Biography
Wrung from the rags of New London’s speakeasies, Dame Calico & Raise the Rent stir together a wicked musical cocktail, drawing from the deep well of the American songbook. Fusing honky-tonk torch vocals with swing and gypsy fiddling, swirling jazz-pop, and zydeco and ragtime harmony singing, they bring together the gems of their own original songs with a top-shelf selection of beloved American broadsides of a bygone age.
“Martin’s evocative voice hovers playfully betwixt Patsy Cline and Dinah Washington.” ~ Rick Koster
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“the music is a little dirty, a little dangerous but a hell of a good time.” ~ Chip McCabe
“In a jazz-tinged voice ever-so-subtly reminiscent of Patsy Cline, Daphne Lee Martin displays her vast musical, and often geographical, journey throughout this collection of self authored material.” ~ Don Dimuccio
“Let’s Stay In Bed All Day” is punchy, and equal to anything Dr. John might have conjured up in his voodoo lair. This horn-driven number has a classic standard feel which stays in your head for days.”~ Vincent Bator, Examiner.com
“Daphne Lee Martin & Raise the Rent, “Dig & Be Dug” (The Telegraph Recording Company). New London resident Martin digs vintage sounds on her debut, from dusty borderland meditations to hints of Dixieland and old-school country. She’s at her best on the torchy tunes, singing in sultry tones over blasts of Mariachi-style trumpet on “Old Guitar” and murmuring wistfully on the waltz-time “Saratoga Rain.”” ~Eric Danton, The Hartford Courant
“In Lieu of Flowers” is a perfect example of Daphne Lee Martin’s strong songwriting chops, as well as her predilection for combining Old Timey melody with contemporary imagery” ~ Don Dimuccio
“With her strong writing style and sultry vocal delivery, Martin has you in the palm of her hand from track one…” ~ Troy Michael
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.