Rosie Thomas (singer-songwriter)

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Rosie Thomas
Thomas staring at the ceiling while singing into a microphone

Rosie Thomas at Roots of Heaven VIII, Patronaat, Haarlem, Netherlands on May 13, 2007
Background information
Also known as Sheila Saputo
Born c. 1978[1]
Origin Livonia, Michigan, U.S.
Genres Alternative, indie folk
Occupations Musician
Labels Sub Pop, Sing-A-Long
Associated acts Damien Jurado, Sufjan Stevens, Velour 100, Denison Witmer, Iron & Wine
Website www.rosiethomas.com

Rosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter and stand-up comedian, originally from Michigan.

Career

Raised in Detroit, Thomas learned piano and guitar as a child.[1] She attended Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California for a year before studying Theatre at Cornish College in Seattle.[1][2]

Through mutual friends she met Trey Many and began playing shows with Velour 100.[1][3] They recorded one EP together and played a few short tours, where she met Damien Jurado and Pedro the Lion.

Thomas' appearance on the song "Parking Lot", from Damien Jurado's album Ghost of David, brought her to the attention of famed record label Sub Pop who signed her in 2000.[1] Her first recording for the label was a duet with Jurado on "Wages of Sin" on Badlands: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska.[3][4] Her debut album When We Were Small was released on January 22, 2001. The album featured Eric Fisher (who Thomas met at Cornish College) on guitar and keyboards and Andy Myers on drums. Fisher and Myers returned for 2003's follow-up Only with Laughter Can You Win.

Thomas released her third album, If Songs Could Be Held, in 2005. In March 2006, she was invited by Toronto indie rock label Paper Bag Records to exclusively contribute to their See You on the Moon! compilation with her song "Faith's Silver Elephant".[3]

In April 2006, Pitchfork erroneously announced that Thomas and American musician Sufjan Stevens were having a baby together, but were forced to print a retraction.[3][5][6] Denison Witmer and Thomas later admitted it was an April Fools' prank.[7]

Thomas' album, These Friends of Mine, was released on December 12, 2006, through her own record label Sing-A-Long Records. She released a holiday album called A Very Rosie Christmas in November 2008 through her own record label. Thomas also acted in the 2009 film Calvin Marshall[8] and was the subject of the 2009 documentary All the Way from Michigan Not Mars.[9] She suffered from a thyroid condition that affected her for two years, leading to a gap of four years until her next album With Love (2012).[10] She also got married to folk singer Jeff Shoop in August 2008.[11]

Thomas toured with Sufjan Stevens in his 2012 Surfjohn Stephanopolous Seasonal Affective Disorder Disaster on Ice tour, opening the show as her Sheila Saputo character as well as performing as a member of his band.

Comedy

Thomas also performs as a stand-up comedian as the character Sheila Saputo, an accident-prone pizza delivery person, with comparisons drawn with Gilda Radner and Andy Kaufman.[1][12][13] She has performed stand-up as this character as part of her music shows.[2]

Discography

Albums

EPs

  • In Between (2001)
  • Paper Airplane (2002)

Singles

  • "Pretty Dress" (2005)

Compilation appearances

  • "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" - Bifrost Arts' Come O Spirit (Sounds Familyre 2009)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Breimeier, Russ (2003). "Glimpses of God: Rosie Thomas, Only With Laughter Can You Win". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2012-01-17. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Rosie Thomas; It's a Family Affair", Pittsburgh City Paper, September 28, 2005. Retrieved January 23, 2014  – via HighBeam (subscription required)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wilson, MacKenzie "Rosie Thomas Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved January 23, 2014
  4. ↑ Clayton-Lea, Tony (2003) "Rosie Thomas ; Whelans, Dublin", Irish Times, August 8, 2003. Retrieved January 23, 2014  – via HighBeam (subscription required)
  5. ↑ "Sufjan Stevens Hypothetical Tracklists". Stereogum. 2006-04-13. Retrieved 2009-12-25. 
  6. ↑ Crock, Jason (2006-05-15). "Interview: Sufjan Stevens". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2009-12-25. 
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Calvin Marshall (2009)". IMDb.vom. Retrieved 2012-08-26. 
  9. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (2009-08-12). "Sufjan Featured on New DVD". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2009-12-25. 
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Laura (2012) "Rosie Thomas: Restarting A Musical Life "With Love"", NPR, April 8, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2014  – via HighBeam (subscription required)
  11. ↑ Durbin, Kelly (2008) "Rosie Thomas: Sing, Laugh, Love ... Then Get Knocked Up", 'Real Detroit Weekly, December 2, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2014
  12. ↑ Foster, Patrick (2004) "Pop Music", The Washington Post, April 20, 2004. Retrieved January 23, 2014  – via HighBeam (subscription required)
  13. ↑ "Drunk By Noon; Roots & Americana", The Stranger, December 17, 2003. Retrieved January 23, 2014  – via HighBeam (subscription required)

External links

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