Zebu oxen in Mumbai, India.

An ox (plural oxen), also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable. Cows (adult females) or bulls (intact males) may also be used in some areas.

Oxen are used for plowing, for transport (pulling carts, hauling wagons and even riding), for threshing grain by trampling, and for powering machines that grind grain or supply irrigation among other purposes. Oxen may be also used to skid logs in forests, particularly in low-impact, select-cut logging.

Oxen are usually yoked in pairs. Light work such as carting household items on good roads might require just one pair, while for heavier work, further pairs would be added as necessary. A team used for a heavy load over difficult ground might exceed nine or ten pairs.

Training[link]

A team of ten pairs of oxen in Australia.

Working oxen are taught to respond to the signals of the teamster, bullocky or ox-driver. These signals are given by verbal command and body language, reinforced by a goad, whip or a long pole (which also serves as a measure of length: see rod). In pre-industrial times, most teamsters were known for their loud voices and forthright language.

Verbal commands for draft animals vary widely throughout the world. In North America, the most common commands are:

• Get up: go
• Whoa: stop
• Back: back up
• Gee: turn to the right
• Haw: turn to the left

In the New England tradition, young castrated cattle selected for draft are known as working steers and are painstakingly trained from a young age. Their teamster makes or buys as many as a dozen yokes of different sizes for each animal as it grows. The steers are normally considered fully trained at the age of four and only then become known as oxen. In other traditions, adult cattle with little or no prior human conditioning are often yoked and trained as oxen. This is done for economy, as it is easier to let a calf be raised by its mother, and for lack of adequate methods for housing and feeding young calves.^[1]

A tradition in south eastern England was to use oxen (often Sussex cattle) as dual-purpose animals: for draft and beef. A plowing team of eight oxen normally consisted of four pairs aged a year apart. Each year, a pair of steers of about three years of age would be bought for the team and trained with the older animals. The pair would be kept for about four years, then sold at about seven years old to be fattened for beef – thus covering much of the cost of buying that year's new pair. Use of oxen for plowing survived in some areas of England (such as the South Downs) until the early twentieth century. Pairs of oxen were always hitched the same way round, and they were often given paired names (as in the well-known example of the names of Santa Claus's reindeer: Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen). In southern England it was traditional to call the near-side (left) ox of a pair by a single-syllable name and the off-side (right) one by a longer one (for example: Lark and Linnet, Turk and Tiger).^[2]

Ox trainers favour larger animals for their ability to do more work. Oxen are therefore usually of larger breeds, and are usually males because they are generally larger. Females can also be trained as oxen, but as well as being smaller, they are often more valued for producing calves and milk. Bulls are also used in many parts of the world, especially Asia and Africa.^[3][4]

Shoeing[link]

A single left-hand ox shoe of the type used for large Chianina oxen in Tuscany

Karel Dujardin, 1622–1678: A Smith Shoeing an Ox

Working oxen usually require shoes,^[5] although in England not all working oxen were shod.^[6] Since their hooves are cloven, two shoes or ox cues are required for each hoof, unlike the single shoe of a horse. Ox shoes are usually of approximately half-moon or banana shape, either with or without calkins, and are fitted in symmetrical pairs to the hooves. Unlike horses, oxen are not easily able to balance on three legs while a farrier shoes the fourth.^[5][7] In England, shoeing was accomplished by throwing the ox to the ground and lashing all four feet to a heavy wooden tripod until the shoeing was complete.^[5] A similar technique was used in Serbia^[8] and, in a simpler form, in India,^[9] where it is still practiced.^[10] In Italy, where oxen may be very large, shoeing is accomplished using a massive framework of beams in which the animal can be partly or completely lifted from the ground by slings passed under the body; the feet are then lashed to lateral beams or held with a rope while the shoes are fitted.^[11][12]

Ox shoeing sling in the Dorfmuseum of Mönchhof, Austria; a pair of ox shoes is attached to the near left column

Such devices were made of wood in the past, but may today be of metal. Similar devices are found in France, Austria, Germany, Spain, Canada and the United States, where they may be called ox slings, ox presses or shoeing stalls.^[7][13][14] The system was sometimes adopted in England also, where the device was called a crush or trevis; one example is recorded in the Vale of Pewsey.^[6] The shoeing of an ox partly lifted in a sling is the subject of John Singer Sargent's painting Shoeing the Ox,^[15] while A Smith Shoeing an Ox by Karel Dujardin shows an ox being shod standing, tied to a post by the horns and balanced by supporting the raised hoof.

Uses and comparison to other draught animals[link]

Riding an ox in Hova, Sweden.

Oxen can pull heavier loads, and pull for a longer period of time than horses depending on weather conditions.^[16] On the other hand, they are also slower than horses, which has both advantages and disadvantages; their pulling style is steadier, but they cannot cover as much ground in a given period of time. For agricultural purposes, oxen are more suitable for heavy tasks such as breaking sod or ploughing in wet, heavy, or clayey soil. When hauling freight, oxen can move very heavy loads in a slow and steady fashion. They are at a disadvantage compared to horses when it is necessary to pull a plow or load of freight relatively quickly.

For millennia, oxen also could pull heavier loads due to the use of the yoke, which was designed to work best with the neck and shoulder anatomy of cattle. Until the invention of the horse collar, which allowed the horse to engage the pushing power of its hindquarters in moving a load, horses could not pull with their full strength because the yoke was incompatible with their anatomy.^[1]

Well-trained oxen in general are also considered less excitable than horses.

See also[link]

• Aurochs
• Bullock cart (ox-cart)
• Bullocky (ox-driver, teamster)
• Ox-wagon (bullock wagon)
• Oxtail
• Ridge and furrow
• Ox

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oxen

• Don't Knock the Ox, Canadian short showing ox-shoeing and ox-pulling
• Rural Heritage-Ox Paddock
• Two articles about oxen compared with horses

Amanda Palmer
Palmer playing at the Music Box Theatre, Hollywood, California; December 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Amanda MacKinnon Palmer
Also known as	Amanda Fucking Palmer[1][2]
Born	(1976-04-30) April 30, 1976 (age 36) New York City
Genres	Alternative rock, punk cabaret
Occupations	Artist, performer, musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, keyboard, piano, ukulele
Years active	1989–present
Labels	8ft Records / Formerly Roadrunner Records (until April 2010)[3]
Associated acts	The Dresden Dolls Evelyn Evelyn
Website	Amanda Palmer.net

Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer^[4] (born April 30, 1976), sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer,^[1][2] is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls.^[5] She has since started a solo career, and is also one half of the duo Evelyn Evelyn.

Biography[link]

Palmer was born in New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital,^[6] and grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts.^[7] She attended Lexington High School, where she was involved in the drama department,^[8] and attended Wesleyan University^[9] where she was a member of the Eclectic Society.^[10] She staged performances based on work by the Legendary Pink Dots, an early influence, and was involved in the Legendary Pink Dots electronic mailing list, Cloud Zero.^{[citation needed]} She then formed the Shadowbox Collective, devoted to street theatre and putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play, Hotel Blanc,^[11] which she directed).

With an interest in the performing arts, both in music and in theatre, Palmer spent time busking as a living statue called "The Eight Foot Bride" in Harvard Square, Cambridge; Edinburgh, Scotland; Australia (where she met Jason Webley);^[12] as well as many other locations. She references this line of work on The Dresden Dolls' self-titled CD, with the song "The Perfect Fit":

"I can paint my face
And stand very, very still
It's not very practical
But it still pays the bills"

as well as on the A is for Accident track "Glass Slipper":

"I give out flowers
To curious strangers
who throw dollars at my feet."

The Dresden Dolls[link]

Amanda Palmer performing with The Dresden Dolls at Kings Arms Tavern in Auckland, New Zealand, September 2006

At a Halloween party in 2000, Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione and afterwards they formed The Dresden Dolls. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at her live shows. The Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, performed at many gigs. The invited costumed characters mingled with the crowd before and during the show, and veteran groups sometimes joined in with a choreographed stage act. Life-sized marionettes, coin-operated boys, living statues, and other undergroundlings greeted fans while circus and burlesque drew the audience into the Dolls' music, creating a participatory atmosphere that allowed the audience to experience numerous types of art simultaneously.

After developing a cult following, the band recorded their eponymous debut album, The Dresden Dolls in 2002 with producer Martin Bisi (of Indie, Brooklyn, New York fame). They produced the album before being picked up by Roadrunner Records.

In 2006, The Dresden Dolls Companion,^[13] was published, with words, music & artwork by Amanda Palmer.^[13] In it she has written a history of the album The Dresden Dolls and of the duo, as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics, sheet music, and notes on each song in the album, all written by Palmer, as well as a DVD with a 20 minute interview of Amanda about making the book.

In June 2007, as part of the Dresden Dolls, she toured with the True Colors Tour 2007,^[14] including her debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall,^[15] and her first review in the New York Times.^[15]

July 2008 saw the release of the second Dresden Dolls book, the Virginia Companion.^[16] It is a follow-up to The Dresden Dolls Companion, featuring the music and lyrics from the Yes, Virginia...(2006) and No, Virginia... (2008) albums.

The Onion Cellar and Cabaret[link]

Palmer conceived the musical/production The Onion Cellar, based on a short story from The Tin Drum by Günter Grass. From December 9, 2006 through January 13, 2007, The Dresden Dolls performed the piece in conjunction with the American Repertory Theater at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While Palmer was openly frustrated with the direction of the show, fan and critical reviews were very positive.^[17][18]

Palmer, as part of her solo career, returned to the A.R.T. in fall 2010 for a two-month run of Cabaret, starring as the Emcee.^{[citation needed]}

2010 Reunion Tour[link]

In 2010, a reunion tour to selected venues in the United States occurred. It started on Halloween in New York City and ended in San Francisco on New Years Eve.^[19]

Solo career[link]

Palmer (left) as one half of Evelyn Evelyn, with Jason Webley.

Palmer's solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was released on September 16, 2008.^[20] Ben Folds produced and also played on the album.^[21][22] The title is a play on an expression used by fans during Twin Peaks' original run, "Who killed Laura Palmer?" A companion book of photos of Palmer looking as if she were murdered was released in July 2009 featuring photography by Kyle Cassidy and accompanying writing by Neil Gaiman.

August Strindberg was indirectly referenced in a song by Palmer titled "Strength Through Music," which contains an audio clip of a web cartoon called Strindberg and Helium. The cartoon almost exclusively quotes Strindberg's work.

In July 2007, Palmer played three sold out shows (in Boston, Hoboken, and NYC) in a rare "with band" format. Her backing band was Boston alternative rock group Aberdeen City, who also opened along with Dixie Dirt. In August 2007, Amanda traveled to perform in the Spiegeltent and other venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, and also performed on BBC Two's The Edinburgh Show. She collaborated with Australian theater company, The Danger Ensemble; both again appeared at the Spiegeltent in Melbourne and at other venues around Australia in December 2007. In September 2007 Palmer collaborated with Jason Webley to release Evelyn Evelyn's debut EP "Elephant Elephant" via Jason's Eleven Records. In June 2008, Palmer established her solo career with two well-received performances with the Boston Pops.^[23][24][25] In Autumn 2008, she toured Europe with Jason Webley, Zoe Keating and The Danger Ensemble, performing songs mostly from her debut solo album. She did most of the shows with a broken foot she had sustained in Ireland when a car ran over her foot as she stepped out into a street.^[26] In April 2009, she played at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.^[15]

In 2009, Palmer went back to her alma mater, Lexington High School in Massachusetts to collaborate with her old director and mentor Steven Bogart on a workshop piece for the department's spring production. The play, With The Needle That Sings In Her Heart was inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel's album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and The Diary of Anne Frank.^[27] It received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Lexington community and abroad. NPR's Avishay Artsy interviewed the cast in a piece featured on All Things Considered on closing night of the production.^[28] Amanda described this process as "what it's all about" in her blog.^{[citation needed]}

From August to October 2010, she performed in Cabaret at the A.R.T. in Boston, Massachusetts. She played the emcee, collaborating with long-time associates Lance Horne (music director), Steven Mitchell Wright of The Danger Ensemble ("movement master/choreographer"), and Steven Bogart (director, Amanda's high school drama teacher who directed the Lexington High School production of the Neutral Milk Hotel-inspired "With the Needle That Sings In Her Heart").^[29][30][31]

Palmer has increasingly used the ukulele in her career,^[32] including free ninja gigs in public locations, that are open to all ages.^{[citation needed]}

On February 9, 2012, Palmer announced on her blog^[33] that she will begin recording a new solo album in collaboration with The Grand Theft Orchestra, under the name of 'Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra'. Palmer stated that there are "20+ songs" ready to record, and that "almost all of them have never been heard". The album is to be recorded in Melbourne with John Congleton producing.^[33]

Use of the Internet[link]

Palmer is noted for her use of the Internet, regularly using the latest innovations to make new fans and connect with old ones. This includes her forum,^[34] her blog,^[35] use of many free music and social networking sites, fund raising, and direct-to-fan marketing.^[36]

Controversies[link]

Dispute with Roadrunner Records, fans' "ReBellyon"[link]

Photo taken during her 2008 tour promoting Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

After the release of her music video for the song "Leeds United," Palmer sparked controversy with a post in her blog. She claimed Roadrunner Records had wanted to pull certain shots from the video that exposed her stomach, because "...they thought I looked fat." After her fans read about this, they posted pictures of their stomachs online with messages to Roadrunner, lyrics, and words of comfort. They then sent their pictures to the record label, and started a web site.^{[citation needed]} The fans coined a term for the movement: The ReBellyon, and put together a book, "The Belly Book," of over 600 pictures and stories from fans. The book was sold over the internet to fans all over the world.^[37] Pitchfork Magazine^[38] and The Guardian^[39] were among publications reporting on the controversy.

Partly because of the Leeds video controversy,^{[citation needed]} Palmer attempted to disengage from her contract with Roadrunner Records, going as far as composing and performing a song called "Please Drop Me," which asked the label to free her from the contract.^[40][41]

After a long legal battle between Palmer and Roadrunner, and her repetitive pleas to discontinue her contract with Roadrunner, Palmer announced^[3] that Roadrunner Records finally released her from their label. Her appreciation was punctuated with another new song: "Do You Swear to Tell the Truth the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth So Help Your Black Ass" as a free download to celebrate her new freedom. She repeated the announcement during an appearance on the Australian music quiz show Spicks and Specks.^[42]

"Oasis" controversy[link]

Palmer's song "Oasis" and its follow-up video sparked more controversy. The song's fictional story deals with an Oasis fan and rape victim who has an abortion. Despite these tragic events, she states that "I've seen better days, but I don't care", and directly after, informs the listener what just happened involving her process of communicating to Oasis through fan mail, first, "I just sent a letter in the mail", then, "Oasis got my letter in the mail", and finally, toward the end of the song, "I just got a letter in the mail."^[43] Palmer received an e-mail while she was in the United Kingdom from her label there explaining that "all" of the TV outlets in the country had refused to play the video due to its "making light of rape, religion, and abortion." Palmer, in response, wrote on her blog "I suggested that I might be allowed to play it if I just slowed it way down and played it in a minor key. Think about it. If they heard the same lyrics against the backdrop of a very sad and liliting [sic] piano, maybe with some tear-jerking strings thrown in for good measure, would they take issue?"^[44]

"I Kissed a Girl" skit[link]

In December 2008, Palmer performed an Anti Proposition 8 agitprop skit at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles where a Katy Perry look-alike came onstage and began singing her controversial song "I Kissed a Girl," only to be interrupted, kissed, and fondled by Palmer and comedian Margaret Cho. The skit ended with the two binding and gagging "Perry," who is forced into a mock wedding with Palmer, followed by the raising of an anti Proposition 8 banner. Palmer mentioned, on her blog, the discontent some in the LGBT community had with Perry over her exploitation of their identity in her song "I Kissed a Girl," and said she meant the piece as a protest against Proposition 8.^[45][46]

Personal life[link]

Palmer resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

She has identified as bisexual,^[47] telling afterellen.com in 2007: "I'm bisexual, but it's not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about," Palmer said. "I've slept with girls; I've slept with guys, so I guess that's what they call it! I'm not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives."^[48] On her blog, Palmer has stated that she had an abortion at age 17. In the same blog post, she stated that she was date raped when she was 20 years old.^[49]

Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman (Vienna 2011)

On January 1, 2010, she stated on her Twitter feed that she "might have told [Neil Gaiman] [she]'d marry him but also might have been drunk."^[50] On January 15, 2010, Neil Gaiman and Palmer confirmed their engagement in an announcement made to their respective websites.^[51][52] On November 16, 2010, Amanda Palmer hosted a flash mob wedding (not legally binding) for Gaiman's birthday in New Orleans.^[53] On January 3, 2011, the couple announced, via Twitter, that they had legally married in a private ceremony.^[54] The wedding took place in the parlour of writers Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon.^[55]

Palmer practices meditation and wrote an article titled "Melody vs. Meditation"^[56] for the Buddhist publication Shambhala Sun, that described the struggle between songwriting and being able to clear the mind to meditate. Palmer has also mentioned her pescetarianism on her blog.^[57] She has many friends who are fellow musicians, and frequently performs alongside them, either accompanying them in their performances, or featuring them in her live shows.^{[original research?]} These performers include: Jason Webley, Kim Boekbinder, The Jane Austen Argument, Reggie Watts, Tim Minchin, Mikelangelo, Meow Meow and Neil Gaiman.^{[citation needed]}

Awards & honors[link]

• 2012 – Twitter Feed @amandapalmer in the Boston Phoenix's Best 2012 ^[58]
• 2011 – Actress in a local production: Cabaret – Boston's Best, Improper Bostonian^[59]
• 2010 – Artist of the Year – Boston Music Awards^[60][61][62]
• 2010 – Cover of Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead) named 13th of Paste Magazine's 20 Best Cover Songs of 2010^[63]
• 2009 – No. 100 on After Ellen's Hot 100 of 2009.^[64]
• 2008 – No. 6 on the Best Solo artist list in The Guardian's Readers' Poll of 2008.^[65]
• 2007 – No. 6 on Spinner.com's Women Who Rock Right Now.^[66]
• 2006 – the Boston Globe named her the most stylish woman in Boston.^[67]
• 2006 – listed in Blender Magazine's hottest women of rock.^[68]
• 2005 – Best Female Vocalist in the WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll.^[69][70]

Discography[link]

Solo artist[link]

Demos[link]

• Songs from 1989–1995... (1996)
• Summer 1998 Five Song Demo (1997)

Studio albums[link]

• Who Killed Amanda Palmer (2008) No. 77 US^[71]
• Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under (2011)^[72]
• Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra (2012)^[73]

EPs[link]

• Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele (2010)^[74][75][76]

Singles[link]

• "Do You Swear to Tell the Truth the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth So Help Your Black Ass" (April 6, 2010)
• "Idioteque" (June 10, 2010)
• "Map of Tasmania" (December 2010)^[77]

DVDs[link]

• Who Killed Amanda Palmer: A Collection of Music Videos (2009)

As part of The Dresden Dolls[link]

• The Dresden Dolls EP (2002)
• A Is for Accident (2003)
• The Dresden Dolls (2003, reissued 2004)
• Yes, Virginia... (2006)
• No, Virginia... (2008)

As part of Evelyn Evelyn[link]

• Elephant Elephant (2007)^[78][79]
• Evelyn Evelyn (2010)

Other collaborations[link]

• "Trudy" (with Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women on In Girl Trouble) (2003)
• "Circus Freak Love Triangle" (with Hierosonic on Pornos and Razorblades) (2005)
• "Warsaw Is Khelm" (with Golem on Fresh Off Boat) (2006)
• "Life", "Eight Days of Hell" and "Witch's Web" (with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead on So Divided) (2006)
• "The Lovers" (with Meredith Yayanos on Brainwaves) (2006)
• "Stuck with You" (with Voltaire on Ooky Spooky) (2007)
• "Everybody Hurts" (with Cormac Bride on Stereogum Presents... Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic For the People) (2007)
• "Black Versus White" (with Apoptygma Berzerk on Rocket Science) (2009)
• Murder By Death/Amanda Palmer Split 7" (2009)
• "Living in Misery" (with Kill Hannah on Wake Up the Sleepers) (2009)
• "János vs Wonderland" (with Tristan Allen on Tristan Allen EP) (2010)
• "The Little Prince" (with Lance Horne on First Things Last) (2011)^[80]
• Nighty Night (with Damian Kulash of OK Go, Neil Gaiman and Ben Folds as 8in8) (2011)^[81][82]
• "Such Great Heights" (with Kim Boekbinder on Such Great Heights single) (2011)^[83][84][85]

Cameo appearances[link]

• "Let Me Borrow That Top" (by Liam Kyle Sullivan aka. "Kelly") (2004) appearing briefly in the mall scene.
• "With the Needle That Sings in Her Heart" (Lexington High School's 2009 Spring Production) appearing as "The Ringmaster"

Bibliography[link]

• Palmer, Amanda (2006). The Dresden Dolls Companion. New York, NY: Eight Foot Music. ISBN 978-1-57560-888-4. 
• Palmer, Amanda; Viglione, Brian (2008). The Dresden Dolls – The Virginia Companion. Cherry Lane Music Company. ISBN 1-60378-079-3. 
• Palmer, Amanda; Gaiman, Neil; Cassidy, Kyle; Hommel, Beth (2009). Who Killed Amanda Palmer: A Collection of Photographic Evidence. New York, NY: Eight Foot Books. ISBN 0-615-23439-9. 
• Palmer, Amanda (2009). Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?. Cherry Lane Music Company. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-60378-123-7. "A songbook with the chords and lyrics to the album Who Killed Amanda Palmer" 
• Cynthia, Von Buhler; Palmer, Amanda; Webley, Jason (2011). Evelyn Evelyn (illustrated ed.). Diamond Comic Distributors. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-59582-578-0. 

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amanda Palmer

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Amanda Palmer

• Amanda Palmer's official site
• Live Webcast & Ustream archive
• Amanda Palmer's autobiography on The Dresden Dolls' website
• Amanda Palmer discography at MusicBrainz
• Amanda Palmer discography at Discogs

Interviews[link]

• Conversation with Amanda Palmer and Henry Rollins – July 7, 2007

Features[link]

• "Art Endures, Capitalism Degenerates: The Evolving Career of Amanda Palmer", by Sean Bell, PopMatters, October 28, 2011

Gregory and the Hawk
Meredith Godreau in summer 2007
Background information
Origin	New York, USA
Genres	Acoustic, indie pop, indie folk[1]
Years active	2003–present
Labels	FatCat Records, Pearly Gates!
Website	http://www.gregoryandthehawk.com/

Meredith Godreau is an American singer-songwriter performing under the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk. Active since 2003, Godreau initially enjoyed independent success with 2 EPs and a full length album selling a total of 15,000 copies.

Biography[link]

Originally from Medfield, Massachusetts, Godreau moved to upstate New York when she was twelve. This was where she learned a number of instruments, including piano, clarinet, oboe, violin and viola before settling on her "$70 Christmas gift": the guitar.

Godreau then took on the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk in 2003 to avoid being pigeonholed as a singer-songwriter, despite citing her influences as Nick Drake, Liz Phair and PJ Harvey. The name was derived from her brother, Gregory, and his imaginary childhood hawk. This was when she released her demo EP, including early versions of the popular "Boats and Birds" and "Isabelle".^[2] When asked about going by her real name, Godreau responds, "There is no reason for it. But, I’d walk by places and it’d say ‘Playing Tonight – Joe Jones’ and I think that was super-boring and I’d never want to go to that show".

Godreau began playing solo shows in small venues around New England until 2005 when she met Mike McGuire in New York. The two played live shows together for several months before bassist Jeff Ratner and drummer Adam Christgau (both of New York band Paper And Sand) joined the band. The four of them recorded the Boats And Birds EP.^[3]

Boats and Birds[link]

In 2006, Gregory and the Hawk self released the Boats and Birds EP as a home-studio project containing the songs "Isabelle" and "Boats and Birds". Both songs received a great amount of attention on social networking website MySpace, increasing Gregory and the Hawk's popularity. Soon after the release, the four friends moved apart, and so Godreau began playing live with just Ratner on upright bass, and herself on acoustic guitar and vocals.

FatCat Records[link]

In Your Dreams, Gregory and the Hawk's first full length album, was self released the following year with Mike McGuire and Susan Ambrose as the only other players. The album received many positive reviews but it wasn't until a show in Godreau's native Brooklyn that FatCat Records stumbled across her. Before Gregory and the Hawk was signed, Godreau already sold 15,000 copies of her demos and full length album, had 18 pages of cover versions on YouTube, and had several solo shows. As stated by FatCat Records, "[we] discovered our newest signing, Gregory and the Hawk, entirely by accident, whilst out one night at a bar in Brooklyn. An unknown band came on stage and Meredith Godreau began to sing, instantly stunning everyone in the room". A month later, she was in the studio recording her first FatCat single, Ghost and debut album, Moenie and Kitchi, which were both released in September and October 2008, respectively.

During an interview with AU Magazine, Godreau was asked about her work with FatCat Records and responded, "I wasn’t really aiming to be on a record label, but now that I am, there have been so many great people that I’ve met in the last couple of years because of it that I would never, ever say that I wouldn’t want to have that. I’m very glad about the people I’ve met, and not necessarily the technicalities of being on a label". ^[4]

Moenie and Kitchi[link]

In the recording of Moenie and Kitchi, many of the instruments were played by the album's producer, Adam Pierce (Mice Parade), with most vocals and guitars recorded simultaneously in just one take. Gregory and the Hawk took a three-continent tour for this album, taking in support slots for múm, The Album Leaf, Mice Parade, Frightened Rabbit, Asian Kung Fu Generation and other bands.^[5] "Moenie and Kitchi was not produced by me... and I really like[d] it, but it wasn’t very personal to me. I wrote the songs but I felt like it was not something I could have made on my own," Godreau told AU Magazine. Godreau decided to create her most recent album back in her own garage/studio.

Leche[link]

Godreau started working on Leche throughout the winter of 2009, writing and self-recording, then taking her music to a team of friends, engineers, and collaborators including Pierce, as well as Jeremy Backofen (Felice Brothers) and Rob Laakso (Amazing Baby, Diamond Nights, Mice Parade, Swirlies). Godreau writes, "it turned out the idea behind the album was about traveling all around - both physically and psychologically - and observing many different places, people, and behaviors but always from a detached perspective, never directly involved. Traveling was a major influence on the album, as was personal change and growth". The album was released in Canada and the United States on November 9, 2010 and in the UK and Europe on November 15, 2010. ^[6]

Come, Now[link]

Godreau has a new album coming up in June 5 2012 and has posted 3 of her new songs from the new album. Two of them, Cause it's cold and Been too long had been posted in January 2012 while First Flying V had been posted in November 2011. First Flying V can be downloaded for free and those who download can get a bonus track.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• In Your Dreams (2007)
• Moenie and Kitchi (2008)
• Leche (2010)
• Come, Now (June 5, 2012^[7])

EPs[link]

• Gregory and the Hawk (Demo) EP (2005)
• Boats and Birds EP (2006)
• Huckleberry Cherry and Boules EP (2010)

Singles[link]

• Ghost (2008)
• Olly Olly Oxen Free (2010)

Compilations[link]

• The Lonesome Call of the... WHPRWHIL, Whprwhil Records (2006)
• Pickathon, Pickathon Roots Music Festival (2006)
• Nano-Mugen Compilation 2009, Ki/oon Records (2009)

^[8]

References[link]