Jenny Conlee
Encyclopedia
Jenny Conlee is the accordionist, pianist
, organist
, keyboardist
, melodica
player, and occasional backup singer and harmonicist
for the indie rock
quintet The Decemberists, roles she has filled on each of the band's releases.
artist Reclinerland, Lewi Longmire, Jerry Joseph, Buoy LaRue and countless others. Before the Decemberists, she played piano for the 1990s Portland, Oregon
, band Calobo. She is also a member of Portland-based Casey Neill
& The Norway Rats where she plays keyboards, accordion, and glockenspiel
. Her most recent project is the acoustic band Black Prairie
with a number of other Portland artists.
in comedic skits with Fred Armisen
and Carrie Brownstein
. She played a musician who unsuccessfully tries to play at every venue of a festival as a member of the band Sparkle Pony (a play on the band Sparklehorse
), and is turned away as she is not on the line up of any of them.
In May 2011, Conlee was diagnosed with breast cancer. Colin Meloy
said that a full recovery is likely, but that she will miss some concerts. On October 20, 2011 Meloy announced via his Twitter that Conlee's cancer is in remission.
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, melodica
Melodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
player, and occasional backup singer and harmonicist
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
for the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
quintet The Decemberists, roles she has filled on each of the band's releases.
Portland music
Aside from her work with the Decemberists, Conlee made guest appearances on several records by Portland bands, including Hush RecordsHush Records
-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
artist Reclinerland, Lewi Longmire, Jerry Joseph, Buoy LaRue and countless others. Before the Decemberists, she played piano for the 1990s Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, band Calobo. She is also a member of Portland-based Casey Neill
Casey Neill
Casey Neill is an American musician. He leads Portland, Oregon-based band Casey Neill & The Norway Rats, singing with a raspy vocal quality and playing electric and acoustic guitars. Neill's style, folk-punk, mixes influences from punk, Celtic and folk music, and has been compared to R.E.M...
& The Norway Rats where she plays keyboards, accordion, and glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
. Her most recent project is the acoustic band Black Prairie
Black Prairie
Black Prairie is a five-piece bluegrass-influenced band from Portland, Oregon. The band formed in early 2007. Their first album, Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, was released on April 6, 2010 on the Sugar Hill label.-History:...
with a number of other Portland artists.
Television
In 2011, she appeared on PortlandiaPortlandia (TV series)
Portlandia is a television series that debuted on the Independent Film Channel on January 21, 2011. The show, produced by Andrew Singer and Jonathan Krisel, is set and filmed both in and near Portland, Oregon and features Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen as well as Carrie Brownstein, a...
in comedic skits with Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
and Carrie Brownstein
Carrie Brownstein
Carrie Rachel Brownstein , is an American musician, writer, and actress, best known as a guitarist and vocalist in the now-defunct Portland, Oregon-based band Sleater-Kinney...
. She played a musician who unsuccessfully tries to play at every venue of a festival as a member of the band Sparkle Pony (a play on the band Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band led by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous.-History:Sparklehorse's first album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot featuring Bob Rupe of the Silos and Cracker, was a modest college radio success...
), and is turned away as she is not on the line up of any of them.
Personal
She is married to drummer Steve Drizos.In May 2011, Conlee was diagnosed with breast cancer. Colin Meloy
Colin Meloy
Colin Patrick Henry Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, percussion and interpretive hand gestures.-Early life...
said that a full recovery is likely, but that she will miss some concerts. On October 20, 2011 Meloy announced via his Twitter that Conlee's cancer is in remission.