She Keeps Bees is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band from

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, formed in 2006 and consisting of Jessica Larrabee on vocals and guitar and Andy LaPlant on drums. They have been compared to

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

, the White Stripes,

The Kills The Kills are an English-American rock music, rock duo formed by American singer Alison Mosshart, Alison "VV" Mosshart and English guitarist Jamie Hince, Jamie "Hotel" Hince. They are signed to Domino Recording Company, Domino Records. Their fi ...

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...

, and

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. Born in ...

History

Larrabee was recording an album as a solo artist under the name She Keeps Bees ("bees" coming from her surname) and met LaPlant when she was his bartender. He helped record her music and began attending her shows, until she suggested he play with her. They formed their band in 2006. They record their music in their home in Brooklyn. Larrabee has also been a guest vocalist on

Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles " At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of ...

's Grammy-nominated album ''

Black Light A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp (fixture), lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet light filter, filter material, eith ...

''. They have supported

The Joy Formidable The Joy Formidable is a Welsh people, Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 2007 in Mold, Flintshire, and currently based in London, England. The band consists of Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan (lead vocals, guitar) and Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar, b ...

, and played at

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

in 2010. They signed to Domino Publishing in July 2010. Their third album ''Dig On'', recorded during November 2010 in a log home in the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...

, was released in July 2011.

Members

Jessica Larrabee is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been in other bands. She taught her partner Andy LaPlant to play drums; he is a recording engineer and producer. Larrabee says of their playing that "I sing until my stomach hurts while Andy beats the shit out the drums." and has acknowledged comparisons to

Reception

''The Guardian'' said that "they're like the White Stripes in reverse." Drowned in Sound said of Larrabee that "she has amazing control over her vocals, able to simultaneously be fiery and reserved, seductive and vaguely crude", and fellow Brooklyn musician

Sharon Van Etten Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Originally from New Jersey, and currently based in Los Angeles, Van Etten's music is noted for its indie rock aesthetic and personal lyric ...

said "she has one of the best voices I have ever heard and she has more soul in one finger than most female singers have in our scene." ''The New York Times''s ArtsBeat compared her to PJ Harvey, but added that "far from Ms. Harvey’s theatrical poise, Ms. Larrabee is loose, vehement and unchoreographed, jittering around the stage." The Quietus said of ''Nests'' that "the album does its duty, forms a songbook for the pissed off, the heavy-lidded and the sultry." ''The Observer'' said it was "sparse, soulful and defiantly retro." Contact Music argued that "in some parts the album isn’t an easy listen but once you’re in to it, it’s very rewarding."

Discography

Albums

*''Minisink Hotel'', self-released, 2006 *''Shhhh EP'', self-released, 2007 *''Nests'', self-released, 2008 (UK release, names Records, 2009. 2016 BB*Island) *''Revival EP'', UK (names Records), 2009 *''Dig On'', self-released, 2011 *''Eight Houses'', Future Gods (US) and BB*Island (EU), 2014 *''Kinship'', Ba Da Bing (US) and BB*Island (Europe), 2019

Singles

*"SKB-005", 7" single, 2010 *"SKB-007" 7" single, 2012 *"Our Bodies" 7" single, 2017 (Charity Single)

References

External links

*
Music on Bandcamp.com
*
podcast/interview
{{Authority control American blues rock musical groups Musical groups from Brooklyn Musical groups established in 2006 American rock music duos