Culture
Gladden House Sessions 2017: Natalie Carol of Valley Queen
By: Maria Meece and Clarence Thomas
Posted on:
LA’s Valley Queen has been steadily building a guitar-fueled sound rooted in the tapestries of the classic southern California sound, as well as the more modern expanse found in bands like My Morning Jacket. The band is led by vocalist Natalie Carol, whose crooning voice careens between both soaring and subtle. The band has relied primarily on self-distributed material through Bandcamp, but has managed to garner considerable attention, with notable performances at SXSW, a NPR Tiny Desk Concert last year, and a tour supporting Laura Marling.
The band delivered a stellar main stage set on the first day of the Nelsonville Music Festival. Shortly after, Carol came to the Gladden House for a solo acoustic set. She also shared with host Josh Antonuccio about their most recent album, Destroyer, which was released this past March. Carol opened her set with the emotional tug of war of “Stars Align,” followed by the aching “My Man” and “Pulled By The Weather.”