence she was part of the Fort Thunder
art movement and formed a theater troupe with artist and filmmaker Xander Marro. The two created a travelling operetta called Birdsongs of the Bauharoque, a fairytale fable about peace coming to planet Earth. They toured the U.S. and Canada for two months with their punk puppet opera.
After college she became a full-time student at the Merce Cunningham
Dance Conservatory in Manhattan where she studied modern dance. Seeking a warmer climate she moved to Los Angeles and became immersed in the music, comedy, film and cabaret scenes. She performed a comical variety of jobs including magician's assistant. She appeared in High School Record- an underground favorite at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival
. In the film she plays the teacher of students from the LA bands No Age
, Mika Miko, Silver Daggers and others. She has created and performed numerous folk story operettas, including an adaptation of the Little Match Girl. She appeared in the original production of acclaimed New Wave opera visionary Ruth Margraff's The Cry Pitch Carols.
She is considered a luminary of the new folk movement and the LA underground punk/noise scene. She has performed extensively as a solo artist and leader of the Lavender Diamond band. She has shared a bill with Miranda July
, Jenny Lewis
, David Byrne, John Waters, Dave Eggers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Decemberists, Beck, The New Pornographers, Devendra Banhart and hundreds of others. She has received widespread critical acclaim, appearing in the November 2007 Vanity Fair
"Folk Music Heroes" portfolio by Annie Leibovitz
on the page between Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins
. In addition to her work with Lavender Diamond she sings with The Living Sisters
, a folk trio with Eleni Mandell
and Inara George
from the Bird and the Bee.
The 2007 Lavender Diamond album Imagine Our Love was released on Matador and Rough Trade Records. A film to accompany the album is currently in production in IMAX format with director Maximilla Lukacs and art director Alia Penner. The film is an extravaganza featuring Busby Berkeley
- style dance numbers, animation and interplanetary ballet.
In 2008 Stark wrote the Songs of the Believers for the film City of Ember
starring Bill Murray, directed by Gil Kenan and produced by Tom Hanks. The film is a post-apocalyptic-action-adventure story for children. In the film Becky plays the Songmaster. She also stars in an upcoming short film version of a short story from Miranda July's book "No one Belongs Here More Than You." Based on the story, "Birthmark", the short is called "White Light". Kim Gordon and Liz Goldwyn also star in the film directed by Alia Raza.
Stark appeared onstage as the musical guest in Daily Show creator Ben Karlin's new variety show, singing with Zooey Deschanel and accompanied by okgo. She is creating a new musical comedy variety show with Jim Drain, Miranda July, Jennifer Johnson, Paper Rad
, Peter Glantz
, Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio and many other artists.
She is co-author of the Peace Comics with cartoonist Ron Rege, Jr., the drummer in Lavender Diamond. She and Ron Rege have a band together, The Mystical Unionists.
She appears as a character/vocalist on The Decemberists
' 2009 concept album The Hazards of Love
. She and the band performed the official live debut of the album at the 2009 South by Southwest Festival
.
She plays the character Margaret and sings on the tracks "Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)","Isn't It a Lovely Night?", "The Abduction of Margaret", and "The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)."
Lavender Diamond
Lavender Diamond is a Los Angeles-based Folk/country-pop quartet known for its light-hearted, often winsome sound; its simple, romantic lyrics; and the charismatic, whimsical stage presence and ethereal vocals of frontwoman Becky Stark.-History:...
. She was raised in Maryland where she began performing as a child. At the age of 13 she travelled to the former Soviet Union as part of a U.S. State Department- Sponsored Peace Mission, a travelling musical about peaceful ecology. For four years in junior high school she was the co-host and head reporter for the weekly children's television news magazine KIds' Point of View Television-KPOV'TV - a half hour show broadcast weekly between the WWF and the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. At 18 she starred in the feature film Willa, An American Snow White for PBS. Throughout high school she studied classical singing and learned an extensive repertoire of classical, popular and jazz songs.
She studied Comparative Literature (English and Russian) and Art/Semiotics at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. In Providence she was part of the Fort Thunder
Fort Thunder
Fort Thunder was a warehouse on the second floor of a pre-Civil War former textile factory in the Olneyville district of Providence, Rhode Island. From 1995 through 2001, the space was used as a venue for underground music and events, as well as a living and working space for the artists...
art movement and formed a theater troupe with artist and filmmaker Xander Marro. The two created a travelling operetta called Birdsongs of the Bauharoque, a fairytale fable about peace coming to planet Earth. They toured the U.S. and Canada for two months with their punk puppet opera.
After college she became a full-time student at the Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
Dance Conservatory in Manhattan where she studied modern dance. Seeking a warmer climate she moved to Los Angeles and became immersed in the music, comedy, film and cabaret scenes. She performed a comical variety of jobs including magician's assistant. She appeared in High School Record- an underground favorite at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. In the film she plays the teacher of students from the LA bands No Age
No Age
No Age is a two-person American indie rock group consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles and is currently signed to Sub Pop records...
, Mika Miko, Silver Daggers and others. She has created and performed numerous folk story operettas, including an adaptation of the Little Match Girl. She appeared in the original production of acclaimed New Wave opera visionary Ruth Margraff's The Cry Pitch Carols.
She is considered a luminary of the new folk movement and the LA underground punk/noise scene. She has performed extensively as a solo artist and leader of the Lavender Diamond band. She has shared a bill with Miranda July
Miranda July
Miranda July is a performing artist, writer, actress and film director. Born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger, she works under the surname of "July," which can be traced to a character from a "girlzine" Miranda created with high school friend Johanna Fateman, called Snarla.- Background :Miranda...
, Jenny Lewis
Jenny Lewis
Jennifer Diane Lewis , is an American singer-songwriter musician and actress. She was the primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums. She currently performs as part of the duo Jenny & Johnny with boyfriend Johnathan Rice...
, David Byrne, John Waters, Dave Eggers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Decemberists, Beck, The New Pornographers, Devendra Banhart and hundreds of others. She has received widespread critical acclaim, appearing in the November 2007 Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
"Folk Music Heroes" portfolio by Annie Leibovitz
Annie Leibovitz
Anna-Lou "Annie" Leibovitz is an American portrait photographer.-Early life and education:Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Leibovitz is the third of six children. She is a third-generation American whose great-grandparents were Jewish immigrants, from Central and Eastern Europe. Her father's...
on the page between Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
. In addition to her work with Lavender Diamond she sings with The Living Sisters
The Living Sisters
The Living Sisters is a folk supergroup consisting of Inara George, Becky Stark and Eleni Mandell. The members began collaborating in 2006 during breaks from their other projects...
, a folk trio with Eleni Mandell
Eleni Mandell
Eleni Mandell is an American singer-songwriter. She currently publishes albums through Zedtone in Toronto, Ontario...
and Inara George
Inara George
Inara Maryland George is a Los Angeles, California-based singer-songwriter, one half of The Bird and the Bee, a member of the band Merrick, with Bryony Atkinson, and a member of the trio The Living Sisters, with Eleni Mandell and Becky Stark...
from the Bird and the Bee.
The 2007 Lavender Diamond album Imagine Our Love was released on Matador and Rough Trade Records. A film to accompany the album is currently in production in IMAX format with director Maximilla Lukacs and art director Alia Penner. The film is an extravaganza featuring Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns...
- style dance numbers, animation and interplanetary ballet.
In 2008 Stark wrote the Songs of the Believers for the film City of Ember
City of Ember
City of Ember is a 2008 science fiction-fantasy film based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Jeanne DuPrau. It was directed by Gil Kenan from a screenplay by Caroline Thompson, and stars Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Bill Murray, Mackenzie Crook, Martin Landau and Tim Robbins.-Plot:In the...
starring Bill Murray, directed by Gil Kenan and produced by Tom Hanks. The film is a post-apocalyptic-action-adventure story for children. In the film Becky plays the Songmaster. She also stars in an upcoming short film version of a short story from Miranda July's book "No one Belongs Here More Than You." Based on the story, "Birthmark", the short is called "White Light". Kim Gordon and Liz Goldwyn also star in the film directed by Alia Raza.
Paper Rad
Paper Rad is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania/Providence, Rhode Island art collective that makes comics, zines, video art, net art, MIDI files, paintings, installations, and are in a variety of bands...
, Peter Glantz
Peter Glantz
Peter Glantz is an American director of theater and film, notably the films Lightning Bolt - Power Of Salad and the music video DVD Pick A Winner, both released through the record label Load Records...
, Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio and many other artists.
She is co-author of the Peace Comics with cartoonist Ron Rege, Jr., the drummer in Lavender Diamond. She and Ron Rege have a band together, The Mystical Unionists.
She appears as a character/vocalist on The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
' 2009 concept album The Hazards of Love
The Hazards of Love
The Hazards of Love, released March 24, 2009, is the fifth album by The Decemberists. The album was inspired by an Anne Briggs EP titled The Hazards of Love. According to the band, frontman Colin Meloy set out to write a song with the album's title—eventually leading to an entire album...
. She and the band performed the official live debut of the album at the 2009 South by Southwest Festival
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
.
She plays the character Margaret and sings on the tracks "Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)","Isn't It a Lovely Night?", "The Abduction of Margaret", and "The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)."