|“Jo Mango is uniquely gifted – as a musician and as a performer. She writes the most beautiful songs and her sense of fun in life has made this last year that I have been on the road with her a luminous one. Kind, original, musical and clever – I know Jo will go far.” Vashti Bunyan Scottish singer songwriter Jo Mango has recently returned home to Glasgow from an exhausting year of astonishing accomplishment, traversing the entire globe. She has played for David Byrne (Talking Heads) in front of a sell-out crowd at the Carnegie Hall; found hundreds of new fans in Japan and then moved on to Texas where she played for the thousands of Music Industry personnel at South By South West. She collaborated on performances with cult new-folk figures Vashti Bunyan, Devendra Banhart, as well as more established folkies Donovan, Eddi Reader and many more. Along the way she even found herself showing REM’s Michael Stipe how to play the Kalimba! It’s all a long way from the tiny record label she, her twin brother and manager started from her front room 3 years ago. For, in April 2004 she founded Lo-Five Records and released her first record, The Antidote EP (**** The List), which received airplay across the BBC Radio network. Her absolutely beautiful debut album Paperclips and Sand followed on in March 2006 and is now on sale internationally, to great reviews. Early in 2006, after a year of fantastic festival appearances, where she famously duetted with Willy Vlautin of Richmond Fontaine (“No woman could have a better voice”), word of Jo’s strange and varied instrumental talents reached cult folk-legend Vashti Bunyan who, on the lookout for a flautist / keyboardist / concertina / kalimba player, asked Jo to join her band on tour. Since April 2006 Jo has been touring extensively, as the mainstay of Vashti’s band, throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Japan. At home in the UK she also featured in the extremely unusual collaborative spectacle, the Zero Degrees of Separation tour, becoming an integral part of the band featuring Adem, Juana Molina, Vetiver and Vashti herself. This culminated in a Carnegie Hall show in New York in February, curated by the legendary David Byrne. In the last year, Jo has also appeared as a solo artist playing shows across the globe, beginning with a session on Nic Harcourt’s show ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’ on Santa Monica’s KCRW; at The Hotel Café in LA, Pianos in New York; live on TV in session on BBC 2’s Rapal; to rapturous receptions in Australia; at a sold-out solo show in Tokyo; and most recently at SXSW in Austin, Texas. There, her official showcase took place at The Central Presbyterian Church, a venue shared with the likes of Willy Mason. She also represented the best of new Scottish talent at the SXSW Scottish Showcase alongside The Fratellis, Paolo Nutini and Emma Pollock and was featured by MTV Australia. Since returning from SXSW Jo has received airplay across the BBC in the build up to the release of her single ‘My Lung’, and will be live in session on Radio 2 on the 24th of June. Jo is currently writing her new album, so look out for some exciting collaborations, and is expanding her label and management to encompass the world of talent that she has been unearthing in Scotland and beyond. She is also in the midst of studying at The University of Glasgow for a PhD in Musicology which she hopes will turn her into Dr Mango very soon! “Pure, uncomplicated… captivating” Clash Magazine “A quietly mighty talent” Rock Sound “Jo Mango is definitely one exotic fruit to seek out” The Scotsman| |
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