The Long Island music scene has a star with a trajectory rising like a Phoenix out of the music halls around town. Meet Kelli Baker, a transplant from Arizona, who has momentum unlike anyone. This soulful singer is a cross between Amy Winehouse and Susan Tedeschi. Her original music erupts in an emotional whirlwind as she draws you in.
I had the chance to interview Kelli Baker on The Long Island Sound podcast back in June and her rise to prominence has been something to behold. After the passing of her dad several years ago, Kelli packed her bags and headed for Huntington Village, on the Northshore of Long Island. Her energetic live performance is insync with her go-for-it attitude and work ethic. Continuing with skills in hospitality, Kelli worked several jobs while gigging around the village with her bag of cover songs and an occasional original song snuck into the mix.
With a chuckle in her voice, this starling belts out emotional verses with the ease of a carnival barker. She connects with her audience as she calls us into the curiosity of her sideshow. The circus of sideshow gigs as a result has landed Kelli on the main stage. She was recently signed to the parade of Sony Music artists this past January under the Bad Jeu Jeu CDX Record label.
The hard work and song writing has seemed to have payed off, as she landed Monster Cables as a sponsor and just a few days ago She also landed a spot on Spotify’s Editorial Playlist, Blues Roots among some of the top names in the business, Jon Baptist, Tedeschi Trucks, and The Black Keys.
Blood on the Nile
Her recent single release, Blood on the Nile hit the airwaves on September 9th. Recorded in Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, It features another guest on the podcast, Brother Dave (Solomon) . Dave is an excellent slide and lap steel guitar player also featured as a guest on the podcast.
The song, Blood on the Nile invites you in with the call of a pedal steel guitar, and slowly builds to a crescendo of emotion as Kelli exudes a passion that only a heart with scars can comprehend. Her catalog of songs are deep and insightful. The track, Cathedral released early in 2020 sets a scene as the bells toll for thee and me. The exploration of Kelli’s music has just begun for me. She tailored her sound both as a solo performer in the music halls, wineries, bars and pubs, from North Shore to the South Shore and to points East on the Island.
Gathering excellent band members around her, Ms. Baker embarked on a Summer tour along the East Coast to excellent reviews. This past month the Kelli Baker duo opened for the all female Swedish band, Thundermother at the Paramount in Huntington.
This exploration into Kelli Baker’s music has just begun. I could wax poetic with flowery prose, but after seeing her performance at the Blue Point Brewery, this past August, I left the venue having gone through a memorable experience, weary with emotion and thirsting for more.
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