A gifted singer/songwriter whose rich voice and literate
storytelling belie her youth (she was only 23 when she released her
major-label debut), Brandi Carlile was born in the small town of
Ravensdale, WA, an isolated community 50 miles from Seattle. With
few neighbors or friends nearby, she grew up learning to make her
own entertainment, which included hiking trips in the nearby woods
and self-taught vocal lessons. Carlile also grew attached to the
classic country music her parents doted on, specifically Patsy
Cline, and she made her stage debut at the age of eight after she
was taken to a local country radio show by her mother. At 17 years
old, Carlile picked up the guitar, having developed a taste for rock
& roll through Elton John's classic albums of the 1970s, and began
hitting the Seattle bar scene, playing anywhere she could get a gig
(including a stint singing backup for an Elvis Presley tribute act).
While playing clubs, she encountered a band called the Fighting
Machinists, featuring twin brothers Tim Hanseroth on guitar and Phil
Hanseroth. Impressed by their instrumental skills and spot-on
harmonies, Carlile became an instant fan of the Fighting Machinists,
and when the group broke up, she persuaded the Hanseroth twins to
form a new group with her. While they started out as an aggressive
rock & roll band, Carlile's emotionally powerful songwriting and
acoustic guitar work soon became the dominant component of their
sound, and they began touring regularly, headlining small venues and
opening shows for Dave Matthews, Shawn Colvin, and India.Arie.
In 2000, Carlile recorded the first of several self-released
recordings that sold briskly at shows, and in 2005 she was signed to
Columbia Records, releasing a self-titled album later that same
year. The album earned enthusiastic reviews, and Carlile was named
one of 2005's "Artists to Watch" by Rolling Stone. In 2006, Carlile
and her band began work on her second Columbia album, The Story,
with T Bone Burnett producing. The record was released in spring
2007 to warm reviews, and the inclusion of its title track in
several commercials (most notably a General Motors ad that aired
during the 2008 Beijing Olympics) helped boost sales. Give Up the
Ghost followed in late 2009 and cracked the Top 40, and Carlile rang
in 2010 by issuing a Valentine's Day-themed EP, XOBC.
