ABOUT
Youth in a Roman Field wants to help you break the rules. The bastardized string quartet meets folk band meets jazz combo from singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Claire Wellin incorporates sounds of "Appalachia, cayenne pepper, & ghosts." The band includes collaborators Tiffany Topol, Scott Stangland, Cassidy Stirtz, Katrina Lenk, and Jamie Mohamdein. Their debut LP, 'Of Grit and Grace,' was released in May of 2012, and the EP 'Suits for Children' in October 2014. Originally out of Chicago, the band now resides in New York City and released their second full-length album, 'Storm Conductor,' recorded with legendary producer Stewart Lerman, on April 20.
“Idiosyncratically accessible artistry- a stylistic intersectionality incorporating folk, jazz and classical influences informs Wellin’s take on singer-songwriter vulnerability with a type of understated theatricality that makes Youth in a Roman Field an original presence loaded with potential.” -Jamie Lee Rake, Milwaukee Shephard Express
"An extremely sophisticated adventure, Wellin’s voice is animated, emotive, and powerful, and sets well with the haunting and often cinematic quality to the sounds of strings, versatile percussion, and endless, graceful melody. Even though there are plenty of players on hand, the songs never seem too busy, and deliver grace without pretense, in an unconventional sort of Americana fashion." -Tom Haugen, New Noise
"Listening to Youth in a Roman Field, it's not hard to imagine the band in a shady glade singing its timeless, melancholy folk — the accordion makes the fantasy list toward the french countryside. The songs are clear, simple, a little sad and swept with romance. Frontwoman and bandleader Claire Wellin has a clarion voice that goes from naive to soulful, on songs that touch on belle époque cabaret music and early American folk music." -Jessica Hopper, Chicago Tribune
