"Nature talking its own jive."
"Modest, smart, and enduringly satisfying." "Dreamy, poignant renderings of life's breathless moments..." Beatbeat Whisper is the project of siblings Davyd and Ayla Nereo, begun in the hills of Sonoma County, now living in Oakland, California. Each an outstanding songwriter individually, the two combine their music with overlapping harmonies and widely varied instrumentation, exchanging electric and acoustic guitars in one song for kalimba and tambourine the next, and mandoline and piano to follow. Their notes murmur of traditional folksongs and rock ballads, classical piano sonatas and pirate shanties, weaving word into harmony with two strings of voice.
Beatbeat Whisper has released two full-length albums, and future works include a third album, image-music films, and projects furthering compassion and collaboration. "The music that they make together - is much like that icy stream flowing down from spots on a mountain that people don't get to very often. They plume out of instruments that sound as if they've had countless hands touch them over their many decades - love them and treat them in their own ways, all of them. It can be spooked and startled and yet it's not precious at all, nature talking its own jive." " Within such a controlled space, the voices of siblings Ayla and Davyd Nereo bounce like those of rare conservatory birds against the walls and through the vacuum tubes. It is sweet folk music."
"Each tune is crafted seamlessly into a subtle flurry of vocals, acoustic guitar and piano, throwing in shades of rock, pop, and even some quirky rockabilly for good measure... when explored further, your ears will be treated to something entirely more complicated and inherently breathtaking." "Raised by a musical family in Sonoma County, brother and sister Davyd and Ayla Nereo have been toying with folk instruments almost all their lives. So when they joined forces as Beatbeat Whisper in 2006, the siblings had an advantage in more than just chemistry. Their self-titled debut earned immediate attention within the indie-folk scene, and its mellow, charming 2008 follow-up, Wonder Continental, is bound for national buzz. Whenever an insular movement like neo-folk yields something as universally appealing as Beatbeat Whisper, people take note." "Intuitive use of sound and space to craft full, strong melodies... incorporating a variety of pop and rock influences that further set them apart from a more traditional folk setup... a surprisingly unified and consistent sound from a band with two individual songwriters." "Dreamy, poignant renderings of life's breathless moments... delicate melodies in Nick Drake-like guitar weavings. Fans of Devendra Banhart and Jolie Holland will find this friendly territory, but they'll wish they sounded more like this. If hummingbirds made music, this is what they'd sound like." ~ Richard Rice, San Francisco Free Folk Festival "Both handle their instrumentation with care; creating a delicate and floating sound in their songs that pay homage to traditional folk music yet are fresh and present." ~ Natalie, KZSU "Together the brother and sister duo explored different sounds, some similar to the those of Coco Rosie, The Delgados, and others sounding more like Mates of State, minus the drums... Nothing overwhelmed anything, and they were perfectly musically joined, and were such a divine honor to the notion of simplicity. It can be so much more powerful than expected." "Ayla and Davyd Nereo straddle Americana and indie, practicing contemporary "outsider" folk at its best: modest, smart, and enduringly satisfying."
"Press accounts have thrown around names like Devendra Banhart and Jolie Holland when describing their music, and the comparisons seem appropriate. They remind me a bit of Elephant Parade without being terribly quirky... a gentle blend of New Weird America and '70s singer-songwriter sensibilities." "This really is a hidden gem of sorts. A little Adem, a little Mirah." Beatbeat Whisper is the project of Davyd Nereo and Ayla Nereo, and is also what happens to strings and metals when melted and reshaped and woven back into the Big quilt. Come from the Sonoma County hills to live in Oakland, California, the siblings toss back and forth their many instruments, more than they can carry alone, making music that rhymes with traditional folksongs, dancy rock ballads, classical piano sonatas, and pirate shanties, and weaving word into harmony with two strings of voice.
Ayla and Davyd began making music as wee ones, kazoos and recorders and the instrument basket at home; Ayla notated piano chords in her own music language, and Davyd recorded experimental punk-folk into a computer. After homeschooling for many years, they entered high school, learned the system, went to college, learned specialization, and eight years later began to un-school themselves properlay again. Around this time they decided to join learning, with two guitars and one co-written song.
Then, in March 2006, that one song, "Try not to let the rain in your boots, child," was chosen to be on the compilation Stanford Soundtrack 2006. That was the beginning of Beatbeat Whisper (though the name came later). In July 2006 Davyd's song, "Little Window Open Up" was featured on the compilation, Sounds of West Sonoma County. Then they were picked again for the Stanford Soundtrack in March 2007 for Ayla's song, "Lulu." They have been invited to interview and perform live on air with KZSU 90.1 FM, KZSC 88.1 FM, KDVS "Cool As Folk,", KUSP, KCSB, KCPR Sessions, and WUML, as well as the Band In Boston show, Pacific Noise, and the SF Bay Bridged. They have been in the Top 10 of KZSU, WUML, and WSCA. Beatbeat Whisper has self-released a 10-track disk, and are about to release their second full-length album , as well as a live album, and soon an EP. Davyd and Ayla each have individual albums as well. Their future plans include interactive art, image-music films, books, and projects of compassion.
~ San Francisco Free Folk Festival
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