Vienna Teng returns to the studio in Nashville, TN with producer Cason Cooley (Katie Herzig, William Fitzsimmons) for her most uptempo, pop-influenced album to date. This time around, the celebrated singer-songwriter embraces a radically different approach to songwriting and production: bringing unfinished fragments of music into the studio, then working with software instruments and Cooley’s all-star cast of local musicians to craft them into songs. A world away from the solitary, piano-based songwriting that defines her comfort zone, she’s put the unlimited possibilities of technology and collaboration in the driver’s seat. Welcome to Vienna Teng 2.0. She returns with her much-anticipated studio album and more than 40 US tour dates.
When an artist walks away from a music career — as Teng did in 2010, to pursue a graduate degree in environmental studies and business — she can return to her art with greater urgency and a renewed love of the craft. Such is the story behind Teng’s latest recording, scheduled for national release on Tuesday, September 24, 2013. Stepping aside from music has brought fresh meaning to her writing, all informed by her recent years immersed in studying sustainability at the University of Michigan. Her wide-ranging curiosity imbues the lyrics, exploring topics as diverse as online surveillance, shipping routes, and the Occupy movement, all with her signature subtlety and warmth. But it’s really the music, with its addictive rhythms and melodies, that takes the lead on this album. Teng’s deft keyboard work and sultry vocals are still front-and-center, and the arrangements still make ample use of physical instruments, particularly drums. But now these sounds are augmented, whether dramatically and invisibly, by software and other digital devices: a seamless marriage of the human and the electronic.
In working with Teng on her first full-length album in four years, Cason Cooley notes, "Vienna has a great sense of adventure and fun. With these new songs, she holds her identity with an open hand. We’re creating a really different sound from her previous work. It’s like we’re starting at the top of a mountain and running down, taking whatever paths open up along the way, with no preconceived notion of how we’re going to get to the bottom."
And through it all, there’s a distinct tone of joy — Teng’s ultimate response to her often depressing education. "Sometimes I doubt we can survive all these crises of our own making, whether it’s climate change, political paralysis, or whatever the issue is," she says. "But every time I delve deeper instead of turning away, I feel more happy to be alive, not less. And that’s when I finally fell in love with music and with the world again. Through music, we can take painful contradictions and make them beautiful. We can embrace what overwhelms us, and then do something about it."
Check out Vienna Teng’s tour dates below:
Vienna Teng Summer 2013 Tour Dates
(Performing solo)
7/9/2013 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café Live
7/10/2013 – Buffalo, NY – Babeville (Ninth Ward)
7/11/2013 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
7/12/2013 – Natick, MA – The Center for the Arts In Natick
7/13/2013 – Qgunquit, ME – Jonathan’s Restaurant
7/14/2013 – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
Vienna Teng Album Release Fall & Winter 2013 Tour Dates
(Performing as a trio with multi-instrumentalists Alex Wong and Jordan Hamlin)
8/18/2013 – San Diego, CA – The Grand Del Mar
9/25/2013 – Evanston, IL – Space
9/26/2013 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
9/27/2013 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
9/28/2013 – Kent, OH – The Kent Stage
9/30/2013 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
10/1/2013 – Boston, MA – Royale
10/2/2013 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Hall
10/3/2013 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Casino (Wolf Den)
10/4/2013 – New York, NY – Highline Ballroom
10/5/2013 – Blairstown, NJ – Blairstown Historic Theatre
10/6/2013 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head on Stage
10/8/2013 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
10/9/2013 – Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest Cafe
10/10/2013 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton
10/11/2013 – Asheville, NC – Altamont Theatre
10/12/2013 – Durham, NC – The Carolina Theatre
10/13/2013 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic
11/7/2013 – Austin, TX – One World Theatre
11/8/2013 – Houston, TX – Dosey Doe
11/9/2013 – Dallas, TX – Kessler Theatre
11/11/2013 – Phoenix, AZ – Musical Instrument Museum
11/13/2013 – Los Angeles, CA – Largo
11/14/2013 – Livermore, CA – Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center
11/16/2013 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent (2 Shows)
11/19/2013 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
11/20/2013 – Seattle, WA – Neptune
11/22/2013 – Sacramento, CA – Assembly
11/23/2013 – Saratoga, CA – Villa Montalvo (Carriage House)
12/4/2013 – Nashville, TN – The Basement
12/5/2013 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
12/6/2013 – Lawrence, KS – Lawrence Art Center
12/7/2013 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard
12/8/2013 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Legion Arts Center
12/10/2013 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota Jazz Lounge
12/11/2013 – Denver, CO – Soiled Dove
12/13/2013 – Albuquerque, NM – Outpost
12/14/2013 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
